WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE: Scrumptiously delicious layers of apples, nuts, prune and poppy seed fillings make up this show-stopping torte. Everyone will love something about it. While it may take some time to create, you should make it a day ahead. It’s well worth it!

Fächertorte

Desserts

Servings: 10 servings

Author: Hollie

While this short dough recipe is wonderful, you can save some time by purchasing it premade. You can also make the fillings a day in advance and individually refrigerate them or make them after you form the dough and while it is being refrigerated for 45 minutes. For best results, bake one day before serving.

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Ingredients

Short Dough

17 oz (500g) all purpose flour
7 oz (200g) powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
8.1 oz (230g) cold butter (see Recipe Notes)
2 large eggs

Apple Filling

35.3 oz (1kg) sweet-tart apples--I used Pink Lady.
2.1 oz (60g) sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla sugar
1.76 oz (50g) raisins
1/8 tsp ground cinammon
1 Tbsp rum

Walnut Filling

1.1 oz (30g) sugar
1 Tbsp honey
¼ cup milk or apple juice
5.3 oz (150g) finely ground walnuts
1 Tbsp rum

Poppy Seed Filling

1.1 oz (30g) sugar
1 Tbsp honey
¼ cup milk or apple juice
5.3 oz (150g) ground poppy seeds
1 Tbsp vanilla sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp rum

Thick Plum Filling

(See Recipe Notes)
12 pitted prunes
just enough water to make a very thick paste

Egg Wash

1 large egg, room temperature
1 Tbsp water

Powdered Sugar

Instructions

Short Dough

Combine the flour, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon zest and salt in a bowl.
Dice the butter into cubes, then mix it into the flour and sugar mixture with your hands. Rub the butter into this mixture, bringing everything together as quickly as possible so you don't warm the butter more than necessary. The dough should feel like sand or coarse meal between your fingers.
Add the eggs. Mix just enough so that everything pulls together to form a ball of dough, again going as quickly as possible. If, at this point, it is a bit too sticky, add a very small amount of flour and try again.
Refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes.

Apple Filling

Peel, quarter and thinly slice the apples about about 1/10" (2.5mm) thick.
Mix the apples with the other ingredients.
Set aside to marinade or refrigerate if made in advance.

Walnut Filling

Put sugar, honey and milk (or apple juice) in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and stir until dissolved.
Take off the heat and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Set aside to cool then use or refrigerate if made in advance.

Poppy Seed Filling

Put sugar, honey and milk (or apple juice) in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and stir until dissolved.
Take off the heat and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Set aside to cool then use or refrigerate if made in advance.

Thick Plum Filling

Puree the prunes with the water.
Cook together while constantly stirring for a couple of minutes until the paste thickens.

Egg Wash

Mix together egg and water.

Assembly and Baking

Set an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the over to 375° F.
Roll out the dough at least 1/8" thick.
Use two-thirds of the dough to line the pan. Bottom: cut out a disc to fit the bottom of an 8" springform pan (you can use a 9" springform pan, but it will not be as tall), Sides: line the sides with a large strip of dough.
Wrap aluminum foil around the outside of the tin and then fold it inside to cover the dough on the sides, putting the shiny side of the foil towards the dough.
Bake the dough for 15 minutes, or until it starts to brown. Remove it from the oven and take off the aluminum foil.
While the dough is baking, cut the remaining one-third of the dough into 1/2-inch (1.3cm) strips for the lattice design on the top of the fillings.
Tightly fill the layers starting with the poppy seed filling followed by the walnut filling then the apple filling along with the juices and lastly the powidl or thick plum filling.
Form a lattice pattern on top with the dough strips.
Brush the egg wash on top of the lattice.
Bake for 50 minutes.
Set on cooling rack to cool completely, preferably overnight.

Serving

Carefully remove from the springform pan, using a sharp knife around the edges to release the dough from the pan, if necessary.
Dust fächertorte with powdered sugar and put on serving platter.

Notes

Short dough--To make this dough pareve, use margarine or your favorite recipe using vegetable oil.

Thick Plum Filling--Make this substitute if you can not find the traditional powidl, a regional specialty "stew" made with very ripe Italian plums and no sugar. If you have powidl, use 6 Tbsp.

Feel free to play the amount of each layer you make. Next time I would likely make a bit less of the poppy seed layer and make up for it in the walnut and powidl/prune filling layers.

Recipe adapted from the Jewish Viennese Food website. The website also has excellent photos and interesting reading about its history.