Torte

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Not to be confused with tort, a civil wrong at law.

A torte is a cake with many layers. The bottom layer is made of chocolate or vanilla cake, surrounded by a sugary or unsweetened icing. A thick layer of icing is placed between it and the second cake. They can be anywhere from two to five layers high.

The word torte is derived from the German word "Torte" (pronounced "tor-ta") which means "layered cake".

Torte making is considered an art, with the most popular form of torte making being wedding cake making. Wedding cakes are elaborate, some with gravity-defying designs. A food network show has even been devoted to wedding cake making. Up to five teams can compete to see who comes up with the best looking designs.

Some American torte makers have made designs that are so elaborate that they sometimes topple before they can make it to the judging tables (or wedding tables, in which case the ensuing carnage is known as "a disaster").^{[citation needed]} Some torte makers even use power tools to assist them in their torte sculpting.^{[citation needed]} Elaborate tortes have dowel rods between each layer for support. Without these supporting dowels, the tortes would topple under their own weight. Other than the dowels, every part of a torte is edible, even the glassy-looking flowers which are made from molten sugar.

[edit] Icing

Tortes can have multi-colored, or even multi-flavored icing or frosting. Icing is a basic mixture of whipped cream and sugar. Some torte makers add flavoring to their icing like strawberry, banana, cherry, chocolate, or even apple. They also add colors to their icing like yellow, red, blue, green, pink, etc.

[edit] Cake

Tortes have cake that makes up the majority of the torte's weight and mass. A simple cake mix can be used. The two main flavors of cake are chocolate, also known as devil's food cake, and vanilla. There are other minority flavors like strawberry that are rarely used.

[edit] Sugar decorations

Many tortes have designs made of molten sugar attached to the torte. A different type of design is the sugar bubble, which usually acts as a centerpiece on the torte. It is made using almost the same process as glass blowing. A hollow rod is dipped into molten sugar and then spun slowly. The spinner then blows air through the hollow tube and into the sugar to create a bubble. When the bubble dries, it is placed on a cloth or pillow and the rod is tapped lightly to release the bubble.