ein deutscher Nachtisch

[Old Uncle Toe]

So @Nickyboy it seems you have some familiarity with the German, and you are obviously knowledgeable about food. How could I not have consulted you before on this mystery?

My mother, born of old country German parents, used to make this particular cake. To the best of my knowledge she called it 'Pischoten Torte'. I don't speak a word of German so I could be mistaken. I've been wondering how to recreate it.

It seemed to be ladyfingers dipped in some kind of alcohol (rum?), stacked in layers. It was frosted with something tasting of barely-sweet chocolate and coffee. Or maybe the coffee was mixed with the ladyfinger dip. I think there was a lot of butter in the frosting because when she refrigerated it, the frosting would harden.

When I left the house as a barely-adult, she wrote down the recipe for me. I knew where it was for about 20 years, but alas, no longer. And the name I remember doesn't ring a bell among the googles.

Got any clues as to what this dessert may have been and a recipe to recommend?

 

[Nickyboy]

Sounds to me like the German version of Italian tiramisu. As you no doubt found via searching, "Pischoten" isn't a word in German. Maybe it was supposed to be Bischoffen, which is a town in Hesse, northern Germany. Purely a guess on my part.

My grandmother and mother both used to make a dessert like that in a narrow loaf pan, lined with waxed paper so it could be turned out when cold and set. Here is a recipe for a whimsical version in the shape of a hedgehog (he helps the Easter bunny bring presents at Easter time). It's not hard to make, and easy enough to make in a loaf pan.

https://www.quick-german-recipes.com/the-igel-has-landed.html

 

[Nickyboy]

Speaking of German cooking, friends of ours gave us a big stack of leaf cabbage they grew this year. It's a Scottish variety that doesn't form heads, but long, individual leaves on a tall stalk, similar to the way Tuscan kale grows, but with smooth leaves. We are making a childhood favorite of my which is cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and ground beef, simmered in chicken stock, and the final sauce is the cooking liquid with lots of sour cream. Fabelhalft!!

 

[axolotl]