 Schmoo torte on a plate | |
| Type | Cake |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Region or state | Western Canada |
| Main ingredients | Whipped cream, brown sugar, nuts |
| Part of a series on |
| Canadian cuisine |
|---|
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Schmoo torte is a Canadian dessert. Although it is relatively popular and well-known nationwide, [1] it is most famous in Western Canada, especially Manitoba. [2] [3] [4] It is a torte with layered whipped cream, brown sugar, and nuts, commonly made using angel food or sponge cake.
The schmoo torte was first invented in 1948 by a Winnipeg mother, Dora Zaslavsky, for her son Murray's Bar Mitzvah in Winnipeg, Manitoba. [3] [5] Zaslavsky was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who arrived to Canada in 1914. [5] She started introducing her recipes to Winnipeg via a catering business to support her family financially when her husband became ill. [5] Zaslavsky's catering business eventually expanded across North America. [5] Her schmoo torte became a favourite of singer Harry Belafonte. [5]
Murray's daughter Shannon Aceman stated in an interview that her grandmother's schmoo torte "was basically a mix of about three or four of her other best-known recipes for cakes with the rum torte." [5] Jewish food historian Kat Romanow told CTV News Winnipeg that schmoo is reminiscent of a central-European dessert called nusstorte. [5] Romanow told CTV News: "In many cases, the dishes that Ashkenazi Jews brought with them to Canada came to be iconic dishes of their new homes." [5]
How the schmoo got its name is unknown, however, some claim it comes from the name of the comic book creatures from Al Capp’s Li’l Abner.
Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert. Originating in either Australia or New Zealand in the early 20th century, it was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Taking the form of a cake-like circular block of baked meringue, pavlova has a crisp crust and soft, light inside. The confection is usually topped with fruit and whipped cream. The name is commonly pronounced pav-LOH-və or pahv-LOH-və, and occasionally closer to the name of the dancer, as PAHV-lə-və.
Cheesecake is a dessert made with a soft fresh cheese, eggs, and sugar. It may have a crust or base made from crushed cookies, graham crackers, pastry, or sometimes sponge cake. Cheesecake may be baked or unbaked, and is usually refrigerated.
Shortcake generally refers to a dessert with a crumbly scone-like texture. There are multiple variations of shortcake, most of which are served with fruit and cream. One of the most popular is strawberry shortcake, which is typically served with whipped cream. Other variations common in the UK are blackberry and clotted cream shortcake and lemon berry shortcake, which is served with lemon curd in place of cream.
Sachertorte is a chocolate cake, or torte, of Austrian origin, invented by Franz Sacher, supposedly in 1832 for Prince Metternich in Vienna. It is one of the most famous Viennese culinary specialties.
Canadian cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices of Canada, with regional variances around the country. First Nations and Inuit have practiced their culinary traditions in what is now Canada since time immemorial. The advent of European explorers and settlers, first on the east coast and then throughout the wider territories of New France, British North America and Canada, saw the melding of foreign recipes, cooking techniques, and ingredients with indigenous flora and fauna. Modern Canadian cuisine has maintained this dedication to local ingredients and terroir, as exemplified in the naming of specific ingredients based on their locale, such as Malpeque oysters or Alberta beef. Accordingly, Canadian cuisine privileges the quality of ingredients and regionality, and may be broadly defined as a national tradition of "creole" culinary practices, based on the complex multicultural and geographically diverse nature of both historical and contemporary Canadian society.
A mille-feuille, also known by the names Napoleon in North America, vanilla slice in the United Kingdom, and custard slice, is a French dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream. Its modern form was influenced by improvements made by Marie-Antoine Carême.
Kuchen, the German word for cake, is used in other languages as the name for several different types of savory or sweet desserts, pastries, and gateaux. Most Kuchen have eggs, flour and sugar as common ingredients while also, but not always, including some fat. In Germany it is a common tradition to invite friends over to one's house or to a cafe between noon and evening to drink coffee and eat Kuchen.
Black Forest gâteau, also called Black Forest cake, is a German chocolate and cream cake with a rich cherry filling. While it is most likely based on a Black Forest dessert tradition, the cake's specific origin in Germany is contested.
Canadian Chinese cuisine is a cuisine derived from Chinese cuisine that was developed by Chinese Canadians. It was the first form of commercially available Chinese food in Canada. This cooking style was invented by early Cantonese immigrants who adapted traditional Chinese recipes to Western tastes and the available ingredients, and developed in a similar process to American Chinese cuisine.
A génoise, also known as Genoese cake or Genovese cake, is a French sponge cake named after the city of Genoa and associated with French cuisine. It was created by François Massialot in the late 17th century. Instead of using chemical leavening, air is suspended in the batter during mixing to provide volume.
Winnipeg is well known across the prairies for its arts and culture.
Spanische Windtorte is a historical Austrian dessert and is one of the most complex to create and serve as it is composed mostly of meringue and whipped cream. It is a dessert that supposedly became popular during the Baroque period of the Austro-Hungarian empire, with recipes for it appearing in several 19th century cookbooks from Austria.
Dobos torte, also known as Dobosh, is a Hungarian sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream and topped with caramel. The layered pastry is named after its inventor, Hungarian chef József C. Dobos, a delicatessen owner in Budapest. In the late 1800s, he decided to create a cake that would last longer than other pastries in an age when cooling techniques were limited. The round sides of the cake are coated with ground hazelnuts, chestnuts, walnuts, or almonds, and the hardened caramel top helps to prevent drying out, for a longer shelf life.
Doberge cake is a layered dessert originating in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., adapted by local baker Beulah Ledner from the Hungarian Dobos torte. Still popular in the area, the cake is made of multiple thin layers of cake alternating with dessert pudding. Very often the cakes are made with half chocolate pudding and half lemon pudding. They are covered in a thin layer of butter cream and a fondant shell or, alternatively, a poured glaze on the outside. They are normally made with six or more layers. Traditional flavors are chocolate, lemon or caramel.
Prinzregententorte is a Bavarian torte consisting of at least six, usually seven, thin layers of sponge cake interlaid with chocolate buttercream. The exterior is covered in a dark chocolate glaze. Prinzregententorte is very popular in Bavaria, Germany, and available in cake shops all year round.
Monkey bread is a soft, sweet, sticky pastry served in the United States for breakfast or as a treat. It consists of pieces of soft baked dough sprinkled with cinnamon. Often a midmorning/breakfast food. It is often served at fairs and festivals.
Esterházy torta is a Hungarian cake (torte) named after Prince Paul III Anton Esterházy de Galántha (1786–1866), a member of the Esterházy dynasty and diplomat of the Austrian Empire. It was invented by Budapest confectioners in the late 19th century and soon became one of the most famous cakes in the lands of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
Vínarterta or Randalín, is a popular dessert originating in 19th century Iceland, now popular among the descendants of Icelandic migrants to North America. The recipe has exhibited little change in the past 150 years and is often rigorously preserved by North American makers. Alterations to the recipe are often shunned. Recipes vary slightly from family to family but most vínarterta are multi-layered cakes made from alternating layers of almond and/or cardamom-flavoured biscuit and prunes or sometimes plum jam, the filling sometimes including spices such as cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, and cardamom. Other fillings such as apricot and rhubarb are less well known, but traditional going back to the 19th century. The cake's history was the subject of a book chapter by historian L.K. Bertram who argues that Icelandic "Vienna torte" came to Iceland from Vienna through Denmark, likely arriving on the far northern island in a Danish cookbook or through a baker connected to Copenhagen sometime after 1793, but it's a debatable issue. Icelandic bakers then revised the recipe to adapt to limited access to imported goods, resulting in a recipe that focused on dried plums, which were more cost effective and could withstand the long trip to Iceland. This recipe was brought to Manitoba by Icelandic immigrants to Canada, many of whom initially settled at New Iceland, but can be found throughout Icelandic settlements and households in North America, including the American midwest and the Pacific coast.
Brazil nut cake is a cake prepared using Brazil nuts as a primary ingredient. Coffeecake, shortcake, pound cake, fruitcake, brownies and torte cake may be prepared using Brazil nuts as a main ingredient. Ground or chopped Brazil nuts may be used. Brazil nut cake is a dish in Brazilian cuisine, and it is a common and popular cake in the Amazon region of Bolivia, Brazil and Peru.
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