It’s been awhile since I shared a tip of the week with you! I love bringing you random tips to help you save money , to make life easier for you, or just to share awesome stuff with you that you may have never heard of before! This week I am sharing my new favorite to die for cake with you (but not literally because I ate it all…muhahaha 😉 ). It’s called a Burnt Almond Torte and it comes from a bakery in Pittsburgh, PA called Prantl’s. They are famous for this cake and people travel from all around to get a piece of this slice of heaven! It truly is the best cake ever!
One of my best friends (whom I coincidentally met online 6 years ago when she became the first customer of my home based business) actually lives in Pittsburgh. That is how I found out about this cake in the first place. Actually, she didn’t even know about this cake either. Someone serendipitously gave it to her too. It is a big string of serendipity as to how I met Becky and how she me the lady who gave her this cake, and so on. It’s sort of like the sisterhood of the travelling cake. 😀
A neighbor of hers left it on her doorstep as a surprising thank you to her for something seemingly small (who wishes they had a neighbor that left burnt almond tortes on their doorstep?!). So Becky and Dane (her son) had a fit over how good this was and then had to rave to me about it over here in MI, making me salivate over the computer screen. Being the awesome friend that she is though, she surprised me by sending me this cake for my birthday. You can stop by Prantl’s Bakery if you happen to be in the Pittsburgh, PA area to get a piece, but the good news is that if you live farther away like I do, you can order one online and have it shipped directly to your home! It would also make a good gift idea if you would like to send a cake to someone for any occasion. Click HERE for the Prantl’s Bakery website if you want to order one!
So what is a burnt almond torte? First off , it is NOT burnt. Just had to clear that up if anyone is taking the name literally. ;). I can personally tell you now that I have tried it, it is one of the best cake’s I have ever had. It’s a unique combination of melt in your mouth soft and crunchy sweet. The inside is this super light and moist yellow or white cake that is filled in the middle with a layer of custard. This particular “wedding creme” custard recipe they use does not need refrigeration, so no worries about it arriving to you spoiled or anything.
The outside of the cake is frosted in a not too sweet (I really dislike overly sweet frosting) sort of whipped buttercream topping, and then covered with masses of sugared, toasted almond slices. The almonds give it a nice little crunch! Prantl’s is not chintzy at all on the almonds or icing.
What I also LOVE about this cake, is how well it lasts and stores! My birthday is Feb. 27 (which is around the time I received it), and I just finished it up over the weekend (in the middle of June). I ate a couple pieces for my birthday and then put the rest in the freezer (trust me it was hard to resist eating the whole thing!). When I took it out of the freezer several months later, it tasted as soft and fresh as the day it arrived. That is what makes it a great cake to buy ahead for an occasion or ship to someone! In my opinion this would be a great wedding cake too , if you were having a small wedding and wanted to get something really special and unique for your guests to enjoy.
As far as size goes, I am thinking I got about a 10-12 nice sized pieces out of it. It is a square cake (I can’t remember if it was an 8 or 10 inch). Price wise, It isn’t too bad-$28. It’s less than the cost of ordering most famous cheesecakes online (which average about $40). As a special treat once a year on my birthday or something, I think I can manage!
I just noticed that the Huffington Post did an article awhile back and deemed Prantl’s burnt almond torte as the best cake in America! It really is delicious. Here are some photos I took of my last slice:
Side and back view of the cake. Covered in almonds!
Top view of the almond torte. Almonds completely cover the top and all sides.
Look at that custard filling and moist deliciousness!
So what do you think? Does it make you want some too?
Did you like this handy tip? To see more, click HERE for more the tip of the week archives.
XO,
Rebekah
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Hmmm… how well does it travel internationally?? Could go a piece of cake right about now!
I don’t know if they even ship these to AUS , but I’d send you some if I could! I think I could go for some too….
Makes me wonder how much more business Prantl’s Bakery will have with everyone hearing about this cake from your post. 🙂 Too bad we don’t get a referral fee!