Rolled Cake Filled with Whipped Cream and Berry Sauce (Austrian Prügeltorte)

Prügeltorte is still a must at festive events, Queen Elisabeth was served this "royal" cake when she visited Tirol! Prügeltorte is a type of cake that isn’t cooked in an oven, but rather a spinning cylinder. The batter consists of eggs, butter, sugar, flour, a pinch of salt and lemon zest (similar to a pound cake they are measured by weight). Once the batter is ready, it’s spread on a spinning cylinder which slowly cooks the cake over a fire. Layers are added one at a time until the cake is about 1.5-2 cm in thickness. Once ready, the cake slides off the cylinder and the rings are filled with cream and a berry sauce.

10 eggs
butter
sugar
all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 pinch salt
1 lemon, freshly zested

The butter, sugar and flour should all weigh equal amounts to the 10 eggs.

Whisk the butter until fluffy then add the sugar and, one at a time, the eggs. Leave for half an hour before sieving the flour in and adding lemon zest to taste.

Make an open fire out of beech wood or wood of equivalent hardness to ensure a slow-burning flame. Set up a frame with a wooden barrel (or rolling pin) in the middle (30-60 cm long, 9 cm diameter on one end and 10 cm on the other) that can be turned using a handle. Cover the barrel with grease-proof paper and secure with string.

Put 2 ladles of the mixture on a plate at a time and place near the fire. Now apply the first layer of mixture to the barrel using a spoon, constantly spinning the barrel above the flames. Once the first layer is light brown, the next layer is applied. Repeat the procedure until you have used all of the mixture, making sure that the fire remains consistent. Remove the finished Prügeltorte from the barrel and store in an odorless, dry place.

You can fill the centre with whipped cream and a berry sauce, decorate with flowers or even cover the sides with icing. According to old tradition of the people of Tirol, the more jagged the Prügeltorte, the better the quality.

The Prügeltorte can be stored for a long time, but is extremely odor-sensitive.