Sacher Torte is a world-famous Viennese chocolate cake with rich history and flavor. Plan ahead, because this cake improves over time. The apricot simple syrup and apricot preserve filling need to infuse the chocolate sponge overnight for best results.I use semisweet chocolate in this recipe, but some recipes use bittersweet. The chocolate should have at least 55% cacao content, according to the Sacher website. Semisweet and bittersweet are often used interchangeably, as semisweet is usually 60% cacao.
Begin this cake one day ahead of time so the syrup has time to fully soak into the sponge.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a round 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a parchment round.
Cake
Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a small heatproof bowl. Rest over a saucepan of barely simmering water and leave for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until melted. Alternatively melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second increments at 100% power until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with 3/4 cup of the sugar until pale and creamy, about 4 minutes. Add the yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition until thick. Fold in the cooled chocolate. Set aside.
Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to high and gradually add in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar; whisk until firm peaks form about 2 minutes more.
Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the creamed mixture to loosen it. Fold 1/3 of the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture. The mixture will be thick and folding may seem awkward but keep going. Gently fold in another 1/3 of the egg whites – do this carefully as to not delate the batter. Keep as much volume as possible. Fold in the remaining flour mixture. Finally, fold in the remaining egg whites, all the while folding gently. This will take several minutes of careful mixing to incorporate all the whites.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top develops a slight crack and is slightly puffed. A toothpick inserted near the center should come out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached.
Turn the cake out onto a wire rack topside down; peel away the parchment. The puffed top should flatten with the weight of being turned upside down. Cool the cake completely. If the puffed top doesn’t fully flatten, trim it flat with a serrated knife. Cut the cake in half horizontally (torte) using a cake leveler or serrated knife.
Simple syrup
Stir together the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is melted. Cool slightly. Stir in the pureed apricot preserves until melted. Using a pastry brush, coat the insides of the cake with half of the syrup.
Filling
Stir together the preserves and apricot brandy. Fill the bottom half of the cake with the mixture. Top with the remaining cake half. Brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining simple syrup mixture.
Glaze
Place the chocolate chips and butter in a large measuring cup with a pour spout. In a small saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and corn syrup; place over medium high heat. Cook while stirring until the mixture is hot and steams but does not boil. Immediately pour over the chocolate and butter. Let stand 5 minutes. Whisk together until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack on top. Place the cake on top of the wire rack. Pour the glaze over the cake beginning in the center and circling outwards to the edges so it flows down the sides of the cake. The chocolate will overflow the cake and drip down onto the parchment. Allow the cake to stand on the rack until the chocolate sets, about 2 hours, or place in the refrigerator to speed setting. Transfer the cake to a serving plate or cake stand.
Décor
Gently pat chocolate sprinkles around the bottom edge of the cake. Brush away excess using a clean pastry brush.
Using a spatula, scrape the chocolate that overflowed onto the parchment into a piping bag with a tiny hole cut in the end. Pipe in scrolling letters “Sacher’ on top of the cake. You will have leftover chocolate, so you may choose to pipe more detail around the edge of the cake.
Notes
This recipe is cobbling of my favorite components and advice from multiple sources such as King Arthur Baking, New York Times, Sacher.com, Chowhound.com and a host of baking books including Ultimate Cake by Barbara Maher.Depending on the brand or maker, apricot preserves range from small diced fruit to sliced chunks. If your preserves are the latter, pulse them in a food processor to finer pieces. They’ll spread easier and the cake will cut more evenly. I use a splash of apricot brandy in the filling. This is largely accepted as part of the original recipe, but feel free to omit it to suit your tastes or needs.The chocolate sprinkles are optional, and a last-minute decision as I decorated the cake. They add an extra touch of chocolate, which is never a bad thing.