torte

American  

[tawrt, tawr-tuh] / tɔrt, ˈtɔr tə /

noun

tortes plural

1. a rich cake, especially one containing little or no flour, usually made with eggs and ground nuts or breadcrumbs.

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torte British  

/ tɔːt, ˈtɔrtə /

noun

1. a rich cake, originating in Austria, usually decorated or filled with cream, fruit, nuts, and jam

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• tortes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of torte

First recorded in 1955–60; from German Torte, from Italian torta, from Late Latin (Vulgate) tōrta (pānis) “round loaf (of bread),” probably feminine of Latin tortus “twisted” ( see tort), with Vulgar Latin lengthening of o (compare French tourte )

Explanation

A torte is a dense, rich cake made with no (or very little) flour. You might order a chocolate torte for dessert at a fancy restaurant. Tortes are made in round pans and commonly use ground nuts in place of flour. The word torte is German, and many cakes described as tortes are also German (or Austrian) in origin, like the Sacher torte and Linzer torte. The roots of torte go back to the Late Latin torta, "flat cake" or "round bread." Avoid confusing torte and tort, which is much less delicious—it's a legal definition of a wrongful act.