Sachertorte

November 14, 2008.   7 Comments.   Categories Cakes, Desserts, Peggy's Favorites.  

Sachertorte 

This cake is so wonderful and rich.  My mother has been making this since I was very little.   It takes some time – but is well worth the effort.  There are hundreds of recipes called Sachertorte – many have ingredients not considered authentic like marzipan and hazelnut.  The cake in this version is close to the original recipe, but I’ve been told by some bloggers that the glaze isn’t close to the original… however, this version is delicious and sticks to the basic spirit and concept of the original.
Sachertorte was invented by Franz Sacher of the Sacher Hotel in Vienna, Austria.  It was a closely guarded secret until, somehow the owner of the pastry shop Demel obtained the recipe.  The Demel and Sacher families ended up in a bitter rivalry that even went to court to determine who could call their creation the “Original Sachertorte.”  It appears that both recipes are very similar – except Demel’s version puts the jam just under the chocolate glaze.  Sacher’s version puts the apricot filling in the center of the cake.
You can order the original cake from Vienna.  Sacher’s cake comes with a chocolate circle stamp on the cake – Demel’s Original Sachertorte comes with a triangular chocolate stamp.
*Note – My mother always doubled the glaze and filling recipes – split both cakes and ended up with two complete cakes.*
 
Ingredients:
6.5 ounces – good quality semi-sweet chocolate, broken or chopped in small pieces
8 egg yolks
8 tablespoons (1/4 stick) of unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract (Williams Sonoma carries a good one)
10 egg whites
pinch of salt
3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup apricot jam, rubbed through a sieve
THE GLAZE
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken or chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1 egg
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two 9 by 1.5 inch round cake pans with circles of wax paper.
In the top of a double boiler, heat the chocolate until it melts while stirring it occasionally with a wooden spoon.  In a small mixing bowl, break up the egg yolks with a fork, then beat in the chocolate, melted butter and vanilla.
With a wire whisk or beater, beat the egg whites and pinch of salt until they foam – then add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time while beating until stiff peaks form.  
Mix about 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk-chocolate mixture, the reverse the process and pour the chocolate over the remaining egg whites.  Sprinkle the flour over the top.  With a rubber spatula, using an over-and-under cutting motion instead of a mixing motion, fold the whites and the chocolate mixture together until no trace of the whites remain.  Do not overfold!!
Pour the batter into the 2 lined pans, dividing it evenly between them.  Back in the middle of the oven until the layers are puffed and dry and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean (about 40-45 minutes but watch it as every oven can be a little different)
Remove the pans from the oven and loosen the sides of the layers by running a sharp knife around them. Turn them out on a cake rack and remove the wax paper.  Let the layers cool while you prepare the glaze.
GLAZE PREPARATION:
In a small heavy saucepan, combine the chocolate, cream, sugar and corn syrup.  Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook on low heat until the chocolate and sugar are melted – then raise the heat to medium and cook without stirring for about 5 minutes or until a little of the mixture dropped into a glass of cold water forms a soft ball.  In a small mixing bowl beat the egg  lightly, then stir 3 tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into it.  Pour this into the remaining chocolate in the saucepan and stir it briskly.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the glaze coats the spoon heavily.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla.  Cool the glaze to room temperature.
When the cake layers have completely cooled, spread one of them with apricot jam and put the other layer on top.  Set the rack in the jelly-roll pan and, holding the saucepan about 2 inches away from the cake, our the glaze slowly over it evenly.  Smooth the glaze with a metal spatula.  Let the cake stand until the glaze stops dripping, then, using two metal spatulas, transfer it to a plate and refrigerate it for 3 hours to harden the glaze.  Remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.  Serve with freshly made whipping cream.