Wolfgangs Sachertorte Recipes

SACHER TORTE

Steps:

• Place a baking sheet in the oven and heat it to 350 degrees. Line bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Butter and lightly flour sides of the pan.
• Make the cake: Place chocolate and butter in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and melt, stirring, until smooth. Set aside.
• Place egg yolks in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Place whites in a separate, clean bowl.
• Add confectioners' sugar to yolks and whip together until fluffy, creamy and pale, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on, slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate and butter, and beat until fluffy and incorporated.
• Add salt to the bowl of egg whites and start beating them with a whisk or electric mixer. When whites show soft peaks, slowly add granulated sugar as you continue to beat. Do this until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are stiff and glossy.
• In a separate bowl, sift together flour and cornstarch.
• Fold a third of the flour mixture into egg yolk mixture. Fold a third of the egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Repeat two more times, alternating flour mixture and then egg whites, until no white streaks remain.
• Gently scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Place on baking sheet in oven and wedge the handle of a wooden spoon in the oven door. Bake for 10 minutes and then remove spoon. Lower heat to 275 degrees, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes longer, or until a tester inserted into the cake's center comes out clean.
• Place cake pan on a rack for 10 minutes to cool, then invert cake, remove pan and peel off parchment paper. Let cake cool completely upside down. Once cooled, slice it in half horizontally into two layers. Place rack over a piece of parchment paper and move top half of cake to a large plate.
• Make the filling: Place jam and rum in a small pan, bring to a boil and continue to boil for a minute or two. Push apricot mixture through a sieve to get a smooth consistency. Let cool, then spread half of the mixture evenly on the bottom cake layer. Place second layer on top of the jam and press down slightly. Spread remaining jam over top and sides of cake. Let cool completely.
• Make the glaze: Place the sugar, water, and chocolate in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Boil, stirring frequently, until the glaze reaches 230°F/110°C, about 5 minutes. The mixture will be smooth, glossy, and pourable and will coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and let stand just until the bubbles die down.
• Slowly pour warm chocolate glaze evenly all over cake, letting excess drip down sides. Avoid using a spatula to spread glaze: It will stay glossiest if not touched. Reserve a little glaze in the pan to pour over any uncoated patches on the sides so that entire cake is coated. Gently wedge two spatulas under cake to transfer it to a serving plate. Let glaze set completely before cutting and serving.

GILDED SACHERTORTE

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment; butter parchment. Dust with cocoa powder and tap out excess. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring often; set aside.
• Using a mixer, beat together butter and 2/3 cup sugar on medium speed until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, then vanilla and melted chocolate until thoroughly incorporated. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour. Transfer batter to a large bowl. Put egg whites and salt into cleaned bowl of mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk eggwhite mixture on low speed until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat just until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir half of meringue into chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining meringue with a rubber spatula.
• Divide batter between pans; tap firmly on counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until centers are just set, about 25 minutes. Transfer cakes in pans to wire racks and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Turn out cakes, remove parchment, and reinvert onto rack. Trim cakes flat with a serrated knife.
• Filling: Warm jam in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until loose. Stir in liqueur. Spread warm jam over 1 cake layer and top with remaining layer.
• Ganache (crumb coating): Place chocolate in a large bowl. Bring cream just to a boil over medium-high heat; pour over chocolate and stir until smooth. Refrigerate, stirring every 10 minutes, until ganache is cool and the consistency of buttercream, about 30 minutes. Spread ganache over top and sides of cake with a small offset spatula to create a smooth layer. Refrigerate cake until ganache is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Ganache (glaze): Place cake on a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Place chocolate in a large bowl. Bring cream just to a boil over medium-high heat; pour over chocolate and let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and the consistency of honey. Slowly pour ganache over top and down sides of cake, spreading evenly with offset spatula if needed. Let stand until ganache loses its sheen, about 1 hour. Using a small, fine sieve, sift luster dust over top of cake. Dusted cake can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in refrigerator.