Austria / Dessert
Sachertorte (Duramecho Version)
Sachertorte (Ger. ˈzɑxər ˈtɔrtə; Eng.ˈsɑkər ˈtɔrt; Ger. zah-khuhr tawr-tuh; sah-ker tawrt); is a chocolate cake, invented by Franz Sacher in 1832 in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the most famous Viennese culinary specialties. The word is sometimes split into Sacher torte. The cake consists of two layers of dense, not overly sweet chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam in the middle and dark chocolate icing with shreds of chocolate on the top and sides. This is traditionally eaten with whipped cream, as most Viennese consider the Sachertorte too "dry" to be eaten without. The trademark for the "Original Sachertorte" was registered by the Hotel Sacher, which was built in 1876 by the son of Franz Sacher. That original recipe is a well-kept secret.
Ingredients
- egg6
- caster sugar200 g
- unsalted butter, soft but not melted100 g
- dark chocolate, semi-sweet or bittersweet eating chocolate; melted125 g
- plain flour125 g
- vanilla extract5 ml
- apricot jam150 g
- golden syrup150 g
- dark chocolate, semi-sweet or bittersweet eating chocolate150 g
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 16 steps
Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a mixing bowl.
Whisk the whites until fairly stiff and foamy. Add three quarters of the sugar. Whip until fully stiff and foamy, incorporating as much air as possible.
Cream the remaining sugar with the butter and vanilla until pale and creamy.
Gently mix in the egg yolks, then the molten chocolate.
Fold the egg white foam into the batter.
Sift the flour over the batter, carefully avoiding lumps of flour. Mix very gently, folding the ingredients together. Ensure the heavy chocolate does not all end up at the bottom of the bowl.
Line the cake tin with greaseproof paper, and fill it with the batter.
Bake at 170°C for about 70 minutes.
Allow to cool in the tin upside down until the cake reaches room temperature (about 30 minutes).
Microwave the jam until it melts.
Cut the cake body in half horizontally and place the halves with inner (cut) faces uppermost.
Pour the molten jam onto both halves of the cake, and allow it to soak in.
Reassemble the cake, with cut surfaces together. Allow the surface to cool again.
Microwave the golden syrup and chocolate together until the syrup just starts to bubble. Stir until they are smoothly mixed, then cool to about 25°C. This mixture should be spreadable and able to support a thickness of about 2 mm on a vertical surface (test on the wall of the bowl) yet return to shiny soon after being spread. If it is too hard or soft, add more golden syrup or chocolate and go back to the microwaving stage.
Spread cake body with the glaze. Leave it to set.
