Finally, a light dessert that aids digestion.
The Sachertorte, the most classic and well-known chocolate cake, a pride of the konditorei (pastry shops) of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was most likely born in 1832 from the imagination of a young apprentice chef tasked with replacing his master. It is a beloved cake in our country, with countless versions available (try this one from a young pastry chef friend). The young chef, named Franz Sacher, was only 16 years old and worked as a pastry chef at the court of Prince Metternich in Vienna.
Today, the recipe is deliciously guarded by the Hotel Sacher, which produces 270,000 of them artisanally every year. The Sachertorte is trademarked, and no other place in the world has been granted licenses to produce it, although its imitations are countless. The original recipe does not use preservatives, only natural products.
The Sachertorte consists of two layers of "chocolate dough," a kind of chocolate sponge cake, but moister. Between the two layers, apricot jam is spread, and everything is covered with a chocolate glaze that can make even the most reluctant person’s mouth water.
In Vienna, the Sachertorte is served with whipped cream and a cup of tea. For those who cannot reach the Austrian capital, here’s one of the many "knock-off" recipes for Sachertorte. (It is also possible to order it by requesting it from the Hotel Sacher website in Vienna.)
Ingredients for the dough:
150 g of flour
150 g of dark chocolate
150 g of butter
150 g of sugar
5 eggs
Ingredients for filling and glaze:
apricot jam
100 g of dark chocolate
70 g of sugar
Melt the dark chocolate in a saucepan and, meanwhile, work the butter until it becomes a cream. Add half of the sugar to the butter, the melted chocolate, and the egg yolks. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff and add the other half of the sugar to them before combining the two mixtures.
Using a whisk, but gently, incorporate the flour into the mixture. Once it is homogeneous, place it in a buttered baking pan and bake for about an hour at 180°C. After the necessary time, let the "chocolate dough" cool before horizontally cutting it in two (as if you were making a sandwich!) and filling it with apricot jam, being careful not to overdo it.
At this point, it’s time for the cherry on top, or rather the glaze: in a saucepan, dissolve the sugar with a glass of water and bring it to a boil. Allow it to boil for another 5 minutes before letting it cool. Add the broken chocolate to the syrup you have obtained and stir until you achieve a glaze that you will cook again over low heat until it is thick enough. Use the glaze to uniformly cover the entire cake.
