Sacher Torte

"A little too much chocolate is just about right".

I have no idea who said this, but it just about sums up my version of the Sacher Torte. The Original Sachertorte (and this is a registered trademark!) was made way back in 1832 in Austria and the recipe is a closely guarded secret. Sold exclusively in Vienna and Salzburg, I have never tasted it and so I have no way of telling whether the recipe I followed mirrors the original in taste and texture.

That said, believe me, this was one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever made (and eaten). Dense, moist and very chocolatey, this cake is pure indulgence!

Sacher Torte

Ingredients:

Dark chocolate - 100 gms (I used Varlhona feve Equatorial 55%)
Water - 225 ml

Butter - 125 gms
Dark brown sugar - 250 gms
Eggs - 3, separated
Self raising flour - 150 gms
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Cocoa - 25 gms
Powdered almonds - 60 gms

Method:

Mix the chocolate and water and heat till the chocolate melts. set aside and cool. Sift the flour, baking powder and the cocoa.

Cream together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat well. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the chocolate mixture; then add the powdered almonds.

Beat the eggs white till soft peaks form and fold into the batter.

Pre-heat the oven to 160 deg C for ten minutes, grease and line a 9" cake pan with baking paper and bake the cake for an hour and 1o mins - oven temperatures vary, mine took only 50 mins, so do check when the aroma gets irrestible!

The recipe (adapted from the Australian Women's Weekly) like the Original Sachertorte calls for apricot jam to sandwich the two cake layers. But apparently, I wanted more chocolate and so I sandwiched the layers with Eggless Chocolate Mousse.

Eggless chocolate mousse:

Dark chocolate - 75 gms

Cocoa Powder/Coffee powder - 1 tbsp, sifted

Fresh cream - 175 ml

Icing sugar - 5 tbsp

Gelatine powder - 1 1/4 tsp

Water* - 3 tbsps

Vanilla Essence or Rum essence - 11/2 tsp

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler, set aside and cool. Mix the gelatine with water and let it bloom, then melt it over a double boiler.

Beat the cream and icing sugar till stiff peaks form. Add the cooled, melted chocolate, the cocoa powder, the gelatine and the essence. Beat till the mixture starts to thicken. Transfer into the fridge for about an hour.

You can really play around with this mousse - use orange juice in place of water and also add some orange rind for a chocolate orange mousse. Or add any liqueur of your choice. Or replace coffee powder with cocoa powder - just blend it with some milk.

Wait..there is some more chocolate coming your way....the topping! Move over chocolate ganache..this truffle icing is truly decadent and leaves a lovely sheen on top.

Chocolate Truffle icing

Dark chocolate - 125 gms

Butter - 60 gms

Fresh cream - 4 tbsps

Vanilla/Rum essence - 1 tsp (use the same flavouring that you use for the mousse)

Melt the chocolate over a doulble boiler, add the butter and stir till the butter melts. Let it cool, then add the cream and the essence and stir vigorously. Set it aside for about 30 mins (longer if you live in a hot humid place like Singapore) to let the icing thicken.

Assembling the cake :

Sandwich the cake with the mousse and coat the top and sides with the icing. Decorate as you wish.

Serve with unsweetened whipped cream or with vanilla ice - cream.

This is going over to JZ who is hosting Let's Go Nuts - Almonds.

And since it is obvious I love chocolate so much, I want share it with another chocolate lover, Poornima, who is hosting For the love of chocolate.