Sachertorte with whip cream

After my fourth attempt at making this torte, I can be reasonably certain I have made the recipe correctly. The batter for this torte doesn’t rise very much, resulting in a rich, intense, dark chocolate cake. I made it in a 9″ springform pan, but I am recommending making it in a 8″ pan to make the torte a little taller. Although this recipe didn’t specifically call for apricot filling between the layers of cake, my research indicated that the apricot filling was a key to the identity of a Sachertorte, so I included it.

Sachertorte (Sacher Torte)

Cake:
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
7 eggs, separated
7 oz. softened unsweetened baking chocolate (7 squares)
3/4 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 tsp. vanilla sugar (or substitute regular sugar)
1 cup sifted cake flour

Filling:
6 oz. apricot jam
Water (to thin the jam to a spreadable consistency)

Glaze:
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
6 oz. softened unsweetened baking chocolate (6 squares)

Place wax paper at the bottom of an 8″ springform pan, then butter and lightly flour the bottom and sides of the pan. Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate for the cake. Remove from heat and let cool while you beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. When butter and sugar are creamed, add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Drizzle melted chocolate into the batter, stirring constantly. Once chocolate is mixed in, set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites. When egg whites begin to froth, drizzle lemon juice into the eggs, beating all the while. When egg whites achieve soft peaks, add the vanilla sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites create stiff peaks.

First, fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate batter, then fold in 1/3 of the flour. Continue alternating egg whites and flour, until completely incorporated into the chocolate mixture. Do not over mix. Pour batter into the springform pan and cook in a 350°F oven for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven. Let rest for 10 minutes, then remove the springform ring and let cake cool on a wire rack. Cool completely before glazing.

When cake completely cooled, cut the thin top crust off the cake to level. Then slice the cake in half horizontally. Remove the top half of the cake. Mix enough water into the apricot jam to make it spreadable. Cover the top of the lower layer with the apricot jam. Then reposition the top layer on the cake.

To make the glaze, combine 3/4 cup water and 1-1/2 cups sugar in a sauce pan. Heat to boiling and boil gently for 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add 6 oz. of baking chocolate and continue boiling until glaze begins to thicken and the graininess disappears from the chocolate (another 10-15 minutes). Remove from heat. Cool slightly (1 minute).

Place cake on wire rack over wax paper. Pour glaze over the cake, starting around the top edges and working inward to the center of the cake. Use a flat icing spatula to help covering the sides as the chocolate glaze pours over the edges. Cool completely.

Slice thin into thin wedges and serve with a dollop of whip cream.

The Process.