Authentic Sacher Torte Recipe: A Decadent Chocolate Cake Recipe From Austria by Ann Marie G. Halstead

I love all things chocolate, and I love to learn about new (to me!) chocolate desserts. I was thrilled to discover this sacher torte recipe, which is a delicious two-layer chocolate cake.

Sacher torte is a traditional and popular Austrian cake. The moist cake is layered with apricot preserves and covered with a smooth, shiny chocolate glaze. It’s not only delicious but also sure to impress your guests.

Cuisine: Austrian
Prep Time: 1 hour plus 2 hours to set
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours and 45 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar (divided)
• 8 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted (use the good stuff!)

Filling

• 1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup dark rum

Glaze

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup

For Serving

• whipped cream (optional)

Here’s how to make it:

1. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper or butter and flour the bottom of the pan (no need to butter/flour the sides of the pan). Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and a 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar until light and aerated, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla. Mix until combined. Mix in the sifted dry ingredients (don't over mix). Whisk the melted chocolate into the batter.
3. Whip the egg whites into soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and whip to full peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter in thirds, mixing just until you no longer see any streaks of egg white.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading to an even level. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack until completely cooled.
5. Stir the rum into the apricot preserves.
6. To assemble the cake, trim the top of the cake so it's flat (a serrated knife works best). Split the cake horizontally into two layers. To make handling the cake easier, place the bottom layer onto an 8-inch cardboard cake round or cake turner. Spread 1/3 of the apricot mixture onto the bottom layer and place the top layer onto the cake.
7. Warm the remaining apricot preserves in the microwave for 30 seconds. Strain the preserves into a clean bowl to remove the chunky fruit bits. Ice the top and sides of the cake with the strained apricot preserves. Next, place the cake onto a cooling rack set over a clean cookie sheet. Allow the cake to air dry for at least an hour (you’ll get better results if the apricot isn’t runny when you glaze the cake).
8. Microwave the chocolate with the butter 30 seconds at a time until both are melted. Add the corn syrup to the chocolate/butter mixture to complete the glaze. Pour the warm glaze over the cake. Fill in any gaps with a small spatula. Allow the glaze to set before transferring the cake. Once the glaze is set, slide a spatula under the cake to detach it from the rack and move it to a serving plate
9. The cake will improve over the next day or two as the apricot preserves absorb into the cake. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream, as the traditional cake was served.

Note: For the traditional Austrian design, pipe the word "Sacher" onto the cake using melted chocolate. You can also use any extra glaze to pipe a border on the cake.

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