If you love Tortes, but have been looking for a lighter filling, rather than the traditional butter cream, this is a great recipe for you. The cake layers are very thin, and the filling is mostly apples, with a nice caramel glaze.
I was searching for a torte recipe for a special occasion. One that would be different from any other tortes I made before, yet not too difficult to prepare. I selected a recipe for Irene’s Torte (I modified it slightly to conform to my taste), from a Ukrainian Traditional Cookery, by Savella Stechishin. I find lots of great recipes in her cook book.
This torte recipe was passed on to our family by our cousin Ira (Eera), from Ukraine, hence the name “Torte Ira”.
Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. Everyone is rushing around to get shopping done, attend parties, put final touches on holiday decorations, and plan holiday meals.
The Ukrainians have many rich traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. Many of them have been modernized to accommodate everyone’s busy lifestyle, but others are still kept original, and passed on from generation to generation.