The Esterházy slice is a Hungarian cream cake. It was developed by Budapest confectioners in the early 20th century during the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is still much loved today, mainly in Hungary and Austria but also in Germany.
It is always decorated with the typical Esterházy pattern of fondant and chocolate.
Makes 7 slices
WHAT YOU NEED
FOR THE JAPONAISE CAKE
160g egg whites, at room temperature (from 5–6 eggs)
160g caster sugar pinch of salt
160g ground almonds
pinch of ground cinnamon
FOR THE CREAM FILLING
300g milk
3 egg yolks
40g cornflour
1 vanilla pod
150g caster sugar
100g chocolate hazelnut spread
300g butter
TO ASSEMBLE
1tbsp apricot jam
20g water
100g icing sugar
25g dark chocolate
100g flaked almonds
WHAT TO DO
FOR THE JAPONAISE CAKE
Beat the egg whites, caster sugar, and salt in a scrupulously clean bowl until stiff. Carefully fold in the almonds and cinnamon. Spread the mixture out on the lined baking sheet and smooth it out with an angled palette knife.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes Let it cool down slightly, then gently pull the parchment paper off the warm base. Don’t worry if it breaks as the layers can easily be re-assembled later. Now cut the base lengthways into four equal-width strips.
FOR THE CREAM FILLING
Combine 3 tablespoons of milk with the egg yolks and cornflour in a small bowl, and stir until smooth.
Slice the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds with a small, sharp knife. Put the vanilla pod and seeds in a saucepan with the remaining milk and the caster sugar and bring to a simmer. As soon as the milk begins to boil, add 3 tablespoons of the hot milk to the cornflour and egg yolks to bring this up to temperature. Then put everything in the saucepan and continue cooking, stirring with a balloon whisk until the mixture begins to thicken to a custard consistency.
Fold in the chocolate hazelnut spread. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover the surface with cling film, and leave to cool (the film should be in contact with the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming).
Take the layered cakes out of the fridge and cover with the icing. Pipe thin, parallel lines of dark chocolate across the cake. Immediately pull a wooden skewer through the chocolate lines at right angles in alternating directions.
Put the cake in the freezer briefly so that it is easier to slice into smooth pieces. To do this, first trim the edges very finely using a serrated knife. Then cut the cake into seven slices.
Toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan until golden brown, then allow to cool. Decorate the sides of the Esterházy slices with the almonds.
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