Sacher Torte

The Sacher Torte is one of the most well-known specialties of Vienna, Austria. It is a chocolate cake made with a layer of apricot marmelade and chocolate frosting (ganache).

For the Cake:
1 1/4 sticks (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
5 oz Semisweet Chocolate
1 1/4 cup Flour (for best results use Cake Flour)
7 Eggs, yolks and whites separated
Pinch of Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
Apricot Marmelade/Jam

For the Chocolate Glaze:
8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter

Day 1: Bake the cake

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour an 8-inch cake pan.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Set aside to cool slightly.

Using a mixer, whip the butter until its smooth and creamy. Gradually add half of the sifted powdered sugar and continue mixing until the sugar has been absorbed by the butter. Gradually mix in the melted chocolate. Add the egg yolks - one at a time - allow each yolk to be completely absorbed by the mixture until adding the next one. Continue mixing until batter looks fluffy.

In a separate bowl, begin beating egg whites. Once the egg whites begin to get foamy, gradually add the remaining powdered sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks form.

Pour egg whites over the chocolate mixture. Gently fold together. Combine baking powder and flour and sift into the bowl with the batter. Gently fold flour into the batter.

Pour batter into prepare cake pan. Bake cake for 10 minutes at 350°F (175°C). Reduce heat to 300°F (150°C) and bake for an additional 45 - 55 minutes.

Day 2: Decorate the cake

Cut the cake into 2 equal layers.

Warm up the apricot marmelade. Spread a few tablespoons of the marmelade evenly over the bottom cake layer. Place the top cake layer on top of this. Spread apricot marmelade over the top of this layer as well as the sides of the cake. Allow this to stand a few minutes for the marmelade to firm up again.

To make the chocolate glaze, place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth.

Brush any loose crumbs from the cake and place cake on a wire rack. Put the wire rack on a baking sheet. In this way if the chocolate drips it will end up on the baking sheet, which makes clean up easier. Using a cake spatula, cover the sides and top of the cake with about 2 tablespoons chocolate. This seals in any cake crumbs and holes so that your cake will have a smooth finish. Refrigerate cake for 5 minutes to set the coat. To cover cake, pour the remaining chocolate over the center of the cake. Working quickly, spread with a spatula, using big strokes to push the chocolate over the sides of the cake, to create an even coating of chocolate.

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