Hungarian Esterházy Torte (Esterházy Tortája)

 Ingredients

For the walnut cake layers:

6 egg whites

150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar

150 g (1½ cups) finely ground walnuts

40 g (⅓ cup) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

For the buttercream:

6 egg yolks

120 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) sugar

250 ml (1 cup) milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

250 g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

80 g (¾ cup) finely ground walnuts

For decoration:

150 g (1½ cups) ground walnuts

100 g (¾ cup) white chocolate

30 g (2 tablespoons) dark chocolate

Instructions

Make the cake layers: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Whip the egg whites with the salt until foamy, then gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff and glossy.

Gently fold in the ground walnuts, flour, and vanilla.

Spread the batter into 5–6 thin circles on parchment paper. Bake each layer for about 8–10 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool completely.

Make the buttercream: Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Cool completely.

Beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the cooled custard, then fold in the ground walnuts.

Assemble: Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with buttercream. Repeat until all layers are stacked. Cover the top and sides with the remaining buttercream.

Press the ground walnuts onto the sides and around the top, as shown in the picture.

Melt the white chocolate and spread it over the top. Melt the dark chocolate and pipe thin lines over the white chocolate. Drag a toothpick through the lines to create the traditional Esterházy pattern.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before slicing.

Tip: For the appearance in your photo, pipe small rosettes of buttercream around the top edge and sprinkle them lightly

with finely chopped walnuts.