Russian Torta

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 4 sheets of puff pastry, rectangular, frozen
• 4 eggs
• 150 g sugar
• 150 g butter
• 150 g wheat flour type 550
• 150 g almonds, ground
• 150 g amaretti biscuits, ground
• 1 tsp saffron powder
• 10 drops of bitter almond flavor
• 10 almonds, whole
• e.g. powdered sugar
• some fat for the mold

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Cake specialty from Verona for a 22 or 24 cm springform pan

Thaw the puff pastry sheets. Place two sheets next to each other, place the other two sheets on top, facing each other, and roll them out between two layers of cling film. Place the dough in a greased springform pan. Pull up the edges until they overhang slightly. Make a heavy batter with the remaining ingredients—except for the whole almonds and the powdered sugar. Pour this batter onto the puff pastry, smooth it down, and fold the excess edge of the puff pastry onto the batter. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan/convection oven). Cover the cake with the whole almonds and bake for about 60 minutes. (Toothpick test). After baking, let the cake cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Note: Instead of the bitter almond flavoring, you can also use two to three tablespoons of amaretto or rum. A tablespoon of cocoa, chopped dark chocolate, or chocolate chips are also possible. For years, I’ve always had to bring three of these special cakes home from Verona, as they are so beloved by our family. But they’re quite expensive, and you can only find them in a few bakeries or cafes. So I decided to try making them myself. I think my version is pretty close to the original.