I am unsure EXACTLY what a torte is. I have read up on the subject and learned that traditionally it is made with bread crumbs or ground nuts. However, all the recipes I find are not as such. Also... if "torte" a cake, fill it with buttercream and then frost the cake... itsn't it just a frosted cake not a torte?? I'm very confused. Traditionally, I've seen strawberry tortes made with ladyfingers. I like this but want to know what a TRUE Torte is as I'm making for a catering business and want to be as professional as possible! Help!

Well, it depends. The origin is German, where when you said Torte, it was only the round cake. I would say bread crumbs are myth or very old meaning. The preciser translation would be "fancy cake".

In English, it mostly means cake with layers and buttercream or other filling in between.

Again - Sacher is considered a torte, even if there is a debate of the "right Sacher" is made with two layer with apricot jam in between or single layer only. The two Vienna cake shops claiming to have the "original recipe" are arguing. Change the form - make it not round but rectangular or 3D with the same recipe - and I bet it will loose the "tarte status". Go figure...

Often in my recipes, a torte is a cake that you don't cut into layers and fill. For example, a chocolate truffle torte is a flourless chocolate cake that bakes with a lip around the outer edge, then you fill the center with a whipped ganache and then coat the whole thing in a liquid ganache. Or my sacher torte is baked in many small separate layers that you just stack together after baking with apricot jam.

I think it is one of those words that people pull out when they want something to sound fancy or European or something like that.

I have been told that usually tortes involve jam of some sort. I still am somewhat unsure of how to do it... I guess I will just go for it and see what happens. LOL