Cake - Pâté in gift box

Sawade Pastete in a gift box: a Berlin-style layered torte

The Pastete in a gift box by Sawade is the house's year-round layered torte made of nougat, brittle, rum-cream truffle, and Maraschino cherries. It comes in a marbled box with a window, through which the browned marzipan topping is visible even before opening.

Pastete in a gift box is the ready-to-gift version of the Berlin layered pastry from Sawade in Reinickendorf. Weighing 250 grams, it is nestled in a square box made of red-and-gold marbled paper. Additional wrapping paper is unnecessary, as the marbled pattern serves as the perfect decoration and stands up well even without a ribbon.

It is sliced like a small cake

In Berlin, a "Pastete" is a cold, layered confection served in thin slices from a cake plate. The word reliably misleads guests until the first plate makes the rounds.

Outside the city, this format has almost disappeared, which is why guests at the table usually start by asking what lies beneath the browned topping. The answer comes with the first cut, as layers of nougat, brittle, truffle, and marzipan are revealed side by side.

Cherries are embedded in the nut layers, providing the acidity needed to break up all the brown tones. Maraschino is a clear cherry liqueur from Dalmatia in which the fruit is soaked before being added. For a coffee table, thin slices are sufficient because each one contains four different textures at once, and it pairs just as well with a port wine as it does with a second cup of coffee.

The truffle filling holds the brittle together

For the brittle, Sawade boils sugar with almonds and beats the hot mixture until it breaks into fine layers. Sugar is at the top of the ingredient list, followed immediately by almonds.

On top goes the whipped truffle mixture of cream and Jamaican rum, which works its way into every crevice between the brittle shards, holding the layer together from within. Without this step, the layer would remain loose and fall apart when sliced; meanwhile, the rum provides a cool edge to the cream.

No layer may be placed on top of one that is still warm, otherwise the fillings would bleed into each other and the striped pattern would disappear. Cold-stirred, cold-filled, cold-sliced—heat is only involved in one single step of this cake, specifically at the very end under a flame.

A cake that needs no further wrapping

Anyone giving this as a gift doesn't need to say anything more, as the window in the lid shows off the browned topping, and the box looks right at home on the table without needing a candle or a doily. Nevertheless, it creates the impression that someone put real thought into the gift.

This version has no winter-specific theme, making it suitable to bring along to invitations in both spring and autumn. In its sealed box, it keeps for weeks, as long as it is not placed next to a radiator and is kept out of direct sunlight.

Production at Sawade pauses in mid-summer; otherwise, the Pastete is available all year round. When gifting it, do mention the nuts, rum, and Maraschino, as almond, hazelnut, and pistachio are present in multiple layers and the alcohol is clearly indicated.

Wrapped for winter, this same cake is called Christmas Pastete; at Easter, it changes shape to become the Splendid Pastete Egg. The manufacture's entire range can be seen at Sawade Berlin, along with all our chocolate.