Those who follow me on facebook probably saw my picture of the Salzburger Nockerln that I had in – you guessed it – Salzburg during my Europe trip. I had researched what place there is known to have the best Nockerln and it was said that the Café Mozart is where I should go. So we went there and they are really good at it and also have other delicious cakes and snacks.
Always freshly made
Often, when you go to a regular restaurant, they ask you to tell them upfront if you want to have Salzburger Nockerln for dessert. Since they are always made fresh from eggs and then baked in the oven, it takes a moment and the staff in the kitchen must take time to focus on just this. However, at Café Mozart they were surprisingly fast with serving it and it was an absolute dream!
Video: How To Make Salzburger Nockerln
What’s in the Name
Of course, this dish comes from Salzburg but what is the word “Nockerln”? It is an Austrian word for Nocken, which are usually dough-based additions to soups and the word is also used for Spätzle and little dumplings.
Traditionally, there are 3 Nockerln per serving. They symbolize the three mountains surrounding Salzburg and the confectioner’s sugar on top stands for the snowy summits.
How it is served
Salzburger Nockerln is usually served either in an oval, white, oven-safe dish that sits on a silver plate. On the bottom is traditionally a mix of butter with confectioner’s sugar and vanilla or – as it was served at Café Mozart – lingonberry jam.
To me, the jam was a bit of an overkill on sweetness. Although the tart taste of the lingonberries perfectly countered the sweetness of the Salzburger Nockerln, the amount of sugar in the jam was just too much on top of everything.
My Nockerln vs the Café Mozart Nockerln
Now, if you compare the Nockerln that I was served with the ones that I made at home, you clearly see a difference: Mine are much paler and also not so impressive high. In fact, I used a baking dish that was too large and had the wrong shape … but even my kitchen storage has limits and I think it doesn’t matter too much.
But I should have kept it in the oven a bit longer! I was just so worried to brown it too much in the video and then I would have had to start all over. So yes, there is still room for perfection and just now I noticed that they show their “peak-building technique” in a video on the Cafe Mozart website.
My somewhat flat Salzburger Nockerln tasted heavenly nevertheless!
Salzburger Nockerln
This is meant to share!
1 oven-safe baking dish oval
For the bottom of the dish
For the Nockerln
- 5 Egg Whites
- 40 g Sugar
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 20 g All Purpose Flour
- fresh Lemon Zest
- some Confectioner’s Sugar mixed with some Vanilla Sugar
The bottom of the dish
-
Place the oven-safe dish on the stove and fill with the butter, confectioners sugar, Milk, and vanilla sugar.
-
Heat and ocationally stir until the butter is molten and the ingredients have combined.
The Nockerln
-
Whisk the egg whites with the sugar until a stiff mass is created. Tip: It works best if the egg whites have room temperature!
-
Put the egg yolks, the flour, and the lemon zest on top and carefully fold it in with a spatula. There should still be streaks of egg yolks visible in the mass.
-
Use a spatula to place ⅓ of the mass at the front of your oven-safe dish. Shape it upwards to a peak, then place a second and third peak behind it.
-
Bake in the oven for about 7-8 minutes or until the peaks are turning to a light golden-brown color.
-
With a little sieve, dust it with a mix of confectioner’s sugar & vanilla sugar, then serve immediately.
Calories: 212kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 7gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 169mgSodium: 140mgPotassium: 111mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 474IUCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg