I used to see the word “Sacher” written so elegantly on tops of small chocolate cakes and wondered what it was made of. I grew up and got married and took my husband’s name, Spacher. I always wanted to buy a sacher just so it looked like our last name. I finally did and fell in love with them!
A sacher torte is a super moist, super rich chocolate cake, filled with apricot jam and covered in chocolate ganache. It was invented in 1832, in Vienna, Austria by Chef Franz Sacher. You’ll find that it becomes super moist and dense the longer it rests. The denser it is, the cleaner cuts you get. Therefore, this recipe is perfect for making a couple of days in advance.
I was hoping to get this recipe published for National Sacher Day on December 5, but here it is a few days late. Enjoy!
A super rich chocolate cake turns into a gluten free sacher torte! May be made a couple of days in advance to improve texture.
Ingredients:
- 5 oz. gluten free chocolate, chopped (Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips for dairy-free)
- 10 Tablespoons (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 3 oz. (3/4 cup gently packed) blanched almond flour/meal (or regular, if necessary)
- 1/2 cup Carla's Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend , sifted
- 6 Tablespoons apricot jam
- 1/2 recipe Gluten Free Chocolate Ganache
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Oil a 9-inch round deep cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper; set aside.
- Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of hot simmering water. Stir until it melts. Set aside until slightly cool.
- In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter on high speed until creamy.
- Gradually add the sugar, and mix until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and beat on low speed until just combined.
- Add the egg yolks and almonds flour. Sift in the all-purpose flour. Beat on medium speed until just combined.
- In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
- Fold in one-third of the stiff egg whites to the chocolate mixture. Then fold in the remaining whites.
- Pour the batter in the prepared pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the filling, heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan. Remove any large pieces by hand or by straining using a fine mesh strainer. Set aside until slightly cooled.
- Slice the cooled cake and layer fill the flat side of one of the layer with the jam. If it's too runny, allow it to set longer before topping with the second layer (or it will slide all over the place.) Add the top layer of the cake, round side up.
- Make half a recipe of chocolate ganache as instructed in the above link. Allow it to cool a bit so that it is not too runny. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake, and spread over the entire top and sides. Set aside until set.
- If desired, using a lighter color frosting than the ganache, such as milk chocolate, pipe the word "Sacher" on top. Allow to set.
- Refrigerate the cake until firm, preferably overnight.
Gluten free sachet torte—yum!