Esterházy Schnitten (Hazelnut-­Vanilla Layer Cake)

This Hungarian cake was named for Prince Paul III, a member of the Esterházy dynasty of the 18th and 19th centuries. The cake itself was invented by Budapest confectioners in the late 19th century. Although this pastry is found in most Hungarian cafés, it varies quite dramatically from place to place. A quick internet search will yield recipes made with meringue, sponge cake, vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream, candied fruits, apricot glaze, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and/or pastry cream made with custard powder—basically, anything under the Hapsburgian sun.

This Esterházy cake is made with ground hazelnuts lightened with meringue. The six layers are sandwiched with vanilla buttercream. To counteract the inherent sweetness of the meringue-based cake, you will need to get the nuts quite toasty; I also add a little bit of ground espresso to the batter—not so much that it tastes like coffee, but it does a nice trick of enhancing the nuts and tempering the sweetness.

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