LET THEM EAT TORTE
A torte is a cake; the name comes from the Italian word torta which means round bread or cake. In Europe, most cakes are called tortes (the German word for a layered cake is torte), and most tortes come from central European recipes. (Think of the most famous: the Sachertorte, invented in 1832 by Viennese hotelier Franc Sacher, the Dobostorte, a Hungarian cake invented by Josef Dobos in 1887, or the Linzertorte, also Viennese, a latticed nut crust with a raspberry jam filling more like a tart – the French word for pie.) Like other cakes, tortes can have layers, and can be iced, but often they are a single, dense layer.
Not all cakes are tortes. Many cakes are lighter than tortes because of the gluten content of cake flour; low gluten content results from use of soft wheat flour that is low in protein and, as a result, has a soft, smooth texture and a pure white color. Tortes are denser because cake flour has been replaced by something heavier, such as ground nuts, bread crumbs, or all-purpose flour. Cakes are usually taller than tortes because lighter flour rises higher (most cakes are at least four inches high, while tortes may only reach 2-1/2 inches).
Tortes are often soaked in liqueurs or simple syrups flavored with citrus, extracts or liqueur. Tortes are European, cakes American.
