If you read my post about the background of the Sachertorte you know that I am a little bit puzzled over the fame of the Sachertorte. However, after researching the story of the famous Viennese cake I had the urge to make my own Sachertorte. I made several Sachertorten in the past but it was never the Original Sachertorte*. For the icing I just melted chocolate and poured it over the cake. Sometimes I also coated the cake with marzipan before the icing. I know it is such a crime but it is never too late to learn from mistakes. 
Even though I had the urge to make the original Sachertorte I did not had very high expectations.
One Sunday morning I decided to make the Sachertorte for afternoon tea and I got up very early in the morning. I was excited to make the Sachertorte with all my history knowledge in mind but at the same time I was not that enthusiastic about a dry chocolate cake result. However, I also kept in mind that there were some delicious Swedish cinnamon buns in the freezer that I made the other day. If my Sachertorte was a disaster I could always defrost a few cinnamon buns. The afternoon was the moment of truth and something happened that I never ever expected. The Sachertorte was amazing, perfect and looked just as the cake were from the Hotel Sacher or Demel, except it tasted better. The cake was not dry at all (although it is not the moistest cake), not overly sweet, the chocolate icing was perfect and the apricot jam complimented the chocolate cake perfectly [thanks to my mom’s delicious homemade apricot jam]. I was shocked (in a good way) and of course all Sunday I was a very delighted about my Sachertorte result. It was a true bakingwithmarianne cake moment. 
* “Original Sachertorte” is a little bit misleading because the “original” recipe of the Hotel Sacher is still a secret. But I promise you if you make this recipe it taste just as (even better) the Sachertorte you can eat at Hotel Sacher or Café Demel.

Makes one cake (22 cm / 9 inch diamter)

INGREDIENTS

Cake

  • 140 g unsalted butter, soft
  • 110 g powdered sugar
  • ½ of a vanilla bean
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 6 egg whites
  • 130 g dark chocolate
  • 110 g granulated sugar
  • 140 g all-purpose flour

Glaze

  • 200 g apricot jam
  • 200 g fine granulated sugar
  • 125 ml water
  • 150 g dark chocolate (60%)

DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 170°C.
  • Line a cake pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the cake pan.
  • Whisk butter and powdered sugar creamy. Add the seeds of the vanilla bean. Add one egg yolk at a time. Mix until everything is well combined
  • Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Pour the melted chocolate into the mixture.
  • Beat the egg whites until the whites form soft peaks. Then add gradually the granulated sugar and beat until stiff.
  • Sift the flour.
  • Fold the egg whites and the sifted flour into the mixture.
  • Pour the batter into the cake pan.
  • Bake the cake for 10 minutes. Leave the door of the oven open a crack. After ten minutes close the door of the oven and bake the cake for another 20 to 25 minutes.
  • If you insert a toothpick and it comes out clear the cake is done. Or you can press gently the surface of the cake and if the cake springs back the cake is ready.
  • Let the cake cool completely.
  • Heat the apricot jam over medium heat [until it is liquidly], then strain the jam through a sieve.
  • Remove cake from the cake pan and cut the cake through the middle.
  • Transfer the upper part of the cake on a plate or cake stand. Prepare a few strips of parchment paper and tuck the strips under the edge of your cake.
  • Spread 2/3 of the apricot jam onto cake half on the plate. Put the other cake half onto the half.
  • Coat the outside with the remaining jam and let the jam dry.
  • In the meantime prepare the chocolate icing.
  • Place sugar and water into a medium saucepan and cook the mixture for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool down for 4 minutes. This step is really important because if the sugar water is too hot you will ruin the chocolate. [I made the mistake].
  • Break the chocolate into pieces and add the chocolate to the sugar water mixture. Stir until it has a smooth texture. If the texture is too thick [mine was really thick] add more water and continue to stir.
  • Pour the icing over the cake and spread all around the cake.
  • Let the icing dry for at least 1 hour. Remove the strips of parchment paper.
The recipe is adapted from the book:  
"Süsses aus dem Sacher" by Christoph Wagner and Hotel Sacher, Pichler Verlag.