Torcik – with Alpine Strawberries

Five years of blogging today!

I know I said this last year but I still cannot believe it!  I posted my first post five years ago today – 4 July 2015.  Time has gone so quickly but there is still much more to write about.  

This will be post number 280 and there have been visitors from more than 130 countries.

Suddenly in the garden there were loads of alpine strawberries – time to use them in a recipe!

I had seen lots of cakes in Poland with a layer of fruits and jelly on top and decided now was the time to start trying some out.

Torcik – this is a word that I have just learnt.

There does not seem to be an exact English translation!

I have seen the terms icebox cake or no bake cake, which convey some of the ideas.

• Tort is a layer cake, a gateaux and the -cik  ending usually denotes a diminutive – something small.
• A torcik is a dessert type cake which is not baked.
• A torcik can be assembled cold from previously baked parts such as meringue circles, crushed biscuits or sponge fingers.
• It usually has a mousse or custard layer  or one which has been set with gelatine.
• Curd cheese, twaróg or yoghurt cheese is often used.
• In Poland this would not be called a sernik  – a cheesecake as it is not baked.
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• Many recipes use gelatine or bought flavoured jellies.
• Polish jellies come in the form of powdered granules.
• English jellies come in a concentrated jelly block.
• I have had super results using the following brand of  real fruit juice Polish jellies.

 

 

• I intend to try out some more recipes out using English style jellies.
• If you are adapting recipes between using gelatine and using bought jellies – you need to adjust the sugar content.
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• I think a Charlotte Russe could be described as a torcik.
• It was invented up by the French chef, – Marie Antione Carême(1784-1833) who was working for the Russian Tsar, Alexander I.
• It is not layered but has many of the same element.

When making a torcik you need time to let one layer set before starting on the next  – my first attempt was a disaster in looks!

This torcik is composed of 3 layers

1. Biscuit base
2. Sweet curd cheese with lemon jelly
3. Alpine strawberries in blackcurrant jelly

Ingredients

• 500g twaróg or yoghurt cheese (could use full fat cream cheese)
• 250g icing sugar
• 80g butter
• 3 eggs separated
• 1 packet of light coloured jelly (lemon)
• 1 packet of dark coloured jelly (blackcurrant)
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• 125g of plain biscuits such as petit beurre, morning coffee or rich tea
• 70g butter
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• Lots of alpine strawberries – enough to cover the surface of the torcik

Method

• Use a 25cm diameter loose bottomed or spring-form tin.
• Lightly rub the base with some butter.
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• Crush the biscuits into small crumbs.
• Melt the butter, add the crumbs and mix.
• Put the mixture into the base of the tin and press it down firmly.
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• Dissolve the lemon jelly in 125ml of boiling water and leave to cool.
• The tricky bit is having the jelly at the right temperature to use.
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• Cream together the butter and icing sugar.
• Add the egg yokes, one by one, alternating with the twaróg.
• Mix thoroughly.
• Whisk the whites until they form stiff peaks.
• Fold the whites into the mixture.
• Gently mix in the cool jelly.
• Pour the mixture over the biscuit base.
• Level the top.
• Leave to set – best in the fridge – for at least 3 hours.
• *
• Mix up the blackcurrant jelly as per the instructions with 500ml of boiling water.
• Leave the jelly to cool.
• *
• Prepare the alpine strawberries – removing any stalks and leaves.
• Arrange the alpine strawberries on top of the lemon layer.
• Gently put the blackcurrant jelly over the alpine strawberries – use one spoon to pour this over the back of a second spoon.
• Leave it to set again in the fridge – can take several hours.
• Take great care when removing the torcik out of the tin.

Tea plates – Queensbury by Midwinter from the 1970s