These Sweet and Crisp Schaum Tortes look like a cloud and taste like a dream.They’re crispy on the outside, but (similar to cotton candy) melt in your mouth as you chew them. Pair them with some toasted coconut whipped cream and rum caramelized pineapple and you’ll be on cloud nine.

Schaum…What?

Schaum (pronounced sh-ah-m) tortes are the German equivalent to a pavlova or British Meringue (aka Eton’s Mess). While the pavlova is a little larger of a torte and usually looks like a cake, Eton’s Mess is crumbled up and mixed in with fruit. Our Schaum Tortes are standalone little misshapen white clouds that are hard to the touch, but melt in your mouth. They are pure sweetness. In short, my 4 year old taste-tester explained Schaum Tortes perfectly this morning, asking, “Why did you hide the really good, fluffy, white candy?”

Intriguingly, in the US, a schaum torte is virtually unknown. Yet in Wisconsin, primarily the southeastern portion, everyone seems to know what it is. I speculate that it all relates to a special little cookbook compiled after World War II, called, “Our Favorite Recipes {By The Ladies of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church in West Bend, WI.}” Originally published in 1949, the cookbook was a wildly successful church fundraiser, selling hundreds of thousands of copies through its final printing in 2016.

How Does This Connect To You?

I was just getting there. Our dad grew up in West Bend Wisconsin with a mother who was an amazing cook. She had the aforementioned cookbook and made this Schaum Torte recipe on a regular basis. I have vivid memories of Grandma Haen surprising us by pulling these out for dessert and topping them with some fresh strawberries! And there’s the cute meet of Stevens and the Schaum Torte. Our recipe is based off that cookbook recipe, with just a few edits.

What Do I Need to Know?

The interesting thing about baking is that it is pure chemistry; changes in ingredient amounts or heat all affect the final product adversely or positively. Quite often, baking bread has a significant leeway resulting in positive results, schaum tortes do not… I’ve attempted to improve upon these fluff balls with limited success. Generally, any diversion from the original recipe ends in failure. Adding coconut flavoring sounds great, right? Wrong, it literally takes all the air out of the whites. Many of our recipe’s allow for substitutions or additions, but this one does NOT. Follow the recipe exactly and you’ll be rewarded!

Tips and Tricks For Making Sweet and Crisp Schaum Tortes with Coconut Whipped Cream

• If you haven’t made merengue before, you may not know what soft/stiff peaks are. After beating your egg whites for some time, the batter becomes stiffer. When you run a spoon through the batter and lift it upwards, soft peaks fold over quickly, while stiff peaks stay straight up. I suggest adding the sugar when you get soft peaks.

• After adding that sugar, it’s like the Michael Jackson song says “Just Beat It”! Beat those whites until they’re VERY STIFF!

• Humidity is a hindrance (or insert bad word here). The higher the atmospheric humidity, the gummier and stickier the inside becomes. You don’t want a gummy inside. A perfect Schaum Torte day has a relative humidity of 35%-40%, my recent batch turned out fine with a relative humidity around 55%, but that is pushing it. Check your weather app or go to NOAA for the most up-to-date weather information. This may sound silly, but it will make a difference!

• You can bake these ahead of time! Although they are fragile (you’ll want to package them carefully and not squish them), they freeze very well. Place them in the freezer for up to 3 months and pull them out about 30 minutes before serving.

• These Schaum Tortes make beautiful decor. We do not suggest eating them after a week, but these pretty, abstract fluffs will hold their shape and color for up to a year. In the past I’ve had to warn off many prying eyes from eating my decor (that said, I think some unsuspecting guests managed to evade my warnings with no adverse consequences).

• These are delicious with many various toppings, but another of our favorites is with berries and ice cream, maybe with a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar.

• If you want a less abstract shape, pipe the final mixture through in a pastry bag.

• If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can also use a hand mixer.

• If you like these, you might also like World’s Best Cheesecake on World’s Best Gluten Free Crust or Gluten Free Fluffy, Moist Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.

Sweet and Crisp Schaum Torte with Toasted Coconut Whipped Cream

4 from 6 votes

Course: DessertCuisine: German, European

Servings

18

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Schaum Tortes

• 6 6 Egg Whites Large

• 1 Tbsp 1 Water (flat)

• 1 tsp 1 Pink Himalayan Salt (1/2 tsp for table or sea salt)

• 2+1/4 Cups 2+1/4 Granulated White Sugar

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 Cream of Tartar

• 2 Tbsp 2 Lemon Juice Strained (or 1 Tbsp White Vinegar)

• 1 tsp 1 Vanilla Extract

• 3 Tbsp 3 Crisco ( to liberally grease baking sheets)

• Toasted Coconut Whipped Cream

• 1/3 Cup 1/3 Toasted Coconut Slivers

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 Pink Himalayan Salt

• 3/4 Cup 3/4 Heavy Whipping Cream

• 1/3 Cup 1/3 Powdered Sugar

• Rum Caramelized Pineapple

• 2 Cups 2 Pineapple (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)

• 1+1/2 Tbsp 1+1/2 Butter

• 2+1/2 Tbsp 2+1/2 Dark Rum

• 1 Tbsp 1 Light Brown Sugar

Directions

• Schaum Tortes
• Preheat oven to 250° F.
• Liberally grease 2 baking sheets with Crisco and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer combine egg whites, water, and salt.
• Mix ingredients on medium/high speed until soft peaks start to form.
• Turn mixer speed to low.
• While continuing to mix, gradually pour in 1 Cup of Sugar, Lemon Juice (or Vinegar), and Cream of Tartar.
• Bring mixer speed up to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
• Lower the mixing speed and gradually add the last 1+1/4 Cup of Sugar and Vanilla Extract.
• Beat on medium to high for another 12 to 15 minutes, past the forming of stiff peaks.
• With a large spoon, scoop out clumps of the mixture and form onto the baking sheet. The clams should be about 4 inches across and 2-3 inches high. Allow for 1-2 inches of spacing between of Schaum Torte. There should be about 18 of them.
• Place in oven on center rack and cook for 1 hour at 250°F. While they are in oven, begin making whipped cream and pineapple below (if you want to use these as your toppings)
• After 1 hour, turn off oven, keep the door shut, and leave the Schaum Tortes for exactly 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven!!!!
• Toasted Coconut Whipped Cream
• In a small/medium mixing bowl add Heavy Whipping Cream and Salt.
• Mix with a hand-mixer or whisk until the cream just starts to thicken.
• Add Powdered Sugar and Toasted Coconut.
• Continue mixing until the mixture thickens to your preferred consistency. We like it about 1 minute after soft peaks form.
• Rum Caramelized Pineapple
• In a medium saute pan, add butter on medium/high heat.
• Once the butter is melted add 1 Cup of pineapple.
• Saute for about 1 minute stirring occasionally.
• Pour in the Dark Rum and allow the pineapple to caramelize on both sides for 4 to 5 minutes while cooking off the alcohol.
• Remove from heat.
• Add the last cup of fresh Pineapple, Brown Sugar, and mix together. Top Schaum Tortes with whipped cream and pineapple pieces.

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