Sachertorte Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Serves a Crowd

by: Yossy Arefi

April7,2015

4

8 Ratings

  • Makes one 9-inch cake

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Author Notes

Sachertorte is a classic Viennese pastry made from a light chocolate cake, filled with apricot jam and coated with rich chocolate glaze. This recipe comes from Kurt Gutenbrunner's Book, Neue Cuisine. —Yossy Arefi

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • For the cake:
  • 1/2 cupsemisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cupcake flour, sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoonsalt
  • 1/8 teaspooncinnamon
  • 6 tablespoonsunsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cupconfectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 cupgranulated sugar
  • For the rum syrup, filling, and glaze:
  • 1/3 cupgranulated sugar
  • 1/3 cupwater
  • 2 tablespoonsrum
  • 1 cupapricot jam
  • 6 ouncesbittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoonsunsalted butter
  • 1/2 cupheavy cream
  • 1 tablespoonlight corn syrup
Directions
  1. For the cake:
  2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325° F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan with high sides and line it with a round of parchment paper. Butter the paper, then dust the parchment and sides of the pan with flour. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a double boiler or microwave, melt the chopped chocolate over low heat until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Whisk the flour, salt, and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
  5. In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a bowl with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the 5 egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Beat in the melted chocolate.
  6. In a clean bowl, with clean beaters, whip the egg whites on medium high speed, until foamy and thickened. Slowly stream in the granulated sugar and beat until the whites hold soft peaks.
  7. Stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining whites. Fold in the flour mixture.
  8. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, and bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then carefully turn the cake out onto a rack to cool completely.
  9. While the cake cools, prepare the syrup.
  1. For the rum syrup, filling, and glaze:
  2. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Cook over medium high heat until all of the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Stir in the rum.
  3. To assemble the cake: Use a serrated knife to carefully split the completely cooled cake into two layers. Place the top layer of the cake, cut side up, onto a cooling rack. Generously brush the cake with the rum syrup, then spread 1/2 cup of apricot jam over the top. Brush the cut side of the other layer of cake with syrup, then place it on top of the jam, cut side down. Spread the remaining jam over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  4. While the cake is in the fridge, make the glaze. Heat the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or microwave until completely melted and smooth. Heat the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan until just simmering. Whisk the cream into the chocolate mixture until smooth.
  5. To glaze the cake: Place the cake on a rack on top of the parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the glaze over the top and use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Gently tap the pan to remove excess glaze from the sides of the cake. Move the cake, on the rack, to the refrigerator. Cool until the glaze is set, about 10 minutes.
  6. Use a wide, flat spatula to move the cake to a serving platter. Cut into slices and serve.

Tags:

  • Chocolate
  • Apricot
  • Milk/Cream
  • Rum
  • Serves a Crowd
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Dessert

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Stephanie B.

  • eva

  • Nomnomnom

Recipe by: Yossy Arefi

Yossy Arefi is a photographer and stylist with a passion for food. During her stint working in restaurant kitchens, Yossy started the blog Apt. 2B Baking Co. where, with her trusty Pentax film camera, she photographs and writes about seasonal desserts and preserves. She currently lives in Brooklyn but will always love her native city of Seattle. Follow her work at apt2bbakingco.blogspot.com & yossyarefi.com.

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3 Reviews

eva August 21, 2016

Corn syrup & rum - two ingredients you would never see in an Austrian recipe - I don't even know where you would be able to buy corn syrup...

Stephanie B. June 18, 2015

Recipe was fantastic! Mine turned out exactly as described, and was the spitting image of the photo.

Nomnomnom June 15, 2015

Thank you for posting this! I've wanted to make Sachetorte for longer than I can remember.

Sachertorte Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients for Sachertorte? ›

– and Franz Sacher certainly refused all but the essentials when creating his recipe. He composed his chocolate chef-d'oeuvre with clever minimalism: butter, sugar, eggs, chocolate, flour, and apricot jam. The perfect harmony of these combined ingredients, in fact, is what makes the Original Sacher-Torte extraordinary.

What is the most famous cake in Vienna? ›

The "Sachertorte" is a famous Viennese cake and probably the most famous chocolate cake in the world since 1832. The delicious treat consists of 3 layers of chocolate sponge cake with thickly spread apricot jam in between and on the top.

Why is the Sachertorte so famous? ›

The story goes that Sacher was required to create a novel cake when the chef was ill. The Metternich connection was probably invented by Eduard many years later, to appeal to "Viennese nostalgia for their imperial past". Sachertorte remains popular in Austria and worldwide.

Where is the original Sachertorte? ›

Aside from Hotel Sacher in Vienna, the original Sachertorte can also be found at the Hotel Sacher in Salzburg, the Sacher Café in Innsbruck and Graz; and at the airport duty-free shop in Vienna. A curiosity: there is only one other country in the world, in addition to Austria, where you can find the Sachertorte: Italy.

What does Sachertorte mean in English? ›

noun,plural Sa·cher tortes, German Sa·cher tor·ten [zah-khuhr-tawr-tn]. a chocolate cake covered with apricot jam and chocolate icing, usually served with whipped cream.

What are the three types of torte? ›

Tort lawsuits are the biggest category of civil litigation and can encompass a wide range of personal injury cases. However, there are 3 main types: intentional torts, negligence, and strict liability.

What is the must eat cake in Vienna? ›

Your guide to cakes in Vienna
  • Let's be honest. ...
  • (Esterházy Torte up close) ...
  • (A slice of Erdbeer Obers Torte or strawberry cream cake) ...
  • (Bananaschnitte: a Schnitte style cake with banana) ...
  • (A slice of history) ...
  • (Known for its distinctive shape) ...
  • (Invented by Ludwig Heiner, whose Konditorei chain continues today)
Jan 17, 2024

What is the oldest cake in the world? ›

The world's oldest known cake, baked during the reign of Pepi II in Egypt between BCE 2251 and 2157. Alimentarium, Vevey, Switzerland. The Egyptians gave us the world's oldest known cake–and also the world's oldest Tupperware as it happens.

What is the most eaten cake in the world? ›

The most popular cake flavour worldwide is chocolate, with nearly 400,000 monthly searches. Red Velvet takes second place with over 320,000 monthly searches globally, followed closely by Carrot Cake with over 300,000 searches.

How much is the Sachertorte in Vienna? ›

This elegance, quality, and the “Sachertorte experience” all comes at a price, of course. You would not describe the menu (which includes restaurant meals and not just cake and beverages) as inexpensive. Last time I checked, a cappuccino and Sachertorte cost over €15 and the various breakfast menus started at €16.

Who invented the Sachertorte? ›

The Sachertorte was invented by Franz Sacher for Klemens von Metternich (Austrian foreign minister) in Vienna, Austria, on 9th July 1832. The original Sachertorte is copyrighted, and to date no distribution licence exists.

Which country has the best cake in the world? ›

Austria is one of the top baking countries in the world. The market is saturated with a large number of bakery products retailers in the country.

What does Sacher mean in German? ›

(ˈsɑkər ; German ˈzɑxəʀ) noun. a usually dry, glazed chocolate cake, often filled with apricot jam. : also Sachertorte (ˈsɑˈkər tɔrt ) noun.

Which hotel is famous for Sachertorte? ›

The lobby at Hotel Sacher Salzburg. The Original Sacher-Torte, a rich chocolate cake filled with apricot jam is best served with whipped cream and a cup of coffee or tea.

What type of jam is traditionally used to accompany Sachertorte chocolate cake? ›

Since Austria's “king of cakes” was invented nearly 200 years ago, Vienna's pastry chefs have perfected the art of spreading apricot jam over layers of dark chocolate sponge cake to achieve a fine balance of bittersweet flavor. Vienna's beloved Sachertorte is no ordinary dessert.

What makes a torte cake? ›

A torte (/ˈtɔːrt/; from German: Torte (German pronunciation: [ˈtɔrtə]), in turn from Latin via Italian: torta) is a rich, usually multilayered, cake that is filled with whipped cream, buttercreams, mousses, jams, or fruit. Ordinarily, the cooled torte is glazed and garnished.

What flavor is the KitKat Sachertorte? ›

KitKat Sachertorte

The cake consists of two layers of dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam in between, and is coated in a rich chocolate glaze.

What defines a torte cake? ›

noun. ˈtȯr-tə ˈtȯrt. plural torten ˈtȯr-tᵊn or tortes. : a cake made with many eggs and often grated nuts or dry bread crumbs and usually covered with a rich frosting.

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