Cranberry Linzer Torte Recipe: History of the Austrian Dessert
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Mar 19, 2024 • 4 min read
Come Christmastime, the Linzer torte is the darling of the pastry case, especially for Austrian bakeries. Learn to make this seasonal classic.
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What Is a Linzer Torte?
The Austrian Linzer torte is a traditional holiday dessert featuring a tender almond-enriched crust and a spiced fruit filling with an intricate lattice design. Linzer torte dough includes all-purpose flour and ground nuts—like ground almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans—and lemon zest, which complement its fruit filling. Some recipes also call for jam or chocolate hazelnut spread.
A Brief History of the Linzer Torte
Recipes for European Linzer tortes date back to at least 1653, but like other longstanding cultural traditions, its exact origins are unknown. Linzer tortes have been the pride of Linz, a small town along the Danube River in Northern Austria, for over 300 years. In its earliest incarnations, the central ingredients of a traditional Linzer torte—flour, butter, sugar, and spices—made it an indulgence and status symbol.
The popularity of the Linzer torte made its way to the United States in the mid-1800s, thanks to an Austrian immigrant and artist named Franz Hölzlhuber.
3 Tips for Making a Linzer Torte
Linzer tortes can be incredibly ornate or rustic—or made into cookies. Regardless of its form, the pastry highlights a few fundamentals. Here’s what to know.
- 1. Use fresh almond flour. Fresh almond flavor is the calling card of the Linzer cookie. Bakers can best achieve this flavor by toasting and grinding the almonds or purchasing fresh almond flour (or almond meal) at the grocery store. To make almond meal, lightly toast whole almonds on the stovetop, cool them completely, transfer them to a food processor with a bit of all-purpose flour, and blitz until they achieve a sandy texture.
- 2. Chill the dough for easier rolling. Linzer torte dough is crumbly, so you may find it difficult to roll out fresh from the mixer. Chilling the dough for about an hour will help it stay firm while making your cuts.
- 3. Experiment with different fruits. Traditional Linzer tortes featured quince or stone fruit filling, but modern recipes are more likely to use tart red fruits like cranberries or currants or use a prepared jam. Use fresh fruit if you like, or if you’re short on time, try a classic raspberry jam.
Classic Cranberry Linzer Torte Recipe
makes
1 9-inch tartprep time
10 mintotal time
1 hr 5 mincook time
55 minIngredients
For the dough:
For the filling:
Note: The total time does not include 1 hour 5 minutes of inactive time.
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
In a small saucepan over medium heat, toast the almonds, shaking the pan often, until they are aromatic and lightly browned, 7–10 minutes.
- 3
Remove the pan from the heat and let the almonds cool completely before adding them to a food processor along with 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour.
- 4
Blend the mixture until it is fine and sandy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- 5
Transfer the almond flour mixture to a large bowl with the rest of the flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- 6
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugars and butter at medium speed until they reach a light, fluffy consistency, about 5 minutes.
- 7
Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix at medium speed to combine.
- 8
Add the flour mixture and continue to mix at low speed until there are no floury streaks.
- 9
Place the dough in a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- 10
While the dough chills, prepare the cranberry filling.
- 11
In a large sauté pan, combine the sugar and orange juice over medium heat. Whisk to dissolve the sugar, then add the cranberries.
- 12
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- 13
Simmer the mixture until the cranberries have begun to pop and turn tender, and the pan juices have reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Set it aside to cool.
- 14
Lightly grease a 9-inch tart pan or springform pan and line it with parchment paper (trace around the removable bottom for best results).
- 15
Press about half of the chilled dough into the pan, using your knuckles to form an even layer along the bottom and up the sides.
- 16
Transfer the cooked cranberries to the dough-lined tart pan and smooth with a spatula.
- 17
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the remaining dough to a thickness of a ½ inch.
- 18
Use a pastry cutter to slice the dough into 1-inch wide ribbons, then arrange them into a lattice pattern on top of the cranberries.
- 19
Gently press to the edges of the crust to adhere.
- 20
In a small bowl, beat together the remaining egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of water.
- 21
Brush the lattice top with egg wash.
- 22
Bake the torte until the crust is golden brown and the filling has set, about 40 minutes.
- 23
Remove the torte from the oven and let it cool for at least 5 minutes.
- 24
Sift confectioners’ sugar over the top and serve.
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