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Virtually unknown outside of Wisconsin, a Schaum Torte is the German equivalent of a Pavlova. In this recipe, we make 12 miniature tortes that are delicious topped with fresh fruit, whipped cream, or ice cream.
Schaum Torte is a German meringue dessert widely known to Milwaukee residents of German descent.
Many of our grandparents, including my maternal grandma, made Schaum Torte topped with fruit and ice cream for special occasions, and the dessert is also popular at a local German restaurant.
Schaum Tortes are popular for Memorial Day celebrations when strawberries are in season. My grandma in particular loved to make Schaum Torte for bridal showers because they are such a pretty dessert. It’s also popular at Christmas.
Whether you make a full-size Schaum Torte or the miniature “cookies” version I show here, Schaum Torte is a sweet dessert worth trying!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Egg whites: Room temperature egg whites beat quicker and higher than cold egg whites. If you forgot to bring the eggs to room temperature early enough, place the uncracked cold eggs in a bowl of warm water for several minutes until they no longer feel chilled.
- Cream of tartar: This baking aisle staple is an acid that plays a vital role in stabilizing the egg whites, making them billowy and light as air.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. With a Sharpie-type permanent pen, trace six 3-inch circles on each sheet of parchment paper, and flip over in pan (marker side down).
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or using an electric hand mixer on medium-high, beat the egg whites, water and salt until stiff peaks form (a peak on the edge of the beater holds its shape without bending).
- With mixer still on medium-high, very slowly add, over the course of 2-3 minutes, 1 cup sugar, cream of tartar, and vinegar.
- Add the other 1 ¼ cups of sugar, again very slowly, and vanilla. Beat for 10 minutes on medium speed.
- To prepare the piping bag, snip a corner off a large zippered plastic bag or pastry bag. Place a large decorating tip into the corner opening (I use a Wilton 1M). Spoon half of the meringue into the bag and twist the top closed. Starting in the center of each circle and moving in a circular pattern outward, fill each circle with meringue. Continue piping around the outside edges, forming walls (I usually go around 2 or 3 more times, depending on how tall I want my tortes).
- Use your finger to smooth out the top where the piping tops. Repeat with remaining meringue until all 12 tortes have been formed.
- Place in preheated oven and bake 1 hour, then turn heat off and leave Schaum Tortes in oven for another 30 minutes. Remove and store in an airtight container.
- Serve with fresh berries and whipped cream and garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes twelve miniature (4-inch) Schaum Tortes. I assume one torte per person, but you could also cut each torte in half and serve ½ torte per person.
- Storage: Store leftover Schaum Torte shells (baked and cooled) in an airtight container in a cool place out of direct sunlight for up to 2 weeks. Separate tortes between layers of parchment or wax paper if stacking them.
- Freezer: Schaum Torte shells (baked and cooled) can be wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month.
- To make Schaum Tortes without piping: Drop large spoonfuls of meringue onto the circles on prepared sheet pans and hollow out the centers with a teaspoon.
- To make one full-size Schaum Torte: Follow the first 4 steps as written. Then, transfer the meringue to a 9-inch buttered spring form pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, turn off heat, and leave shell in the oven for 1 hour more (instead of 30 minutes).
Recipe FAQs
Pavlova, named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, is a meringue-based dessert (probably?) created in New Zealand in 1927. While these desserts look nearly identical, Pavlova contains corn starch and Schaum Torte does not.
No, there is an easy workaround if you don’t have the time or energy for pastry bags. Drop large spoonfuls of meringue onto the circles on prepared sheet pans and hollow out the centers with a teaspoon.
Yes, to make a single large Schaum Torte, follow the first 4 steps as written. Then, transfer the meringue to a 9-inch buttered spring form pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, turn off heat, and leave shell in the oven for 1 hour more (instead of 30 minutes).
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Schaum Torte
Ingredients
- 6 egg whites (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar divided
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar (see note 2)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fresh berries for serving
- Whipped cream for serving
- Fresh mint for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. With a Sharpie-type permanent pen, trace six 3-inch circles on each sheet of parchment paper, and flip over in pan (marker side down).
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or using an electric hand mixer on medium-high, beat the egg whites, water and salt until stiff peaks form (a peak on the edge of the beater holds its shape without bending).
- With mixer still on medium-high, very slowly add, over the course of 2-3 minutes, 1 cup sugar, cream of tartar, and vinegar.
- Add the other 1 ¼ cups of sugar, again very slowly, and vanilla. Beat for 10 minutes on medium speed.
- To prepare the piping bag, snip a corner off a large zippered plastic bag or pastry bag. Place a large decorating tip into the corner opening (I use a Wilton 1M). Spoon half of the meringue into the bag and twist the top closed.
- Starting in the center of each circle and moving in a circular pattern outward, fill each circle with meringue. Continue piping around the outside edges, forming walls (I usually go around 2 or 3 more times, depending on how tall I want my tortes). Use your finger to smooth out the top where the piping tops. Repeat with remaining meringue until all 12 tortes have been formed.
- Place in preheated oven and bake 1 hour, then turn heat off and leave Schaum Tortes in oven for another 30 minutes. Remove and store in an airtight container. Serve with fresh berries and whipped cream and garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Egg whites: Room temperature egg whites beat quicker and higher than cold egg whites. If you forgot to bring the eggs to room temperature early enough, place the uncracked cold eggs in a bowl of warm water for several minutes until they no longer feel chilled.
- Cream of tartar: This baking aisle staple is an acid that plays a vital role in stabilizing the egg whites, making them billowy and light as air.
- Yield: This recipe makes twelve miniature (4-inch) Schaum Tortes. I assume one torte per person, but you could also cut each torte in half and serve ½ torte per person.
- Storage: Store leftover Schaum Torte shells (baked and cooled) in an airtight container in a cool place out of direct sunlight for up to 2 weeks. Separate tortes between layers of parchment or wax paper if stacking them.
- Freezer: Schaum Torte shells (baked and cooled) can be wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month.
Can Schwann torte be frozen?
Hi Ginny, yes! They can be frozen in an airtight container. Enjoy! – Meggan
Thank you for posting this and giving a bit of its history! I had this recipe from a great-grandmother from Wisconsin but wasn’t sure if the vinegar was correct. When I looked it up and found your post, it explains why the recipe had been hard to find online in the past.
I am looking forward to making these this Christmas! Thank you!
Happy to be of help Rachel, so glad you enjoyed! – Meggan
If I make these a few days before an event will they be good?
Hi Angie, yes! They will. Make sure they are stored in an airtight container. – Meggan
This same thing is very common in nicaragua as a treat.
These were so yummy!! I’m wondering if my oven temperature wasn’t hot enough though? Mine were crisp all over but a little chewy like nougat toward the bottom center. When my mom made them they were always super crisp. What did I do wrong?
Hi Carolyn, I’m glad you enjoyed them! I don’t think you did anything wrong, but I wonder if your mom left them sitting in the oven longer after turning the oven off? I hope this helps! – Meggan
Yummy
Hi! Do you know if these individual schaum tortes can be frozen? And how long they will last once made fresh? Thanks in advance!
Hi Casey, yes I don’t see why not. They will last two weeks if stored at room temperature or frozen in an airtight container. Enjoy! – Meggan
I’m a Wisco girl too. My grandmother always made these for us as kids. I’ve never tried, until today. They looked great, but upon eating I discovered that the inside bottom was kind of wet. I’m used to chewy, but these were more than that. I did make them bigger than prescribed (9 vs 12) and did add a few minutes to the baking time. I couldn’t find anything about the food safety of egg whites undercooked and left at room temp for several hours, so although I did eat most of my portion before considering food safety, I tossed the rest. I didn’t want to risk sick kids. I’ll try again someday and will make them smaller.
Hi Rebecca, since I haven’t made the larger version I can’t really say how much longer they would need to be baked to come out right. As far as the food safety issue, I personally would toss them like you did. You really only need to “worry” about sensitive groups of people such as small children, pregnant women, and the elderly. But still, if they weren’t cooked, or if you aren’t sure, I just wouldn’t risk it. I will put it on my list to test a larger size so I can figure out the correct baking time. Thank you! -Meggan
Schaum Torte was *always* a summer treat in my family and usually topped with strawberries.
For one it was light and airy so a perfect finish during the humid summertime, but we also found ourselves with an over abundance of strawberries. Schaum Torte provided another outlet for those fresh berries before making preserves or jams.
Thanks for trying my recipe! 😀 -Meggan
How do you make them a bit more chewy and less crunchy inside. I saw it is usually the temp and time. Can you please give me the more chewy temp and time or changes needed to achieve this.