Hungarian Esterházy cake: A festive indulgence to impress

Delicate layers of almond cake, layered with a creamy custard-butter filling, are a treat even before tasting. After the first bite, it gets even better—a true indulgence for the senses. If you want to impress your guests during the holidays and serve them something different from the usual cake or cheesecake, the Esterházy cake is an excellent choice.

The Esterházy cake is a Hungarian dessert named after Prince Paul III Anton Esterházy de Galántha, a member of the Esterházy dynasty and a diplomat of the Austrian Empire. It was created by Budapest confectioners at the end of the 19th century and quickly became one of the most famous cakes in Austria-Hungary.

It's a true legend among cakes. The layer cake consists of crunchy meringue layers and a delicate cream. The entire cake is adorned with an elegant chocolate pattern resembling a spider web. The Esterházy cake is the perfect dessert for the holidays.

Ingredients:

Meringue layers:

• 9 egg whites,
• a pinch of salt,
• 340 grams of fine sugar,
• 255 grams of ground almonds,
• 2 tablespoons potato starch.

Custard cream:

• 600 millilitres of milk,
• 7 egg yolks,
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean,
• 100 grams of sugar,
• 30 grams of sugar for beating butter,
• 30 grams of all-purpose flour,
• 30 grams of potato starch,
• 255 grams of soft butter,
• 2 tablespoons rum or cognac (optional).

Decoration:

• royal icing,
• royal icing mixed with cocoa.

Preparation:

1. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.
2. Towards the end of beating, gradually add sugar while continuing to mix.
3. Add the sifted flour and mix.
4. Add the ground almonds and gently combine the mixture.
5. Prepare 5 layers with a diameter of about 23 centimetres. You can bake them in a springform pan or draw circles of the appropriate diameter on parchment paper.
6. Bake for about 25-30 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.
7. Remove the browned, flat layers from the oven and let them cool.
8. Pour half a cup of milk into a bowl and mix the egg yolks and flours in it. The mixture should be smooth.
9. In a pot, bring the remaining milk with vanilla and sugar to a boil.
10. Add the mixture from the bowl and cook until a pudding forms. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from burning. Set aside to cool.
11. Cream the butter with sugar to make a fluffy, light mixture.
12. Gradually add the pudding to the whipped butter, mixing continuously. Finally, pour in the rum.
13. Layer the meringue layers with the prepared cream.
14. Decorate with white icing. Use cocoa icing to create the spider web pattern.

Chill the prepared cake in the refrigerator for several hours. Enjoy!