Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Linzer mix is the soft, nutty pastry that gives a Linzer torte its name. Equal weights of hazelnut and almond meal are creamed into butter, sugar and egg with cinnamon and lemon zest, then held together with just enough flour so the mixture stays pipeable rather than rolled like a normal shortcrust. Baked, it is sandy and short, deeply nutty and fragrant with spice.
I use it for tart and torte bases that are filled with jam or fruit compote, for the classic lattice top, and piped as a border on slices and petit fours. It keeps well in the fridge or freezer, so it is worth making the full batch and using it over a few days.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
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Weight Per Unit: 737
Number of Units: 2
Unit Size: 24 cm Linzer torte, base and lattice
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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300 |
10.6 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
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B
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340 |
12 ounces
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Butter
Butter is a solid dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk, to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk. It is generally used as a spread on plain or toasted bread products and a condiment on cooked vegetables, as well as in cooking, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying. Butter consists of butterfat, milk proteins and water.
unsalted
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room temperature, diced |
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C
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180 |
3.6 Whole Eggs
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Whole Egg
Eggs are one of the most common ingredients in a typical cake. Egg yolks and whole eggs store significant amounts of protein and choline, and are widely used in baking. Usually an eggs role in a cake is to add moisture and richness, act as a raising agent as well as a glue to bind the ingredients together.
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room temperature, lightly beaten |
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D
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170 |
6 ounces
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Hazelnut Meal
Hazelnut meal is simply hazelnuts ground to a fine, sandy powder, much like almond meal. It carries a rich, toasty flavour and its natural oils keep baked nut meringues tender rather than dry.
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E
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150 |
5.3 ounces
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Cake Flour
Cake flour is a finely milled white flour made from soft wheat. It has very low protein content, between 8% and 10%, making it suitable for soft-textured cakes and cookies. The higher protein content of other flours would make the cakes tough. Highly sifted cake flours may require different volume amounts in recipes than all-purpose flour. Using the scoop and level method, well-sifted flour usually produces 125 g per cup. However, most American recipes are written with 140 g of flour per cup, so weighing and experimentation can be helpful in baking unfamiliar recipes. Small weight differences can greatly affect the texture. American Cake flour is bleached; in countries where bleached flour is prohibited, plain flour can be treated in a domestic microwave to improve the texture of the end product.
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sifted |
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F
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6 |
0.2 ounce
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Cinnamon
Cinnamon (/ˈsɪnəmən/ sin-ə-mən) is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods. While Cinnamomum verum is sometimes considered to be "true cinnamon", most cinnamon in international commerce is derived from related species, which are also referred to as "cassia" to distinguish them from "true cinnamon".
ground
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G
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2 |
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Salt
Common salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in its natural form as a crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater, where it is the main mineral constituent; the open ocean has about 35 grams (1.2 oz) of solids per litre, a salinity of 3.5%. Salt is essential for animal life, and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Salt is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous of food seasonings, and salting is an important method of food preservation.
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H
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6 |
0.2 ounce
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Lemon Zest
Lemon zest is the thin, brightly coloured outer layer of the lemon skin, removed with a fine grater or zester without taking the bitter white pith underneath. It holds the fruit's aromatic oils and gives a fresh citrus lift to batters and creams.
fresh
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finely grated |
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I
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150 |
5.3 ounces
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Self-Raising Flour
Self-rising or self-raising flour is white flour that is sold premixed with chemical leavening agents. Self-rising flour is typically composed of the following ratio: 1 cup (100 g) flour, 1 1⁄2 teaspoons (3 g) baking powder, a pinch to 1⁄2 teaspoon (1 g or less) salt.
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sifted |
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J
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170 |
6 ounces
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Almond Meal
Almond meal, almond flour or ground almond is made from ground sweet almonds. Almond flour is usually made with blanched almonds (no skin), whereas almond meal can be made both with whole or blanched almonds. The consistency is more like corn meal than wheat flour.
It is used in pastry and confectionery – in the manufacture of almond macarons and other sweet pastries, in cake and pie filling, such as Sachertorte and is one of the two main ingredients of marzipan and almond paste. In France, almond meal is an important ingredient in frangipane, the filling of traditional galette des Rois cake.
Almond meal has recently become important in baking items for those on low carbohydrate diets. It adds moistness and a rich nutty taste to baked goods. Items baked with almond meal tend to be calorie-dense.
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1474
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Have B (butter) soft but not oily, and C (whole egg) at room temperature. Sift E and I (cake flour and self-raising flour) together with F (cinnamon). |
Butter soft enough to take a fingerprint easily |
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2 |
Cream |
Beat B, A, G and H (butter, caster sugar, salt and lemon zest) together with a paddle. |
Pale and creamy, but do not whip in a lot of air |
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3 |
Combine |
Add C (whole egg) a little at a time, beating well between each addition. |
Smooth and emulsified, not split |
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4 |
Mix |
Add D and J (hazelnut meal and almond meal) and mix on low speed. |
Nut meals evenly worked through |
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5 |
Fold |
Add the sifted E, I and F (cake flour, self-raising flour and cinnamon) and mix only until it comes together. |
Just combined, no dry flour; over-mixing makes the baked pastry tough |
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6 |
Rest |
Cover the mix and rest it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight. |
Firm enough to pipe or press, still soft in the middle |
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7 |
Shape |
For a torte, press or pipe a layer about 8 mm thick into the base of a greased 24 cm ring or tart tin, spread the jam or fruit filling over it, then pipe a lattice over the top with a 10 mm plain or star tube. |
Even thickness, filling kept 1 cm clear of the edge |
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8 |
Bake |
Bake at 170°C (340°F) for about 30-35 minutes. |
Golden brown and firm at the edges; the pastry crisps as it cools |
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9 |
Cool |
Leave in the tin until completely cold before unmoulding and cutting. |
Fully cold; warm Linzer pastry is fragile and will break |
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10 |
Store |
Wrap any unused raw mix well and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze it. |
Bring back to a soft, pipeable state before using |
Important Notes
This quantity makes about 1,474 g of mix, enough for two 24 cm Linzer tortes with their bases and lattice tops, or one torte plus a tray of piped Linzer biscuits. The mix is deliberately soft, so it is piped or pressed into the tin rather than rolled out; if it becomes too soft while you work, put it back in the fridge for a few minutes. It also works pressed into slice trays as a nutty base under jam or baked fruit fillings. Raw mix keeps up to 5 days in the fridge, well wrapped, or several weeks frozen.
Tools & Arrangements
Electric mixer with paddle attachment, sieve, bowl scraper, piping bag with a 10 mm plain or star tube, 24 cm tart ring or loose-based tart tin, palette knife, cooling rack.
