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Forgotten Torte

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Forgotten torte is an old fashioned dessert made from egg whites and whipped cream. You make it the night before and forget it in the oven until morning.  It is simple and oh so delicious.

forgotten meringue torte with whipped cream and orange zest on top.

This cake is really like a giant meringue that is “forgotten” in the oven overnight. Top it with whipped cream and this old fashioned torte really becomes special.

We love it with a sprinkling of orange zest because it compliments the vanilla so nicely. This vintage recipe deserves a renaissance.

After making a giant batch of crème brulee for  New Year’s Eve, I found myself with another round of extra egg whites and cream.  I had just made a delicious raspberry cocoa pavlova, so I wanted to do something a little different this time.

step by step pictures of making torte with whipped egg whites and whipped cream.

This forgotten torte is more or less the same ingredients as the pavlova, but the texture and presentation is completely different.  It was so much fun to give this a try.

I had only heard of the forgotten torte recently so it was exciting to make one come to be so quickly.  I was helping out at a local gourmet kitchen shop and the owner mentioned it.

She is a wealth of information, so I was immediately intrigued.  I knew I had to learn more and make one.

This old fashioned recipe is actually pretty simple to make. I was worried that the fan in my oven may ruin it.

You see, my oven turns on a fan and vents the heat after a cycle. So it cools faster than an old fashioned oven would.

mixer bowl of egg whites whipped to stiff peak.

That has been an issue for a couple of recipes that involve a long rest in the oven. Sometimes I’ll make up for it by turning the oven on to 200F a couple of times during the rest time to slow down the cooling process.

Luckily it worked for this recipe. Though ideally you would just preheat the oven, load the meringue, turn it off and leave it.

They should really have a way to turn off the silly fan. I guess they didn’t have this recipe in kind when they designed it!

It is hard to describe the texture of this torte.  It ended up having a nice crunch bottom with a much softer cake-like texture to the body than you would imagine.

whipped cream topped egg white torte.

It was a really interesting cross between a soft meringue like a pie topper and a crunchy meringue cookie.  The whipped cream makes it delicious.

All of the textures and the soft flavor come together in such an interesting way. This is one you will have to try to get the full experience.

Don’t worry if you need something to do with all of the egg yolks. Make a vintage gold cake to go along with the torte.

Decorating your torte

We like piling lightly sweet vanilla whipped cream on ours. You could very easily adjust the flavors or color the whipped cream for a fun change.

A little orange zest adds a nice flavor. It goes perfectly with the vanilla of the cream and the meringue.

As with anything, fun sprinkles would jazz it up. You could also make some cocoa whipped cream for a chocolate twist.

Because of the whipped cream, you want to store the torte in the refrigerator. For the best texture you’ll want to eat it in the first couple of days, but it’s so delicious that shouldn’t be a problem.

forgotten meringue torte with whipped cream and orange zest on top.

Forgotten Torte

Carlee
Forgotten torte is an old fashioned dessert made from egg whites and whipped cream. You make it the night before and forget it in the oven until morning.  It is simple and oh so delicious.
5 from 7 ratings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 191 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 6 egg whites at room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • zest of an orange optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 450°F
  • In your mixer, combine the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. Mix on medium until frothy.
    6 egg whites, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • Slowly add sugar. You want to add it a bit at a time and make sure it has a chance to be fully incorporated before you add more.
    1½ cups granulated sugar
  • Beat until egg whites form stiff glossy peaks. Stir in vanilla and almond extract.
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
  • Spoon into prepared tube pan and spread evenly.
  • Place into preheated oven, shut door and immediately turn oven off.
  • Leave overnight.
  • In the morning, run a knife along the edges of the pan. Unmold onto serving dish. You can leave it like that until you are closer to being ready to serve.
  • Whip cream, sugar and vanilla bean paste. Spread over torte. I zested an orange, allowing the spray from the process to land on the whipped cream and sprinkled the zest around the torte. You would be surprised how much orange flavor this gave the dessert! It was so good.
    1 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. The torte holds well in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 191kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 82mgSugar: 28g
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Recipe Rating




Audrey Wright

Tuesday 3rd of March 2020

Aw this looks and sounds fabulous. I like the addition of the orange flavoring. Thanks for sharing.

Andrea Nine

Friday 28th of February 2020

Torte perfection...I made this last time you shared it and now I want to make it again!!! Yum!

Carlee

Monday 2nd of March 2020

I didn't know you made it!! Isn't it good? Thanks for letting me know!

Denise

Thursday 7th of September 2017

I am planning to make this for tomorrow. We won't eat until dinnertime. Would you leave out the meringue all day? Or ice it with the whipped topping, and then refrigerate until later? Just curious. I've had this before, and love the crunchy pieces of meringue but worry that the refrigerator will make them soggy?

Carlee

Thursday 7th of September 2017

How exciting! I left mine out most of the day, but frosted it a couple of hours ahead of time amd refrigerated it from that point on and really loved the texture. I'm with you though and would think the longer it's in the refrigerator the less likely it will have crunchy bits. You have me wanting to make this again. It's a bit humid still in my neck of the woods, but hopefully soon!

Charlotte

Monday 18th of July 2016

This looks so good! And you've made it even better by introducing me to a new dessert that doesn't have flour! I am gluten free and it's difficult to find a dessert that I would be able to eat, that my family will love too, without having to jump through all the gluten free flour hoops! Pinning, this is definitely going to be a dessert we are going to try!

Carlee

Monday 18th of July 2016

It is nice to have some naturally gluten free desserts, I would imagine. It seems like the gluten free flours are on the pricey side, though I am sure they are worth it! I hope you love it!

Jess

Sunday 24th of January 2016

This sounds so delicious!

Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

Carlee

Sunday 24th of January 2016

Thank you! It was really good!