From the "mix-and-dump" variety to the exquisitely layered and filled Marjolaine, Michele Urvater's Chocolate Cake makes sure that no matter how much time you have or your level of kitchen experience--whether you prefer sweet to bitter chocolate, whether you're looking for something fancy to impress or something easy to make someone happy--you will find a chocolate cake to fit the bill in this book.
There are many stories and myths about the origins of this famous cake. The version I know was told to me by Jurgen David, one of my pastry teachers at the French Culinary Institute. He is Austrian and worked for a few years at the Sacher Hotel, making countless numbers of Sacher tortes, and he swears this is the only authentic recipe for Sacher torte.
Sometime in the 1830s, Emperor Franz Josef, of the Austro-Hungarian empire, asked his pastry chef, Eduard Sacher, to create a less filling cake than the whipped cream-filled ones then in vogue. At the time, Mr. Sacher was working at Demers pastry shop in Vienna, where he created for the emperor the jam-filled cake we know today as Sacher torte. However, after he left Demel’s pastry shop and established his own establishment--the Sacher Hotel--he continued to bake his cake. This is how a dispute arose between Demers and the Sacher Hotel about which was the authentic cake. Eventually the dispute was settled and laws were put into place about which ingredients are allowed in an authentic Sacher torte and how it must be prepared. Today, only Demel's and the Sacher Hotel in Vienna are allowed, by law, to inscribe the name Sacher on their cakes. The only change I have made is to substitute unsweetened chocolate (which Europeans do not use) for the bittersweet chocolate so that the glaze is less cloying.
Scant 1/2 cup (2 ounces) confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 large eggs, separated
3.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Pinch of salt
7 tablespoons (3.5 ounces) superfine sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3.5 ounces) cake flour
FILLING
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 cup (12-ounce jar) apricot preserves
SACHER GLAZE
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8.75 ounces) granulated sugar
7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
TO MAKE THE CAKE
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 2.5-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a parchment or greased waxed paper circle.
With an electric mixer on low speed (or with a stationary mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the butter for 1 minute, or until light. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat for 2 minutes longer.
Add the egg yolks two at a time, beating for 10 seconds between additions, or until absorbed by the butter. Scrape down the beaters and sides of the bowl and beat for 1 minute longer, or until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and mix until combined.
Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks. With the machine running, add the superfine sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, and beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. With a rubber spatula, fold 1/2 the egg whites into the batter. Transfer the flour to a strainer and sift it over the batter as you fold it in along with the remaining beaten egg whites.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan, smooth the top, and set the pan on a larger baking sheet (to catch the drips). Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out dry.
Cool the cake to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack. Run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the sides, then unlock the springform and lift the cake out of the ring.
TO MAKE THE FILLING
Turn the cooled cake upside down onto a cardboard round cut slightly smaller than the diameter of the cake. Remove the metal base and peel off the paper. With a serrated knife, split the cake horizontally in two and set aside the top layer.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of the rum.
Puree the apricot preserves in a blender with 1 tablespoon of water and strain out the chunks by passing the puree through a small sieve. Transfer the preserves to a small saucepan and bring them to a boil over low heat, stirring. Boil for 2 minutes, or until thickened, then remove from the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of rum.
With a pastry brush, soak the cake layer on the cardboard with IA the sugar syrup (be generous or the cake will be dry). Spread 1/3 of the warm apricot preserves over the syrup and top it with the second cake layer. Brush the second layer with the remaining sugar syrup and brush the top and sides with the remaining apricot preserves. Set the cake on a cooling rack or an icing grid set over waxed paper to catch the drips.
TO GLAZE
Bring the sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until a candy thermometer registers 220 degrees F. Add the chocolate, stir, and cook until a candy thermometer registers 230 degrees F (the "thread" stage). Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir until smooth.
Pour the hot glaze back and forth over the top and sides of the cake. Be generous as you pour so that the sides get covered, because the glaze can't be moved once it is on the cake. If there are any unglazed patches on the sides of the cake, use a small offset spatula to patch the nude spots with more glaze. Let the cake stand for I hour before transferring it to a plate or platter.
Storage: Keep at room temperature, under a cake dome or an inverted large mixing bowl. Refrigerate only after a couple of days, but bring the cake back to room temperature before serving.
Note: If you are so inclined, write the name Sacher on top of the cake with piping chocolate. Or cover the top with crystallized flowers.
