Prantl’s Burnt Almond Torte now a treat on the go
One of Pittsburgh’s most celebrated bakeries has a new way to eat one of its most famous desserts.
Prantl’s Bakery’s famed Burnt Almond Torte is now available parfait-style in an 8-ounce plastic cup in a single-serving size.
German in heritage, the signature torte is a golden 9-inch cake filled with custard, frosted with whipped buttercream and densely patted with sugar-crusted toasted almonds. The new “walkable” version is a six-layer treat (seven, if you count the almond top as a layer) and is eaten with a spoon instead of a fork. It is sold at all three of Prantl’s locations — Shadyside, Market Square and Greensburg.
At $5 a cup, the Walking Torte is not a particularly cheap
dessert, especially when you consider a quarter-sheet torte that serves 16-20 people costs $45. (A single slice is $4.50.) Plus, you have to be judicious with your spoon if you want to be assured some sugared burnt almond with every bite, because you work your way down instead of across a plate.
The torte in a cup I got at the Market Square shop looked nothing like the one piled high with whipped cream and a sprinkling of almonds the bakery featured on its Facebook page when it trotted the dessert out on July 12. But that’s a minor quibble.
It’s a little sweet for my taste, but I’m also the rare Pittsburgher who thinks that Primanti’s french fries would be greatly improved by a longerdunk in the deep fryer.
Fans, though, will find the Walking Torte cool, custardy, crunchy and eminently walkable. In other words, it’s perfect for those summer days when ice cream just won’t do it for you.