- 6
Ingredients
- Sponge Cake
- 4 * 4 ounces couverture (professional-quality coating chocolate), chopped
- 1/2 * 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
- 1/4 * 1/4 cup plus 2 tsp. confectioners’ sugar
- 6 * 6 eggs, separated
- 1/2 * 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 * 1 cup flour, sifted
- 3/4 * 3/4 cup apricot jam
- Chocolate Icing
- 2 * 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 * 3/4 cup water
- 13 * 13 ounces couverture, chopped
- Assembly
- * Whipped cream, for garnish, optional
Preparation
Step 1
Sponge Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Melt the chocolate couverture in a medium stainless-steel bowl over a pan of simmering water.
4. Put the chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment.
5. Add the soft butter and confectioner’s sugar to the couverture.
6. Turn the mixer on and stir in the egg yolks one at a time.
7. In another stand mixer bowl, whip the egg whites and sugar until almost stiff peaks hold.
8. Add the couverture mixture and flour to the egg white mixture.
9. Whip for a few seconds or until combined.
10. Place a 9-inch cake ring on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
11. Scrape the mixture into the 9-inch cake ring.
12. Smooth the top and bake for 1 hour.
13. Cool the cake and use a small knife to ease the torte from the pan.
14. Cut the cake horizontally in half.
15. Heat the apricot jam in a small pot on medium heat and strain it through a sieve over a small bowl.
16. Spread the jam thinly on the bottom portion of halved sponge.
17. Sandwich both sponges together.
18. Coat the top and sides of cake with the remaining jam.
19. The top of the cake now has a layer of jam. This will also help to keep the cake moist and is a base for the chocolate icing.
Chocolate Icing
1. Put the sugar and water in a medium pot with a candy thermometer attached to it.
2. Bring to a boil and stir in the chopped couverture.
3. Boil for about 10 minutes, to 230 degrees F, brushing the sides of the pot with water periodically to prevent crystals from forming.
4. Strain the icing through a sieve and pour it onto a marble slab and work the couverture with a palette knife.
5. When it begins to firm up and look somewhat lighter in colour, return it to the pot and stir well on medium heat.
6. Pour it onto the table and work it again.
7. Return it to the pot once more and stir.
8. Doing all the above steps with the chocolate will give a shiny glaze to the chocolate icing.
9. Use the chocolate icing immediately to glaze the cake.
Assembly
1. Put the cake on a cake rack over a baking sheet and pour some chocolate directly from pot onto top of the torte.
2. Spread the icing with one stroke of a palette knife over the top.
3. Let the chocolate icing dry and serve Sacher Torte with dollops whipped cream!