Sekt Torte for Your New Year's Celebration

This torte is from the book my husband bought me called Großmutters Kleinen Gebäcke (Grandmother's Little Pastries). I made an Apple Dream Torte for the fall from this book and was saving this recipe for New Year's. It's a perfect dessert suggestion. It's light, not too sweet and perfect with champagne.

Sekt  Torte

Adapted from Großmutters kleine Gebäcke, Garant Verlag 2010

Ingredients:


For the Cake Layers


2 eggs
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1+1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
1+1/2 cups flour
scant 1/2 cup corn starch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1+1/4 cup apricot marmalade


For the Sekt Cream


1/4 cup white granulated sugar
2/3 cup quark
3/4 cup sekt
6-7 leaves of white gelatin
1+3/4 cups whipping cream
1 cup of red and white grapes sliced in half


For the Covering


1+1/3 cups whipping cream
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Brittle to sprinkle on top (you can use chocolate shavings, chopped nuts, sprinkles or whatever you like)
Red and white grapes for decoration sniped into small bunches
Simple sugar and white granulated sugar for dipping and coating grapes


Directions:


Line two 9 inch spring form pans with parchment paper. Preheat oven to  350 degrees F.


Beat the eggs, extract and sugar together until foamy.


Lightly whisk together the flour, cornstarch and baking powder.


Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and fold in.


Evenly divide the batter between the two pans and bake for about 25 minute or until slighly golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out dry.


While the cake layers are cooling, heat up the apricot marmalade and strain out the big pieces.


When cake and marmalade have cooled, brush both layers with the marmalade.

Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate and encase it with a torte ring.


Soak the gelatin leaves in water according to the directions on the package, usually 5-7 minutes. 


Beat together the quark and sugar, then add the sekt and mix until combined.


Remove gelatin leaves from water and add a little hot water to totally dissolve them and add gelatin to the quark mixture combining thoroughly.


Whip the cream and fold it into the quark mixture.


Add the quark/cream mixture to the torte ring and sprinkle the cut grapes evenly throughout.

Lay the second cake layer, marmalade side down on top of the quark/sahn mixture.


Refrigerate until firm.


Whip the cream with the cream of tarter until stiff. 


Cover the torte sides and top with the whipped cream. 


Sprinkle the brittle on the torte.


Dip the grapes in simple syrup and roll in granulated sugar and drape them on the torte for further decoration.


Chill until ready to serve.


Yield = 8-10 slices