Nusstorte – An Irresistible Austrian Walnut Tart

As promised, you’re about to fall head over heels for one of the cakes we absolutely adored during our Austrian adventure. We discovered this beauty in a charming little town called Hall in Tirol, at the delightful Willer Patisserie. We initially stumbled upon this gem while seeking out a spectacular chocolate mousse cake with whole strawberries enrobed in chocolate ganache.

What we didn’t expect was that the seemingly simple cake we chose out of pure curiosity would become one of our absolute favorites of the entire trip. This is essentially a walnut tart crowned with an additional layer of crisp pastry, where the caramel-nutty filling nestled between the two pastry layers immediately reminded me of my famous Mitzpe Hayamim cake that you all love so much.

We couldn’t stop savoring every bite and deeply regretted not buying several more portions. Naturally, as soon as we returned to our adorable little Parisian apartment (our “deluxe studio,” as I fondly call it), I immediately set to work recreating this treasure. This tart is perfect for any day and especially wonderful for Rosh Hashanah. You can bake it in a 20cm pan for a taller tart or a 22cm pan for a lower profile. I naturally prefer the taller version because the ratio of nutty filling to pastry tips deliciously in favor of the filling 🙂

Nusstorte – Walnut Tart
20cm tart pan, 3cm high (or larger, lower pan)

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry:
250g all-purpose flour
50g ground almonds
100g sugar
175g cold butter, cubed
70g eggs (1 big egg)

Nutty Filling:
230g sugar
30g water
200g heavy cream
40g honey
200g toasted walnuts, chopped
100g toasted pecans, chopped

For brushing: 1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon milk

Preparation
1. Shortcrust Pastry: In a food processor, pulse together all pastry ingredients except the egg until you achieve a sandy texture.
2. Add the egg and continue pulsing just until the dough begins to come together, work the dough as little as possible.
3. Transfer to your work surface, divide into two portions (roughly one-third and two-thirds), wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Lightly flour your work surface and roll the larger portion of dough into a 5mm thick sheet.
5. Butter your tart pan, line with the pastry sheet, press firmly into bottom and sides, and trim excess. Prick with a fork and refrigerate for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
7. Nutty Filling: In a medium saucepan, heat sugar with water until you achieve a deep amber caramel.
8. Add the heavy cream – Careful! At this stage, be very cautious as the cream meeting the hot caramel will bubble and rise dramatically. Remove the pan from heat for a few seconds to prevent the caramel from overflowing, then return to heat while stirring vigorously until smooth.
9. Stir in the honey and chopped nuts, mixing for another minute until the caramel coats all the nuts and you have your perfect nutty filling 🙂 Let cool slightly.
10. Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator, pour in the filling and level it out.
11. Remove the second portion of dough from the fridge, lightly flour your work surface and roll into a 5mm thick sheet. Prick with a fork. Place this pastry sheet over the tart, gently roll over it with a rolling pin to create a top crust that adheres to the tart, and trim excess pastry from the edges.
12. Brush the surface with beaten egg and milk, then create decorative patterns with a fork as desired.
13. Bake for 30-33 minutes (depending on your oven) until the tart is golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
*Best made a day before serving – this cake actually improves after 2-3 days.

Bon-Appétit
Sharon