Kardinalschnitten — Vienna's striped meringue and sponge slices

i. Origin & history

Kardinalschnitten belong to the great tradition of Viennese confectionery, the Konditorei culture that also produced the Sachertorte and the Esterházy torte. Unlike those, the slice does not have a well-documented inventor; it is generally described as a twentieth-century creation of Vienna's pastry shops, and it has been a standard on their counters for decades. It is a pastry of the Konditorei rather than the home kitchen, though many Austrian home bakers make it for special occasions.

The name is a visual reference. The alternating stripes of golden sponge and white meringue echo the yellow and white of the Holy See, the colours of the Catholic Church, and so the cake was named after its cardinals. In a country with a strong Catholic tradition and a habit of naming pastries after people and offices — Nonnenkrapfen ('nuns' doughnuts'), Bischofsbrot ('bishop's bread') — the choice was natural. Schnitte means a slice, and Kardinalschnitten is the plural.

In Vienna they are sold in coffee houses and pastry shops as rectangular slices, and they are a typical cake for afternoon coffee, for name days, and for spring and summer celebrations, when their light texture suits warmer weather better than heavy cream cakes. The classic filling is coffee cream, which ties the slice to Vienna's coffee culture, though versions filled with vanilla or fruit cream are common.

Kardinalschnitten are sometimes compared with the French dacquoise, which also combines meringue and cream, and with the Swiss and German roulades. The difference is the construction: in a Kardinalschnitte, meringue and sponge are piped side by side and baked in one sheet, so each layer is half crisp meringue and half soft sponge.

ii. Baking meringue and sponge side by side

The technical interest of Kardinalschnitten is that two different mixtures are baked together. The meringue (Schaummasse) is egg whites whipped with sugar to stiff, glossy peaks; the sponge (Biskuitmasse) is yolks and a few whole eggs whipped with sugar and folded with a little flour. Both rely on trapped air for lift, and both must be firm enough to hold a piped shape without spreading into each other.

The meringue goes on first, piped in thick parallel lines with gaps between them. The sponge mixture is then piped into the gaps. As they bake, the sponge rises and fills the space, touching the meringue strips so they fuse into a single sheet. The meringue crisps on the outside but stays slightly soft and marshmallowy inside; the sponge stays light and tender.

Temperature is a compromise. Meringue on its own would be dried at a low temperature for a long time; sponge needs moderate heat to set quickly. Kardinalschnitten are baked at around 170 °C for about 25 minutes, which sets the sponge and colours the meringue a very pale beige while leaving its centre soft. A sprinkling of icing sugar before baking helps the meringue form a fine, crackled crust.

The filling is whipped cream flavoured with strong coffee and lightly stabilised with gelatine. That stabiliser matters: the slices are tall, and the cream has to support the top sheet without weeping or squeezing out. A thin layer of redcurrant jam is added in some versions, giving a sharp contrast to the sweet meringue.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 12 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 5 egg whites, room temperature (meringue)
• 150 g caster sugar (meringue)
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 whole eggs (sponge)
• 5 egg yolks (sponge)
• 50 g caster sugar (sponge)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 60 g plain flour
• 2 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting
• 400 ml cold double cream
• 40 g icing sugar (cream)
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
• 1½ tsp powdered gelatine
• 2 tbsp coffee liqueur (optional)
• 80 g redcurrant jam (optional)

Use very fresh egg whites at room temperature, with no trace of yolk, for a stable meringue. The sponge uses the leftover yolks plus two whole eggs; it should be whipped until very thick so it holds its shape when piped. Instant espresso gives a strong coffee flavour without thinning the cream; you can use a small shot of cold strong espresso instead. Gelatine stabilises the cream so the slices hold their height; vegetarian cream stabiliser works too. For a vanilla version, replace the coffee with vanilla seeds.

iv. Method

1. Heat the oven to 170 °C (340 °F), conventional heat. On two sheets of baking paper, draw two rectangles of 30 × 10 cm each, turn the paper over and place on two baking trays. Fit two piping bags with 1.5 cm plain nozzles.
2. Whisk the egg whites with the salt to soft peaks, then add the 150 g sugar a spoonful at a time and whisk to stiff, glossy peaks. Spoon into one piping bag.
3. Whisk the whole eggs, yolks, 50 g sugar and vanilla for 6–8 minutes until very thick and pale. Sift over the flour and fold in gently. Spoon into the second piping bag.
4. On each rectangle, pipe three lengthwise lines of meringue, one along each long edge and one down the centre, leaving a gap of about 2 cm between them. Pipe sponge mixture into the two gaps on each rectangle.
5. Dust both sheets generously with icing sugar and bake for 22–25 minutes, until the sponge is golden and springy and the meringue is pale beige and dry to the touch. Cool on the paper, then carefully peel off.
6. Sprinkle the gelatine over 3 tbsp cold water and leave for 5 minutes, then warm gently until dissolved. Whip the cream with the icing sugar, espresso and liqueur to soft peaks, whisk in the slightly cooled gelatine and whip until just firm.
7. Place one sheet, meringue side up, on a board. Spread thinly with redcurrant jam if using, then spread the coffee cream over it in a thick, even layer. Lay the second sheet on top, meringue side up, and press gently.
8. Chill for at least 2 hours. Dust with icing sugar and cut into 12 slices with a serrated knife, using a gentle sawing motion.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Whip the meringue truly stiff. Soft meringue spreads into the sponge and the stripes disappear. It should hold a straight peak when the whisk is lifted.
• Pipe the meringue first. The firmer meringue sets the shape, and the sponge fills the spaces between. Piping the sponge first makes neat lines impossible.
• Leave proper gaps. The sponge rises and spreads as it bakes. Lines piped too close together merge into one undefined sheet.
• Do not underbake. The meringue must be dry on the surface. Underbaked, it weeps and sticks to the paper, and the top layer collapses into the cream.
• Stabilise the cream. Unstabilised cream softens within an hour and squeezes out when the slices are cut.
• Cut with a sawing motion. Pressing down crushes the meringue. A serrated knife, used gently and wiped between cuts, gives clean slices.

vi. Variations

The classic filling is coffee cream, but vanilla cream is almost as common, and many pastry shops offer seasonal versions with strawberry, raspberry or apricot cream in summer. Some recipes fold fresh berries into the cream, and others add a thin layer of redcurrant or apricot jam. Individual round Kardinalschnitten tartlets, piped in rings, are a modern patisserie version.

Kardinalschnitten sit among the other classic Austrian pastries — the pink Punschkrapfen, the custard-filled Cremeschnitte, the jam-and-nut Linzer Torte — and share their meringue-and-cream character with the French dacquoise and Australia's hazelnut meringue cakes.

vii. Serving & storage

Kardinalschnitten are served chilled, as individual slices, with coffee in the afternoon. In Vienna they are eaten with a fork from a small plate, alongside a Melange or a small black coffee. They need no garnish beyond a dusting of icing sugar, although a few fresh berries suit fruit-filled versions.

They are at their best on the day they are assembled, when the meringue is still crisp on the outside. Kept covered in the refrigerator, they last two to three days, but the meringue softens gradually as it absorbs moisture from the cream. To prepare ahead, bake the sheets up to a day in advance and store them, unfilled, in an airtight container at room temperature, then fill a few hours before serving. Filled slices do not freeze well.

ix. More from Austrian & German

• Punschkrapfen — pink rum-punch cakes
• Cremeschnitte — custard slice
• Linzer Torte — nut-and-jam lattice tart
• Apfelstrudel — Viennese apple strudel
• Dacquoise — French nut meringue cake
• Prinzregententorte — Bavarian layer cake