Butter Creme Torte

My mother-in-law had her birthday and I offered to make the cake. Buttercreme Torte is a family tradition when it comes to birthday cakes, thus I though I should provide my new family with this delight.

The recipe for this lovely torte comes from my grandmother. She has been making it since I can remember for any birthday in the family and it is a must for such an occasion. The kids would always request this one from grandma and nothing else. It’s a classic!

Recipe for biscuit or sponge cake:

– 100g flour
– 100g sugar
– 3 eggs
– 3 tbsp oil
– 1 package vanilla sugar or 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 tsp baking powder

Beat eggs, sugar and oil until creamy. Sift flour and baking powder together and add to egg mixture spoon by spoon then mix until well combined.

Line a spring form on the bottom with baking paper or grease and dust with flour. Fill with the batter and bake at 180° C for 20 min. Let the cake cool down before you remove it from the form and cut in half or three layers. This depends on how high it rose.

Tip 1: Cover the spring form with aluminum foil to ensure even baking.

I found that the biscuit cake was not high enough to cut it into three layers. It might be the difference in flour or baking powder, elevation, humidity, you name it. The recipe can be easily double and should then render enough to make three layers.

Butter creme filling:

– vanilla pudding from Dr. Oetker
– 450 ml milk

– 200g butter (unsalted!!!)
– 100g icing sugar

Prepare the vanilla pudding by stirring the powder into the milk. Stir well until it thickens, then set aside to cool down. You might want to sprinkle it with icing sugar to avoid a “crust” or “skin”.

While the pudding is cooling down you can cream the butter (at room temperature). Add the icing sugar by the spoon until well combined.

Press the pudding through a strainer, you want to make sure it’s a smooth pudding otherwise you butter creme will be lumpy. Make sure that the pudding and butter mix have the same temperature. Then add the pudding to the butter mix by the spoon until well combined.

Tip 2: Should your butter creme be lumpy, slowly heat over a water bath and stir while doing so. That should take out all the lumps, then stir while the creme is cooling down.

To assemble the Butter Creme Torte:

Place the first layer of cake on a flat plate and add the jam or Nutella, then add some butter creme and spread carefully. Place another cake layer on top and spread more butter creme. Finally, place the last layer on top and finish the torte by using the rest of the butter creme on top and on the edges. Pipe decoration as desired. My grandmother tends to make little swirls at the edge and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles.

Happy baking!