Sachertorte
Decadent, rich, dark and delicious - Sachertorte is a truly divine dessert. One taste of this chocolate confection and you'll be in heaven.
Servings 12
Ingredients
Torte:
- 5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, leveled with a knife
- 1/2 cup (scant) almond flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Apricot Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
- 2 tbsp rum
Chocolate Glaze:
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 2 tbsp rum
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz mixed bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
Torte:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch pan (preferably springform), and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper, then lightly dust flour along the sides of the pan. Tap out the excess flour. Set aside.
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of very hot, but not simmering, water, stirring occasionally. Once completely melted, remove from the heat and let cool, stirring often.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and superfine sugar with a handheld mixer on high speed just until soft, shiny peaks form. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt. Set aside.
- Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high until smooth. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the confectioners sugar. Return the speed to medium-high and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until mixture is fluffy again, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla, then gradually add the flour mixture.
- Beat about one-fourth of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold in the remaining whites. No white streaks should remain.
- Spread evenly in the pan and smooth the top. Bake on the center rack until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or almost clean, about 35-45 minutes.
- Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove sides of the pan (if using a springform pan) and invert the cake onto the rack. Remove the paper and reinvert the cake onto another rack right side up. Allow to cool completely.
Apricot glaze:
- Combine apricot preserves and rum in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once boiling, continue to cook, stirring often, until mixture is sticky and drops cling to the spoon, about 3 minutes. Press the preserves through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Use while still warm.
Assembly:
- Use a long serrated knife to slice the cake horizontally into two equal layers. Place one cake layer on a rack over a baking sheet and brush the top of the layer with the apricot glaze. Place the second cake layer on top, making sure cake is level, and then glaze the top and sides of the cake with the remaining glaze. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set the glaze.
Chocolate glaze:
- Whisk the corn syrup with rum until thickened, about 1 minute.
- Add the heavy cream. When the cream mixture is piping hot but not yet boiling, add to the chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Let sit for a minute, then stir until chocolate is completely melted.
- While chocolate glaze is still warm, pour it on top of the cooled cake, starting in the top center. Use an offset spatula to gently smooth the glaze over the cake, letting it run down the sides. Patch any missed spots with chocolate glaze that has dripped off the cake. Cool just until glaze has barely set, then transfer to a serving plate and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to completely finish setting.
- Serve with whipped cream (optional).