Sacher cake — Queen of Chocolate Cakes
This aristocratic cake with many years of tradition and history features a perfect combination of chocolate and apricot jam. It is refreshing, lavish, and simply irresistible for every sweet snack lover.
Sacher cake is one of the most famous cakes in the world and is a treat you must try if you go to Vienna, the capital of Austria. This delicacy has an aristocratic origin as well as its whole story. Its authentic recipe keeps in the safe of the Sacher Hotel in Vienna, and many assure us that they came into possession of the “original”, although each “copy” in every way is perfect.
This delicious far-famed dessert is featured by the perfect harmony of chocolate that melts in your mouth and apricot jam. A chocolate biscuit with a great texture, and apricots that “calm” the sweet tone — in any combination, they give the whole cake a unique measured taste.
Sacher cake — How it all started
The story begins in 1832, when Prince von Metternich asked a 16-year-old apprentice, Franz Sacher, to make a cake for his special guests. The head chef was ill that evening, so the task fell to the young assistant. Allegedly, he created this recipe that evening, under the pressure of high expectations.
The sweet masterpiece consisted of chocolate, apricot jam, and whipped cream. Today, the original Sacher cake is one of Vienna’s most famous symbols, alongside famous castles and Christmas markets.
Eduard Sacher, the son of the Sacher recipe founder, followed in his father’s footsteps and finished culinary school. Sacher cake actually became what it is today due to him. He perfected the old recipe and improved the Sacher cake taste, which was first served at the Demel patisserie and later at his Hotel Sacher, which he opened in 1876.
Where to try Sacher cake in Vienna?
When you find yourself craving a dose of sugar while touring the capital of Austria, here are the best places to eat a great Sacher cake, and the price ranges between 4 and 7 euros.
Hotel Sacher (Cafe Sacher)
Of course, the first choice is the famous hotel where the recipe comes from. The cake is a real work of art, with a gleaming, chocolate glaze and a beautiful texture.
The piece costs 7 €. You can buy a takeaway cake if you don’t want to wait (since it’s always crowded).
Demel Pastry Shop
In addition to losing the right to the original name, the Demel pastry version of the Sacher cake is no less delicious. The triangular seal in the shape of chocolate with Eduard Sacher Torte inscription attracts the attention of all present in particular.
Cafe Dommayer
Enjoy Vienna’s celebrated specialty in one of the traditional places. Sacher cake is straightforward here, perhaps the closest to Franz Sacher’s original recipe.
Cafe Central
Although Demel and Hotel Saher are considered the only places where you can eat a real Saher cake, that does not mean that you will not enjoy the specialty of this cafe. A thicker layer of jam between the sponge layers contributes to a less dry taste than in other recipes. Cafe Central is a place where the most prominent intellectuals of Vienna, such as Leon Trotsky, and Freud, spent their time.
The original Sacher cake recipe is a closely guarded secret. Cake over cake also has its day, which celebrates on December 5th. According to a secret recipe, the original glaze is supposedly generated by combining three specific chocolate types, which makes it particularly velvety. The cake is served with unsweetened whipped cream, representing an ideal counterbalance to the rich chocolate flavor. The Wiener Melange, the famous Viennese coffee with milk, traditionally accompanies it.
There are many of her recipes and versions, but the basis is essentially the same: a chocolate biscuit is baked, which is cut in half (in the middle, as if you want to get a “sandwich” in which you will put jam). Fill it with marmalade or apricot jam (and if you have homemade, that will be even better), top with another layer of marmalade, and over the cake — chocolate icing. Simple and delicious. And just perfect.
The ingredients for the biscuit are as follows (according to one of the recipes):
5 g of sugar
1 bag of vanilla sugar
145 g of butter;
6 eggs
150 g of cooking chocolate
a pinch of salt
50 g of powdered sugar
150 g of wheat flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
Ingredients for the glaze are:
60 g of butter and 200 g of cooking chocolate.
Coating:
200 g of apricot jam
Preparation
Pour sugar, and vanilla sugar into a bowl, soften the butter and mix with a mixer. Then add the egg yolks and continue to mix again. Separately, melt the chocolate in a steamer, and pour it melted, lightly into the prepared mixture, stirring constantly. Beat the egg whites separately, add salt, and powdered sugar, and mix well. Whip one-third of the obtained egg whites lightly into the prepared first mixture, and mix the rest with flour and baking powder. After all, combine both mixtures. The mixture should be baked for 45–50 minutes at 180 degrees. After the baked biscuit has cooled, it is necessary to cut it horizontally into two parts.
Spread half of the jam on the bottom half of the cake and the other half on top of the cake. For the glaze, melt the butter over low heat, stir gently, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Pour the finished icing over the cake.
The cake should be taken out of the fridge, some 30 minutes before serving so that the icing softens a little and does not crack when cut.
