Russian Punch Cake

This is a specialty of Demel, the great Viennese pastry shop, arguably one of the top half dozen in the world. I learned the recipe when I visited in the spring of 2008, to write an article about the shop for Saveur magazine, and this was one of the recipes that Dietmar Muthenthaler, the head pastry chef, had given us for the story. The elements in the cake are so simple that I was surprised at the delicate and delicious result when they were combined. The ‘punch’ in