Podcast recipe
Duration 4:33 – Steps 14
In 1832 in one of the most central hotels in Vienna, which has now become a “sacred” temple of pastry, something special happened that marked the history of Austrian cuisine. Franz Sacher, a 16-year-old apprentice pastry chef and chocolate lover, created the Sachertorte which today is certainly one of the most famous and appreciated chocolate cakes in the world. The story tells that the young Franz, who was replacing a sick chef that day, was preparing a dessert for the dinner of the greedy Prince Von Mitternich Winnesburg and, after having thought for a long time, he decided to combine simple and traditional elements such as chocolate and jam to create a delicate and tasty dessert. Apparently the dessert was a great success and from that day on the young Franz Sacher had to work hard to prepare this cake that also took his name: the Sachertorte. Since then the fame of the Sachertorte has spread all over the world and even if thousands of people continue to prepare it, the original recipe is jealously guarded in Vienna and is not revealed to anyone. We offer you the version made by Ernst Knam, a real guarantee when it comes to chocolate!
Discover also another Austrian sweet: the linzer cakes or the version Spoon Sacher!
To prepare the Sachertorte, first transfer the chocolate into small pieces in a bowl 1 and melt it in a water bath 2. If you prefer, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave by activating it a few seconds at a time and stirring at each interruption so as not to burn the chocolate. In the meantime, place the soft butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a planetary mixer 3
and a pinch of salt 4. Also add the seeds of the vanilla pod 5 and start working the mixture with the whisk 6 until you get a creamy consistency.
Then pour in the lightly beaten egg yolks in two batches 7 and continue to whip the butter 8; it will take about 8-10 minutes. The important thing is that the mixture of icing sugar, egg yolks and butter is well whipped so that the dough develops well during cooking. Now, make sure that the chocolate you have melted has a temperature between 45 and 55°; it is preferable to use a thermometer to measure it: if it were to be too high, in fact, it would risk melting the butter, vice versa it would risk compacting the mixture too much. Now add the chocolate to the butter and egg yolks mixture 9 and keep mixing
until you get a uniform mixture 10. Then pour the egg whites into the bowl of a planetary mixer and start beating them at high speed 11. As soon as they are white and frothy (when they start to “rise”) slowly add the granulated sugar, always a little at a time 12; it is important to wait for the egg whites to be lightly whipped before adding the sugar, otherwise the egg white will become too heavy and will take much more effort to whip.
The egg whites should not be whipped until stiff, but you will have to stop a few moments before 13 otherwise when you go to insert them in the dough they will continue to assemble and the cake, once cooked, would risk collapsing. At this point add the egg whites twice into the yolks and chocolate mixture 14 and mix with a spatula 15 or with a whisk.
Then add the already sifted flour 16 and mix from top to bottom with a spatula 17until a smooth and uniform mixture is obtained 18.
Grease and flour an 18 cm diameter mold, then pour the mixture inside, level the surface 19 and cook in a preheated static oven at 170° for 35-40 minutes. After this time, check the cooking with a toothpick, then take the cake out of the oven 20; don’t worry if the cake is cracked on the surface. Let the cake cool completely, before turning it out of the mold by turning it upside down. Then cut the cake into two discs using a long serrated knife 21.
Arrange about half the apricot jam inside 22 and spread it with a spatula over the entire surface 23. Cover with the second disc 24
add more jam on the surface 25 and using a spatula spread it everywhere to create a veil, even on the edges of the cake 26; in this way the final effect will be more shiny. Transfer the cake to a rack 27 and prepare the ganache.
Place the cream in a saucepan and bring it to the boil 28; as soon as it starts to boil, turn off the heat and add the chocolate 29. Mix with a whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and well blended 30.
Then transfer the ganache into a bowl 31 and use it to glaze the cake 32using a spatula and tapping it delicately on the surface in order to cover both the surface and the edges and smooth it at the same time 33. To be smooth and shiny, the ganache must have a temperature of about 40°.
At this point, put it in the fridge to harden (at +4°) for about 20 minutes 34. Then transfer the sacher torte onto a serving plate 35 and serve each slice alone or with semi-whipped cream without sugar 36.
