Baking Recipes - Sachertorte Recipe

Ingredients

Makes 1 cake

• 175 g/6 oz butter, softened

  175 g/6 oz caster sugar

  175 g/6 oz plain dark chocolate, melted

  8 eggs, separated

  150 g/5 oz plain flour, sifted

Filling and icing:

• 5 tablespoons apricot jam, warmed and sieved

• 250 g/8 oz plain dark chocolate

• 2 tablespoons milk

• 25 g/1 oz milk chocolate

• sugar flowers, to decorate

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Method:

1. Grease and flour a 23 cm/9 inch round cake tin.

2. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the melted chocolate until evenly mixed, then beat in the egg yolks.

3. Whisk the egg whites in a grease-free bowl until stiff peaks form, then fold carefully into the mixture, using a metal spoon. Carefully fold in the sifted flour.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake in a preheated oven, 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3, for 1 hour until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before filling and icing.

5. Split the cake in half and sandwich together with half the jam. Brush the top and sides with the remaining jam. Melt the plain chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of hot water, and then remove from the heat and stir in the milk. Pour the chocolate evenly over the cake, using a palette knife to coat the sides. Leave to set completely.

6. Melt the milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Place in a grease proof paper piping bag fitted with a thin writing nozzle. Pipe the word 'sacher' in flowing writing over the cake.

7. Decorate with a few sugar flowers, attaching them to the cake with dabs of melted chocolate so that they adhere firmly to the chocolate icing.