Orange-layered Schichttorte

/ November 2, 2015

As promised, another Schichttorte – but this time with a twist on the traditional recipe. For those of you who watched last year’s Schichttorte episode on the Great British Bake-Off, you’ll remember people commenting on the dryness of the finished cake. After all the amount of grilling, that didn’t really come as a surprise – one reason I’ve never made a whole cake before but instead restricted myself to small, bite-sized ‘tips.’ Until I came across a baking book called ‘Kleine Kuchen,’ or ‘small cakes,’ where they added layers of orange juice and almonds to create an aromatic and moist cake.

I didn’t want to go as far as adding a layer of marzipan, so I used a mix of orange marmalade and water instead, to great effect. The pectin in the marmalade prevents it from sogging up the cake layers, instead adding the necessary moisture, and the bittersweet Seville orange flavours contrast beautifully with the dark chocolate. It’s a jaffa cake supreme – and one that deserves its name!Orangenschichttorte

You don’t need to be an experienced cook or baker to make a great Schichttorte: the grilling of the individual layers only requires patience and a functioning grill. To get it to that impressive height takes a good hour and a half! If you’re still not convinced, have a look at my Schichttorte-tutorial, where you can see my little helper in action, apart from, obviously, the grilling bit… Trust me: if you’re looking at an fool-proof showstopper, look no further!

Orange-layered Schichttorte (for a 2lb loaf tin)

  • 150g Orange marmalade (thinly cut)
  • 4-6 tbs water
  • 2 tbs orange liqueur (optional)
  • 250g soft, unsalted butter
  • 240g caster sugar
  • 2 tbs vanilla sugar
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 150g plain flour
  • 100g corn flour
  • 4 tbs water
  • the grated rind of a lemon (unwaxed, please)
  • a pinch of salt
  • 200g dark chocolate couverture

 

Start by heating up the marmalade in a small casserole. As it heats up it will become quite liquid: add the water and liqueur and mix it with a fork. If you want to remove the orange peel, this is probably the best time to do it. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt, until they form soft peaks. In a second bowl, beat the soft butter with the sugar and the vanilla sugar; add the lemon peel, then the yolks, one by one, and finally the flour and the corn flour. Carefully fold in the beaten egg whites.

If you are using a non-stick tin, you might want to cover it with tinfoil to prevent the non-stick coating to melt under the grill. Using a brush or a spatula, spread a thin layer of batter to cover the bottom of the tin.Schichttorte subsequent layers

Now the grilling begins: heat up your grill to a high temperature and place a cup filled with water at the bottom of your oven. Place the tin as closely as you can to the grill and start grilling – it should only take a few minutes for the batter to turn golden. Adjust your grill, if necessary, if you find it’s taking longer than 4 or 5 minutes as you don’t want the layers to dry out too much.Schichttorte first layers

Remove the tin from the oven and spread a thin layer of the runny marmalade on the surface. Then add more batter, again spreading it thinly and evenly across the surface.

Repeat until you have finished up the batter. Unless you are Paul Hollywood or Mary Berry, don’t worry too much about an uneven surface. It’ll be fine!Schichttorte top

 

Leave the cake to cool a little, then turn it out onto a cooling rack.

 

Schichttorte unglazed

Melt the chocolate couverture in a bain marie, that is in a small bowl over – never in! – boiling water. Remove it when it starts melting , stirring occasionally. Pop it back over the heat if need be, but don’t overheat the chocolate. Once it’s all melted, spread it neatly over the cake to cover up any irregularities. Schichttorte 1

Schichttorte can be stored in a tight-fitting tin for a few days – if anything, the flavours will intensify even more!

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33 thoughts on “Orange-layered Schichttorte”

  2. I love The Great British Bakeoff. It just came on Netflix here. That cake looked very time consuming and yours looks like a winner for sure! I really think you would come in first place if you went on that show . Your skills and creativity are that exceptional

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    • Hi hi, not really – I’m not very good under time pressures and with someone waving a camera in front of me! Also, my greatest skill is my cropping – no way would my cakes survive a closer inspection! It’s a great show though and I am always amazed as to what people are able to do. Glad you enjoyed the post!

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    • Well, there is a bit of fussing around with the broiler … but the end result is absolutely worth it! Beats jaffa cakes hands down 😉 I hope you’ll get round to give it a try!

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    • Thanks, Chica! It is absolutely delicious – next time I’ll make it in a round tin, though, a small one, just to see what it looks like. It’s well worth it, and once you’ve tried it you’ll come back to it.

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  8. Oh God there are only 7 weekends til Christmas! My baking will never get done! 🙂

    A note about ALDI though. The Christmas treats change up each year so if the Baumkuchen aren’t there this year they will come around again. For instance, the last two years there has only been Gluhwein from the Kristkindmarkt. This year there is also apple punch and a mulled cherry wine in addition to the Gluhwein. But there is ALWAYS authentic lebkuchen with the oblaten.

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  9. My ALDI in the states is run by the same people who run the ALDI in Hesse where my pen pal lives and the two stores, according to her could not be more different. The ads look the same but the product is different to suit the American idea of German food. Its a bit disappointing when it come to regular food. But it is spot on with the Christmas stuff. You can’t mess with German Christmas tradition! 🙂

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    • I can only agree – you have to get what is there and then supplement it in your regular shop. I like it mainly for the German stuff, especially sour cherries in syrup. I always get a whole pallet, just in case 🙂

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