Summary
A no-bake dessert built from thin European wafer sheets, layered with a tangy yogurt cream, Nutella, rose petal preserve, and fresh strawberries and boysenberries. The torte chills in the refrigerator until the wafers soften into cake-like layers, then it gets topped with a balsamic rose whipped cream and fresh berries for a red, white, and blue presentation.
What’s on Your Plate
Wafer Torte is a no-bake cake with yogurt cream, Nutella, and rose preserve. Top with fresh strawberries and boysenberries, then chill for at least three hours so the wafers soften into a sliceable cake. No oven needed.
Step by Step Photos
Wafer Torte Recipe
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4th of July Wafer Torte with Strawberries, Boysenberries and Roses
Tips from the Chef
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1 box strawberries
- 1 box boysenberries
- *wafers
- ½ cup Nutella
- ¼ cup *Rose Preserve
Yogurt/Cream Filling
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Cream Topping
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 1 splash balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon *rose preserve
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Mise en place
- 1 box strawberriesHull and slice the strawberries, keeping a few whole for garnishing the top.
Yogurt/Cream Filling
- 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 cup whipping cream, 3 tablespoons sugarMix the yogurt, sour cream, whipping cream, and sugar together. Set aside.
Start Layering
- wafersUsing an offset spatula or frosting knife, slather yogurt/cream over a wafer. Put in on a nice serving dish.
- 1/2 cup NutellaThe next layer, spread Nutella on a new wafer. Put it on top of the yogurt/cream layer.
- 1/4 cup Rose PreserveThe next layer, spread rose petal preserve on a new wafer.
- Be careful when you get to the edge as it as a tendency to drip. Put this layer on top of the Nutella layer.
- The next layer, spread more of the yogurt/cream on a new wafer, and place the sliced strawberries, as many as you can fit in a single layer.
- 1 box boysenberriesFor the final layer, put a new wafer and spread it with the yogurt/cream mixture. Then place the boysenberries and strawberries nicely. Set aside.
Make the cream
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream, 1 splash balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon rose preserve, 1/4 cup powdered sugarPut the cream, vinegar,and rose preserve in a bowl and start whipping it either in a stand mixer or hand held mixer. When it starts to thicken a little, add the powdered sugar, and continue to whip until it is nice and thick. It will probably not ever get like whipped cream, but should be spoonable.
- Spoon the cream over the fruits in a nice pattern. Put the torte in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, better overnight, for all the layers to soak up the flavors.
Video
Nutrition
If you don’t want to heat up your kitchen but make a spectacular looking cake, look no further than a wafer cake with fresh fruit.
The last time I made a cake like this was over 5 years ago when I serendipitously happened to find rectangular wafers to make a wafer cake. I really like these because you don’t have to bake them, and they do very well with fruit and whatever filling you want to use. I usually find mine in stores where there is a large Armenian population. Of course, if your store doesn’t have them, you can order them from Amazon – I am not getting compensated for that link, just want you to be able to find these wafers. They come in both rectangular and round.
Make it Your Own
Of course, when you make yours, you can put whatever you want in there. These are really a great way to use leftover fruits, just slice them and put them in the layers, maybe mixed with a little yogurt or sweetened sour cream. If you want to be indulgent, Nutella or sweetened condensed milk make great layers. You can even use the wafers for savory dishes because they are neutral tasting.
Wafer Flag
You are welcome to see how I made the Flag Wafer cake a few years ago. It was also really good, and I would up sharing it with my neighbors because it was so big. Have a look at the 2013 Independence Day No Bake Cake and get inspired!
About the Wafers and Rose Petal Preserve
Tort wafers, sometimes labeled oplatki or *wafer sheets, come from Central and Eastern European baking traditions, where bakers have used them for generations to build no-bake tortes without ever lighting an oven. The wafers start out dry and almost cracker like. Once layered with a moist filling and left to rest, they soften into something closer to a delicate cake layer.
*Rose petal preserve appears in this recipe as a nod to Middle Eastern and Armenian pantries, where rose flavored preserves and syrups show up in desserts, drinks, and even savory dishes. The floral note balances the richness of the Nutella and the tang of the yogurt cream, and it ties the whole dessert together without adding a heavy new flavor. If you want to build your own filling from scratch, homemade mascarpone is a rich substitute for the yogurt cream in this recipe.
Why 4th of July Wafer Torte works
This torte works because of one simple food science principle: wafers are porous. Left plain, they stay stiff and snap like a cracker. Once you spread a moist filling directly against a wafer and let it rest under refrigeration, capillary action pulls that moisture through the wafer’s structure. Given enough chill time, usually three hours at minimum and ideally overnight, the wafer transforms from crisp to tender without ever touching heat.
Alternating fillings, yogurt cream, Nutella, and rose preserve, also means every layer contributes its own texture and moisture level. That is what keeps the torte softening evenly instead of turning soggy in one spot while staying dry in another.
Common Mistakes and Gotchas
A list of common mistakes and Gotchas
- Do not skip the resting time. A torte cut too early will taste like a stack of dry crackers instead of a tender cake.
- Spread fillings all the way to the edges, but stop just short of the rim. Rose preserve especially tends to drip over the side once you stack the next layer on top.
- Use a stand mixer or hand mixer for the whipped cream topping. It will not fully firm up like traditional whipped cream because of the vinegar and preserve, but it should hold a spoonable texture.
- Slice with a sharp or serrated knife. A dull blade will crush the softened wafer layers instead of cutting cleanly through them.
Serving and Storage
Serving
Slice this torte with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, since the layered wafers can shatter under a dull blade. A serrated knife works well too. Serve it cold, straight from the refrigerator, since the whipped cream topping and fruit hold their shape best when chilled. For a 4th of July table, cut the torte into rectangles so each piece shows off the red and blue layering, and garnish each plate with a few whole berries. If you have pizza shears, they are really great at cutting this cake.
Storing
Keep the torte covered in the refrigerator at or below 40°F, which is 4°C, for up to three days. The wafers will continue to soften the longer the torte sits, so if you prefer a firmer bite, serve it closer to the three hour mark rather than the next day. This dessert does not freeze well. The wafers turn mushy once thawed, and the whipped cream topping separates.
FAQ
Can I use different fruit?
Yes. Any soft, ripe fruit works well here. Peaches, blueberries, raspberries, or pears are all good substitutes for strawberries and boysenberries.
Where do I find tort wafers?
Look for them in stores that carry Central European or Armenian groceries, or order *wafer sheets online.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes, this torte actually benefits from advance prep. Build it the night before your event so it has plenty of time to soften in the refrigerator.
Is there a way to make this without rose preserve?
Yes. Swap in raspberry or strawberry preserve for a similar effect without the floral note.
I am allergic to nuts! What can I use instead of Nutella?
You could add cocoa powder and powdered sugar or homemade mascarpone or cream cheese and use that instead of Nutella. The flavor will be different, but still very good.
