Stop dreaming of your own moist cake with custard, toasted almonds and homemade frosting and make your own Copycat Prantl’s Burnt Almond Torte!
Have you guys ever been to Prantl’s Bakery in Pittsburgh? I’m sharing this Prantl’s Burnt Almond Torte Copycat recipe, you can thank me later!
Prantl’s Bakery has been a tradition for decades. According to their website, Prantl’s Bakery is “A Pittsburgh institution, the bakery is the home of the original Burnt Almond Torte, which was acclaimed by the Huffington Post as “the best cake in America”.”
You guys, the Huffington Post is soooo right! This is my absolute favorite cake. In fact, we order it allll the time from Goldbelly- a gourmet food and food gifts delivery service since we aren’t local to Pittsburgh.
But sometimes, I don’t want for them to make it and deliver it to me, sometimes I want this delicious dessert today, quick, fast, and in a hurry.
Even though this recipe takes time to bake and a few hours to chill, it’s worth waiting this shorter amount of time to have a piece of this fantastic Burnt Almond Torte.
I’ve ordered this so often from the website that it has just become nature to me and when we started making it at home we couldn’t stop and once you take that first bite, you will see why!
Some of our other favorite cake recipes we have on our site include: Marble Cake, Eclair Cake, and Grandma’s Butterscotch Cake.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- You don’t have to wait for Goldbelly to deliver a cake (that can be on backorder) or be local to Pittsburgh.
- Almost spot on to the original which might have been slightly richer, but this is soooo good!
- Almond flavor in every bite of cake but it’s not too overwhelming.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Fine sea salt
Unsalted butter
Vegetable oil
Granulated sugar
Egg yolks
Large egg
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
Buttermilk
Cornstarch
Whole milk
Sliced almonds
Water
Decorators sugar
HOW TO MAKE A COPYCAT PRANTL’S BURNT ALMOND TORTE, STEP BY STEP:
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8 square baking dish with baking spray, and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil, and sugar together until light and fluffy, 3 minutes.
- Add the egg yolks and egg one at a time, mixing the first one in fully until adding the next. Stir in the vanilla and almond extract.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix it in.
- Add half of the buttermilk, and stir it in until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk, and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 26-28 minutes until light golden brown and it begins to pull away from the sides, a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean. Let it cool in the pan completely.
Filling:
- Next, make the filling. Place the cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks into a medium-sized bowl and whisk until combined, set aside.
- Place the milk and sugar into a small saucepan and stir to combine. Place over medium heat, constantly stirring until it comes to a simmer.
- Once at a simmer, very slowly stream the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, constantly whisking until fully combined.
- Pour the mixture back into the pot. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
- Take off the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the filling through the strainer and press it through to get any lumps out. Place a piece of plastic wrap touching the filling on top. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill completely.
Assembly:
- For the almonds, line a sheet tray with parchment paper, and set aside. Place the almonds on the sheet tray in a single layer. Bake for 18 minutes, tossing the nuts around every 3 minutes.
- Place the nuts into a large bowl. Add the water and sugar, and stir to combine.
- Place them back on the sheet tray in a single. Continue to bake for 12-15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes until they reach your desired toastiness. Immediately transfer them to a cold sheet tray to cool, or they will continue to toast.
- For the frosting, in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully combined.
- Add the salt, vanilla, almond extract, and milk, and stir until combined. Place on medium-high speed and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Once the cake is completely cooled and the filling is chilled, assemble the cake. Take the cake out of the pan and cut it in half lengthwise. Place the bottom on your serving platter.
- Smooth the filling on top, leaving a ½-inch border. Place the top of the cake on top, press down gently.
- Add a thin layer of frosting all over for a crumb coat. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
- Add the remaining frosting to the outside of the cake. Take the almonds and press them all over the cake into the frosting so it will stick. Serve immediately.
WHERE IS THE ORIGINAL PRANTL’S BAKERY?
The first Prantl’s Bakery opened up in Shadyside, a neighborhood of Pittsburgh. That’s where the original owner, Henry Prantl, created the Burnt Almond Torte, as well as various other FANTASTIC cakes and recipes.
WHAT IS A TORTE?
A torte is usually a multi-layer cake that is filled with a variety of things such as whipped cream, custard, buttercream, jams, jellies, fruit and more.
Often made in a springform pan to hold its shape, this torte is square and does not require a springform pan to use for baking.
CAN I MAKE THIS AHEAD?
Yes, in fact you can make each portion ahead of time and store each part in the refrigerator and wait to assemble it for about a day or two.
Since this cake has to be refrigerated it won’t make too much of a difference if you wait to assemble or just make it a all at once.
WHY DO I NEED MY INGREDIENTS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE?
This helps you get that moist, tender and fluffy texture of this cake. The ingredients create an emulsion while baking that releases air that gives it the signature texture, make sure they are at room temperature.
HOW DO I GET THE PERFECT ALMOND OUTER TOPPING?
I really think Prantl’s bakers fry the almonds then toss them with the sugar, there is no other way I can think of getting the even coloring that they have, other than frying the almonds.
I think this is a step most home cooks or home bakers would not do, that’s why I stuck to the oven toasting. But if you want to, you can try costing and frying them.
HOW TO STORE:
This Burnt Almond Torte needs to be refrigerated, you can keep it on a cake plate and wrap it with plastic wrap stored in the refrigerator for up to five days.
You can also freeze it for up to three months stored in a freezer container wrapped in plastic wrap and foil.
To defrost, remove to the refrigerator overnight until thawed and the let come to room temperature.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- For the cake, make sure your egg yolks, egg, and buttermilk are all at room temperature, they mix in better that way.
- This cake is best served at room temperature. If you refrigerated it previously, you need to remove it from the refrigerator sitting on the counter and let it warm up to room temperature.
- You can freeze this cake, see above on how to do that.
- If you want to make part of this cake ahead of time you can, just be sure to store everything in the refrigerator.
- Don’t be intimidated by this cake, grab all of the ingredients for this recipe and give it your best shot. You’ll be happy with her fantastic it turns out.
- Make sure that the ingredients in the recipe that are room temperature are at room temperature, it is essential to the texture of this cake!
Don’t want to wait to get your cake delivered directly from them, you can use this Copycat Prantl’s Burnt Almond Torte recipe to make a fantastic version at home!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this COPYCAT PRANTL’S BURNT ALMOND TORTE or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Copycat Prantl's Burnt Almond Torte
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks room temp
- 1 large egg room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk room temp
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
For the almonds:
- 10 ounces sliced almonds
- 2 teaspoons water
- 2 tablespoons decorators sugar
For the frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8 square baking dish with baking spray, and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy, around 3 minutes.
- Add the egg yolks and egg one at a time, making sure to mix in the first one well until adding the next. Next, stir in the vanilla and almond extract.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix it in.
- Add half of the buttermilk, and stir it in until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk, and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 26-28 minutes until light golden brown and it begins to pull away from the sides, a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean. Let it cool in the pan completely.
Filling:
- Next, make the filling. Place the cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks into a medium-sized bowl and whisk until combined, set aside.
- Place the milk and sugar into a small saucepan and stir to combine. Place over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a simmer.
- Once at a simmer, very slowly stream the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until fully combined.
- Pour the mixture back into the pot. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
- Take off the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the filling through the strainer and press it through with a spatula or spoon to get any lumps out. Place a piece of plastic wrap touching the filling over top. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill completely.
Assembly/Frosting:
- For the almonds, line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and set aside. Place the almonds on the sheet pan in a single layer. Bake for 18 minutes, tossing the almonds around roughly every 3 minutes.
- Place the almonds into a large bowl then add the water and sugar, stir to combine.
- Place them back on the sheet pan in a single layer. Continue to bake for 12-15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes until you reach your desired toastiness. Transfer immediately to a cold sheet pan to cool, or they will continue to toast.
- For the frosting, in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully combined.
- Add the salt, vanilla, almond extract, and milk, and stir until combined. Then place mixer on medium-high speed and beat for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Once the cake is completely cooled and the filling has chilled, assemble the cake. Take the cake out of the pan and cut it in half lengthwise. Place the bottom on your serving platter.
- Spread and smooth the filling on top, leaving a ½-inch border. Place the top of the cake on top, and press down gently.
- Add a thin layer of frosting all over creating a crumb coat. Place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to set.
- Add the remaining frosting to the outside of the cake. Take the almonds and press them all over the cake into the frosting so it will stick, serve immediately.
Notes
- For the cake, make sure your egg yolks, egg, and buttermilk are all at room temperature, they mix in better that way.
- This cake is best served at room temperature. If you refrigerated it previously, you need to remove it from the refrigerator sitting on the counter and let it warm up to room temperature.
- You can freeze this cake, see above on how to do that.
- If you want to make part of this cake ahead of time you can, just be sure to store everything in the refrigerator.
- Don't be intimidated by this cake, grab all of the ingredients for this recipe and give it your best shot. You'll be happy with her fantastic it turns out.
- Make sure that the ingredients in the recipe that are room temperature are at room temperature, it is essential to the texture of this cake!
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Kristin
Great, easy to follow recipe!! Made it for my husbands birthday, and it was a HIT!
Ivy P.
I’m from Pittsburgh and we always ordered the Prantl’s Burnt Almond Torte for office parties, baby showers, bridal showers, birthdays, etc. It’s my husband’s favorite as well. Now that I no longer live in Pittsburgh I’ve been wanting to try a copycat recipe for this cake so I’m glad I found this. I know I can order the cake, but I’ve tasted Prantl’s cake fresh (I worked a few blocks from the bakery) and frozen and fresh is definitely better!
Dena
Could you make this with a chocolate cake?
Tornadough Alli
I have never attempted with a chocolate cake, I’m sure you could If you try, let me know how it turns out!
Annemarie Ferguson
I made this yesterday for my son’s 32nd birthday. He had originally had it at a wedding. Told me the original recipe was from Pittsburgh? It took a while to make but was WELLLLL worth it. I grew up in a German bakery and know good pasties and cakes. This was beyond my wildest dreams.