Sachertorte (Original Version)
Photo: Häferl, CC BY-SA 3.0 at
This is the Sachertorte as given by Mrs Anna Sacher herself, the Viennese chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam under a glossy dark glaze. The batter relies on ten whipped egg whites rather than baking powder, so the crumb stays light despite all the butter and chocolate. The icing is a cooked sugar syrup stirred into melted chocolate, which sets to a smooth, shiny finish.
Instructions
Heat the oven to 275°F (140°C). Grease and butter an 8 to 9-inch cake tin.
Beat the butter until it is creamy. Melt the first measure of chocolate, then stir it into the butter along with the ¾ cup of sugar.
Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each. Stir in the flour, then gently fold in the stiffly whipped egg whites.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for about 1 hour, until a toothpick or straw pushed into the center comes out clean.
Turn the cake out onto a board and let it cool completely.
For the icing, cook the 1 cup of sugar with the water until the syrup falls from a spoon in a thin thread. Melt the second measure of chocolate in the top of a double boiler.
Add the syrup to the chocolate a little at a time, stirring constantly, until the icing coats the back of the spoon.
Cut the top off the cake and turn it over so the flat bottom faces up. Warm the apricot jam slightly and spread it over the cake, then cover with the chocolate icing.
Make it personal.
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