I had never heard of this cake before! How did this one slip by me? Torte, sure that means cake - from the appearance it just seems like your run of the mill Betty Crocker Chocolate cake, no? NO! This Austrian classic cake is a light fluffy chocolate cake made with apricot jam, covered with a dark chocolate coating. Apparently it has layers of apricot jam in it, but the layers are so thin that I thought the jam was actually baked into the cake. I am into this idea of a super thin cake filling, I feel like we always make ours so thick and custardy and it's a bit much, you know? This one is almost like a secret .. boom where did that flavour bomb come from? Don't let the look on Fred's face confuse you - it was an expression of delight!
Do chocolate and apricot sound like an odd combination to you? Maybe… but it works! Fred and I picked up our first sachertore from this beautiful bakery called Demel in Vienna, where google and everyone claims it to be the best place to give it a whirl. It did not disappoint! Not to mention they smiled at my attempted German. Much appreciated, bitte! Light and sweet from the chocolate with a fruity tangy apricot flavour.. I can get behind this. Sold! Now I am off to get a bigger piece. I must say this cake isn't the best chocolate cake I have had, it isn't a life changing cake, it is just so interesting as it is a unique flavour combination I don't think I have had before.
The sachertorte was invented by a pastry chef Franz Sacher (oh how I wish a cake was named after me. Perkinstorte sounds pretty good) in 1832 in Austria. Sacher was 16 at the time and asked to prepare a special dessert for a guest because the official pastry chef was ill that day. See, you just never know what might happen to you in 1 day.
So apparently the Hotel Sacher in Vienna is the only location that produces the 100% authentic sachertorte because the recipe is trademarked… WHAT! New information for me, I must head over there. Trademarked top secret recipe, this keeps getting better and better. The hotel produced over 270 000 cakes per year.
So although this recipe is in a guarded in a vault in the basement of Sacher Hotel (well in my imagination anyways) here is an attempt at the recipe that should get you almost all the way there!
Cheers to Sachertorte and the flavour combination of Chocolate and Apricot. Now, what can I create and take to The Spice Age with that now?! Hot Chocolate inspiration for next year perhaps?!
By the way.. beware this cake is tricky to make (well in my opinion). Best of luck to you!!
Love, Rebecca + The Spice Age.