Burnt Almond Cake from Prantis bakery

[oli]

Years ago I tried to get a recipe for this cake with no luck and just gave up, but just recently on another website there was talk of this very cake called Burnt almond cake where they say the recipe is a secret! And they have had over the years numerous requests for recipes from local bakeries. "Readers want the recipes but the bakeries won't talk -- for obvious reasons. FYI, the Burnt Almond Cake is their main selling cake (they told me the sell about 300 a day - and this is a tiny hole in the wall place if you've never been there.) So I don't see them giving out the recipe anytime soon." Just wondering if anyone had experience with this cake?

The cake or torte sounds easy enough but not sure if the yellow batter is a genois or not. Well anyway this is a copy from the bakery it self (Prantls in Pittsburgh):
'One item you must try is the burnt-almond torte. The bakery's signature item, it is an extremely delicate yellow batter with a center pudding filling. This is covered in whipped cream and sliced toasted almonds. It is light, rich, and delicious. It comes as a square that easily serves nine, and larger cakes can be made to order. Although it is also available in chocolate, I suggest you opt for the original'.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/14/prantls-torte-cake-almond_n_5133580.html

 

[RobertM]

I'm sending my western PA relatives there, ASAP

[boombonniewhale]

I read the article, checked out the website. Its no wonder they don't spill the secret, one tarte is nearly 50 bucks,300 per day means they make $15000 per day on that single cake recipe! I hope I make a recipe that successful someday soon!

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Here is a copycat recipe for the torte and there is a discussion about it on Chowhound with other links. You might be interested to read some of the posts from folks who ordered from the bakery and/or used a copycat recipe.

 

It seems the 50 buck shipped version of the torte does not even have the pastry cream filling, but just butter cream between the layers. According to some posters, they were able to make better versions than Prantl's using real butter instead of shortening/margarine. I will say that the Huff Post photo of the cut cake looks to me like a single square 8 or 9" cake that has has been split horizontally and then filled and frosted and all the copycats I read used two regular layers, so would make a larger cake. It would be a fun challenge to try to recreate it. I won't be doing it anytime soon with a broken oven and more 100 F temps on the way, though.

 

And, yeah, you are not going to get the recipe from an official representative of the bakery.

[Lisa Shock]

Epicurious has a copycat recipe that looks very good. Baker's weekly does not have a formula in the issues from the 1920s through 1930s. Although, they have a nice almond brittle formula which uses honey.

[MelissaH]

I grew up in the Burgh. The cake itself is nothing special, IMHO. But the candied almonds on the outside are what make the cake special. I haven't tried any of the copycat recipes, but I suspect the secret is in figuring out juuuuuuust how far to take the nuts without burning them (despite the name). Other than that, make a couple of layers of your favorite cake (whatever kind you like; I suspect the original is made with cake mix cake), fill it with your favorite custard (better than Prantl's travel version, which is specifically made to not require refrigeration), frost it with your favorite buttercream (probably better than the commercial version if you don't use shortening), and coat it with sugar-candied sliced almonds. The nuts are the showstopper part of the cake, and what everyone remembers.

[oli]

10 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

Here is a copycat recipe for the torte and there is a discussion about it on Chowhound with other links. You might be interested to read some of the posts from folks who ordered from the bakery and/or used a copycat recipe.

 

It seems the 50 buck shipped version of the torte does not even have the pastry cream filling, but just butter cream between the layers. According to some posters, they were able to make better versions than Prantl's using real butter instead of shortening/margarine. I will say that the Huff Post photo of the cut cake looks to me like a single square 8 or 9" cake that has has been split horizontally and then filled and frosted and all the copycats I read used two regular layers, so would make a larger cake. It would be a fun challenge to try to recreate it. I won't be doing it anytime soon with a broken oven and more 100 F temps on the way, though.

 

And, yeah, you are not going to get the recipe from an official representative of the bakery.

Thanks, might just try the copycat

[oli]

2 hours ago, MelissaH said:

I grew up in the Burgh. The cake itself is nothing special, IMHO. But the candied almonds on the outside are what make the cake special. I haven't tried any of the copycat recipes, but I suspect the secret is in figuring out juuuuuuust how far to take the nuts without burning them (despite the name). Other than that, make a couple of layers of your favorite cake (whatever kind you like; I suspect the original is made with cake mix cake), fill it with your favorite custard (better than Prantl's travel version, which is specifically made to not require refrigeration), frost it with your favorite buttercream (probably better than the commercial version if you don't use shortening), and coat it with sugar-candied sliced almonds. The nuts are the showstopper part of the cake, and what everyone remembers.

Thanks

[boombonniewhale]

Maybe to make the almonds they do a similar technique as making marrons glaces where they replace the water content with sugar then toast them up? food for thought. Not sure if there's enough water content to replace with anything in an almond though.

[JeanneCake]

Those are just sugared almonds, we make them often,and I am sure lots of other places do too.  We go with a 2/4/6 "ratio" (at least, that's how I remember the proportions: 2,000 gms sliced almonds with skins; 400 gms simple syrup (toss the nuts well in this) then add 600 gms sugar (we use bakers special for everything but any granulated sugar works here) and toss well.   Bake at 300 low fan (high fan won't hurt) on well sprayed (clean) sheet pans -  toss/break up the clumps after 15-20ish minutes and then bake until they are as dark as you like. 

 

They are addictive and I am always fantasizing about pouring chocolate all over them.  I usually make a double batch because someone is always filching them while they cool on the speed rack.

[oli]

9 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

Those are just sugared almonds, we make them often,and I am sure lots of other places do too.  We go with a 2/4/6 "ratio" (at least, that's how I remember the proportions: 2,000 gms sliced almonds with skins; 400 gms simple syrup (toss the nuts well in this) then add 600 gms sugar (we use bakers special for everything but any granulated sugar works here) and toss well.   Bake at 300 low fan (high fan won't hurt) on well sprayed (clean) sheet pans -  toss/break up the clumps after 15-20ish minutes and then bake until they are as dark as you like. 

 

They are addictive and I am always fantasizing about pouring chocolate all over them.  I usually make a double batch because someone is always filching them while they cool on the speed rack.

 

Thanks for the tip.