Dessert Recipes - Sachertorte Recipe

Ingredients

• Oil, for greasing

• 275 g/10 oz/2 1/2 cups plain (semi-sweet) chocolate

• 150 g/5 oz/2/3 cup unsalted (sweet) butter

• 150 g/5 oz/scant 1 cup icing sugar, sifted

• 5 eggs, separated

• 150 g/5 oz/1 1/4a cups self-raising flour

• 25 g/1 oz/1/4 cup corn flour (cornstarch)

• 90 ml/6 tbsp apricot jam (conserve), sieved (strained)

• 150 ml/2/3 cup water

• 100 g/4 oz/1/2 cup caster sugar

• 25 g/1 oz/1/4 cup white chocolate

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Method:

1. Grease and flour a 23 cm/9 in deep round cake tin (pan). Break up half the plain chocolate and place in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Stir until melted. (Or melt briefly in the microwave.)

2. Beat together the butter and icing sugar until fluffy. Beat in the melted chocolate, then the egg yolks. Sift the flour and corn flour over the surface and fold in with a metal spoon.

3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Beat a little into the chocolate mixture to soften it, then very lightly fold in the remainder with a metal spoon.

4. Turn into the prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven at 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2 for 50 minutes or until risen and firm. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. When cold, split in half horizontally and sandwich together with half the jam. Leave on the wire rack. Spread the remaining jam over the top and sides of the cake.

6. Put the water and caster sugar in a saucepan and stir well. Heat without stirring until the sugar has melted. Bring to the boil and boil until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, when 5 ml/1 tsp of the mixture dropped into cold water forms a soft ball, or until it reaches 115°C/240°F on a sugar thermometer.

7. Remove from the heat and immediately plunge the base of the pan briefly in cold water to prevent further cooking. Melt the remaining plain chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water.

8. Beat in the still-hot syrup. Beat thoroughly until the mixture has a smooth coating consistency. Pour over the cake and use a palette knife to spread it evenly. Work quickly before the mixture sets. Leave until firm.

9. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Spoon into a small paper piping bag and snip off the very tip of the bag. Pipe the word Sachertorte on top and allow to set before serving.