Sachertorte
Vienna's legendary chocolate cake — dense, rich, glazed, with a hidden layer of apricot jam.
Comfort Food
Date Night
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 150g dark chocolate (70%), melted
- 150g butter, softened
- 100g powdered sugar
- 6 eggs, separated
- 100g granulated sugar
- 150g all-purpose flour
- For the filling and glaze:
- 200g apricot jam, warmed and strained
- 200g dark chocolate
- 100ml heavy cream
- 20g butter
- Unsweetened whipped cream, for serving
Instructions
- 1 Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F). Grease and line a 23cm round cake tin.
- 2 Beat butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each. Stir in melted chocolate.
- 3 Beat egg whites with granulated sugar until stiff peaks form.
- 4 Fold one-third of whites into chocolate mixture to loosen. Gently fold in remaining whites alternating with flour.
- 5 Pour into tin. Bake for 50-55 minutes until a skewer comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely.
- 6 Slice cake horizontally into two layers. Brush bottom layer generously with warm apricot jam. Place top layer back on. Brush the entire outside with remaining jam. Let set 30 minutes.
- 7 Make glaze: heat cream until simmering. Pour over chopped chocolate, let sit 2 minutes, stir until smooth. Stir in butter.
- 8 Pour glaze over the cake, tilting to cover top and sides evenly. Let set at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- 9 Serve slices with a generous dollop of unsweetened whipped cream on the side.
About This Recipe
Sachertorte was invented in 1832 by 16-year-old apprentice chef Franz Sacher for Prince Metternich. Nearly 200 years later, it remains Austria's most famous cake and the subject of a legal battle between Hotel Sacher and Demel over who makes the "original."
It's a dense, not-too-sweet chocolate cake split and filled with apricot jam, then coated in a mirror-smooth dark chocolate glaze. Always served with a cloud of unsweetened whipped cream (Schlagobers) on the side — never on top.