Almond Lattice Linzer Torte with Raspberry Jam

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A fine-dining-worthy Linzer torte built on a spiced toasted-almond shortbread that bakes into something between a cookie and a tart. The trick that makes the famous woven lattice manageable at home: roll and cut the strips on parchment, freeze them flat, and lift them into place stiff and cold so nothing stretches or tears. A raspberry jam cooked down with fresh berries and lemon keeps the filling bright instead of cloying. Best on day two, dusted with powdered sugar.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups almond flour (about 120 g), preferably blanched
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 190 g)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 10 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (140 g)
• 1 large egg, cold
• 1 large egg yolk, cold
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp dark rum or kirsch (optional)

• 1 1/2 cups good seedless raspberry jam (about 450 g)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp heavy cream
• 2 tbsp sliced almonds
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Toast the almond flour first — it is the whole flavor of the tart. Spread it in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and stir constantly for 4 to 6 minutes, until it smells nutty and turns the color of pale sand. Scrape onto a plate and cool completely, at least 15 minutes.
2. Make the filling so it can cool while the dough chills. Combine the raspberry jam, fresh raspberries, lemon juice, and pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the berries have collapsed and the mixture mounds thickly on a spoon and leaves a clear trail when you drag a spatula across the pan bottom. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold and spreadable, about 45 minutes. You should have roughly 1 3/4 cups.
3. In a food processor, pulse the cooled toasted almond flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, and salt for 5 seconds to combine. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse in 1-second bursts, 15 to 20 times, until the mixture looks like coarse sand with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
4. Whisk the whole egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, vanilla, and rum together in a small bowl. Pour over the flour mixture and pulse 10 to 15 times, just until the dough gathers into damp clumps that hold when pinched. Do not run it into a ball — overworking makes the torte tough.
5. Turn the dough onto the counter and divide it 60/40. Press the larger piece into a 6-inch disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate. Place the smaller piece between two sheets of parchment and roll it to a rough 11 x 8-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Slide the parchment sandwich flat onto a baking sheet. Refrigerate both pieces at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days — the dough must be genuinely hard, not just cool.
6. Press the larger disk evenly into the bottom and 3/4 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan or 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, working from the center out with your fingers and smoothing the surface with the flat bottom of a measuring cup. Aim for an even 1/4-inch thickness. Freeze the shell for 20 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, cut the lattice. Peel the top parchment off the chilled rectangle. Using a ruler and a pizza wheel or thin knife, cut 10 strips about 3/4 inch wide, cutting straight down through the dough on the parchment. Slide the sheet into the freezer for 15 minutes so the strips go stiff — this is what lets them transfer without stretching.
8. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the lower third. Spread the cold filling evenly over the frozen shell, leaving a 1/4-inch border of bare dough at the rim.
9. Lift 5 strips one at a time with an offset spatula and lay them across the tart, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Lay the remaining 5 strips on the diagonal or crosswise on top to form the lattice — no weaving needed, and no one will know. Press the ends firmly into the dough rim, trimming flush with a paring knife. If a strip cracks, press it back together with a fingertip; the jam hides everything.
10. Brush the lattice and rim with the egg yolk wash, scatter the sliced almonds around the outer edge, and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the lattice is deep golden brown and the jam bubbles slowly in the openings. If the edges color too fast after 35 minutes, tent loosely with foil.
11. Cool completely in the pan on a rack, at least 3 hours — the jam needs to set or it will run when sliced. Release the ring, dust the lattice with powdered sugar through a fine sieve, and cut into wedges with a thin sharp knife.
12. For the best texture, wrap the cooled torte and let it sit at room temperature overnight before serving; the crust softens slightly and the spices bloom. Dust with fresh powdered sugar just before it goes to the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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