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

Noun Inflected Forms

• 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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

torte tortes

The cafe, which started as a pop-up in 2012, now has two locations in the Austrian capital, where omas and opas bake the strudel, Linzer torte and other goodies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Coffee pecan torte, spiced pear sponge with miso caramel.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026

What Sacher torte is to Vienna, or kouign-amann to Brittany, or cannoli to Sicily, knafeh Nabulseyeh is to Nablus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2023

I don't think a lot of the people to whom I've served it over the years have known exactly what made it a torte either, judging by their responses when tasting it.

From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2023

I look it over: Sacher torte, pink champagne, crème de menthe, chocolate ganache.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson

"It appears to be a cake based on the Easter European tradition of tortes with many thin layers glued together by a sweet filling."

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2022

They are by nature much sturdier and simpler than the precious gâteaux, tartes, tortes, and petits fours of the great French and Austro-Hungarian baking traditions.

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2018

The Great British Baking Show In this new episode, the remaining amateur bakers must tackle desserts like tortes and creme caramel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2018

I have never consumed "duck tortes"; however, Mexican tortas are wonderful.

From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2017

“It’s a day old, but it takes a lot for a donut to go bad. Crystal brought home some almond tortes, too, but I know you don’t like almond stuff.”

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden