Kardinalschnitten — Cardinal's slice with coffee cream

i. Origin & history

Kardinalschnitten are a Viennese coffee-house classic, particularly associated with Café Demel. The name reflects the white-and-yellow of Catholic cardinals' vestments.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 12 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 4 large eggs, separated
• 150 g caster sugar
• 60 g plain flour
• 30 g cornstarch
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 200 ml double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 tbsp strong coffee
• 2 tbsp Kahlúa (or coffee)
• 100 g raspberry jam
• Icing sugar to dust

iii. Method

1. Heat oven to 170 °C. Line a 30 × 40 cm tray with parchment.
2. Whip yolks with 60 g sugar pale and thick. Fold in flour, cornstarch, vanilla.
3. Whip whites with salt; add 90 g sugar gradually; whip to stiff glossy meringue.
4. Pipe alternating strips of yolk-mixture and meringue across the tray (lengthwise).
5. Bake 20 min until just-golden. Cool.
6. Cut in half lengthwise. Spread one half with raspberry jam, then coffee cream (whip cream with icing sugar, coffee, Kahlúa). Top with the other half.
7. Slice into 5 cm pieces with a serrated knife.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
• Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
• Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.

v. Variations

Vanilla Kardinalschnitten use vanilla cream. Chocolate variation uses chocolate cream. Modern Kardinalschnitten at Demel includes Marzipan or hazelnut layers.

vii. More from Austrian & German

• Kremna Rezina — Slovenian cream slice
• Kremowka — Polish cream slice
• Cremeschnitte — Vienna cream slice
• Punschkrapfen — rum-pink petit fours
• Topfenstrudel — quark strudel
• Apfelstrudel — apple strudel