Esterhazy Cake

Esterhazy cake is a famous Hungarian dessert made of eight thin almond-meringue layers with custard buttercream and a signature chocolate spiderweb design. The layers bake in just 20 minutes at 160°C, and the sides get coated in toasted almond flakes. I recommend letting the cake soak in the fridge before serving - buon appetito!

Esterhazy Cake

A Hungarian cake of eight almond-meringue layers with custard buttercream and the classic chocolate spiderweb design.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Chilling 4 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the layers

• 190 g almond flour
• 190 g sugar
• 240 g egg whites
• 10 g corn starch

For the cream

• 375 ml milk
• 75 g sugar
• 6-8 egg yolks however many are left over from the whites
• 15 g corn starch
• 200 g butter room temperature

For decoration

• 50 g white chocolate
• 25 ml heavy cream 33%
• 10 g dark chocolate
• 70 g sliced almonds
• apricot jam

Method

 

Layers

1. Draw 8 circles, 18 cm in diameter, on parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Split the layer ingredients into two portions and mix two separate batches - 4 layers each.
3. In a grease-free bowl, whip the egg whites, adding the sugar gradually, until thick, stiff peaks form.
4. Turn off the mixer, sift in the almond flour and corn starch, fold gently and quickly, then spread the batter over the prepared circles.
5. Bake for exactly 20 minutes at 160°C, and cool the layers right on the parchment.

Cream

1. Warm the milk in a saucepan. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and corn starch, pour in the warm milk, mix, and return to the saucepan.
2. Stirring constantly, bring the cream to a boil until thickened, remove from heat, strain through a sieve, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface, and cool.
3. Whip the soft butter, then gradually add the cooled custard base, whipping until smooth and fluffy.

Assembly

1. Spread cream over every layer except the top one, and over the sides of the cake. Brush the top layer with apricot jam.
2. Chill the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours.
3. Melt the white chocolate with the cream over a bain-marie and pour it over the top of the cake. Make a spiral with melted dark chocolate and drag a toothpick through it to create the spiderweb pattern.
4. Toast the sliced almonds in a dry pan and coat the sides of the cake with them. Let the cake rest in the fridge for another couple of hours.
   

Tips

• Mix the batter in two batches of 4 layers each: the meringue batter deflates quickly while the first batch bakes.
• Draw 8 circles, 18 cm in diameter, on parchment paper ahead of time so the layers come out even.
• It's easier to peel off the parchment during assembly rather than right away.
• The bowl for whipping egg whites must be completely grease-free.