Chocolate “Saddle of Venison” Cake

Rehrücken

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Preparation info
  • Makes

    one

    12 inch -long cake
    • Difficulty

      Medium

Appears in
Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafes of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague

By Rick Rodgers

Published 2002

  • About

In its savory form, saddle of venison (Rehrücken in German) is often threaded with long strips of lard to moisten the lean meat as it roasts. But to dessert lovers, Rehrücken is chocolate cake baked in a long, half-cylinder-shaped pan to resemble the roast saddle of venison. The trompe-l’oeil effect is completed by studs of slivered almonds, which are supposed to look like the lard strips sticking out of the meat. Rehrücken is always made with cake crumbs and almonds, never flour, an