Lemon Torte (German)

This German Lemon Torte (layered cake) will be the high light of your coffee and cake table. It is a refreshing cake consisting of 2 layers, filled and surrounded by a lemony cream. Decorate this cake to your needs. You can use it for a birthday or anniversary and customize it with numbers and the name.

4 eggs, separated
sugar (125 g)
1 (0.3 oz) pkg Dr Oetker vanilla sugar
3 Tbsp. warm water
all-purpose flour, unbleached (75 g)
corn starch (50 g)
1.5 tsp. baking powder
8 sheets gelatin (0.40 oz or 13.3 g ground Knox gelatin)
butter milk (300 mL)
sugar (150 g)
zest of 1 organic lemon
lemon juice, freshly squeezed (110 mL)
heavy cream (600-800 mL)

Decoration:
pistachios, unsalted, chopped
lemon balm leaves (Zitronenmelisse) or super thin sliced lemons
springform 10" diameter (26 cm)

Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

Base Biscuit:
Mix egg yolks with water and 60 g sugar until foamy.

Beat egg whites with vanilla sugar and 65 g sugar until firm, mix with egg yolks and fold in all-purpose flour, unbleached, unbleached, baking powder and starch.

Fill the dough into a spring form well-greased or layered with parchment paper spring form (diameter 10").

Bake for 25 minutes.

Filling:
Dissolve gelatin. If you use sheets soak them for 7 minutes in cold water.

Mix butter milk, sugar, lemon zest and juice.

Remove gelatin from water and dissolve in a pan on low heat. Add some of the butter milk cream, to even temperature. Gelatin has to be completely dissolved. Add remaining butter milk cream.

Place the filling in fridge as long as it takes to get a little bit firm (you can see it).
Meanwhile beat half of the heavy cream until firm.

When cream is firm combine it with whipped cream, mix gently.

Make the Layered Cake:
Cut the base biscuit horizontally in half, place a cake ring around it or the spring form that you used for baking.

Spread half of the filling on the bottom half of the base cake and place other one on top.
Spread remaining filling evenly on it.

Keep the cake for 4-5 hours in the fridge (or overnight) so the cream can get firm.

Decorate the cake with the pistachios, lemon balm leaves and whipped cream. Use a frosting bag to make little dots or lines.

Cook's Notes: Gelatin is used as sheets in Germany for baking. Gelatin is an odorless, tasteless and colourless thickening agent, which when dissolved in hot water and then cooled, forms a jelly. It's useful for many purposes such as jelling desserts and salads, thickening cold soups and glazing patés. Or for baking these creamy German cakes.