I'm really not a fan of the original Sacher Torte. And on Instagram, I warn tourists in relevant posts not to treat themselves to an overpriced slice of it at the Hotel Sacher. It's the driest piece of cake I've ever tasted in my life. And the most expensive.
But of course, anyone can complain, and first you have to do it better yourself. I can do that. Quod erat demonstrandum. I present to you my wonderfully moist and chocolatey Sacher cake á la Martina!
It's the no-gos that make it perfect!
10 eggs! Breadcrumbs! And coconut!
Anyone who reads my recipe will probably fall off their chair and clutch their Austrian throat in disbelief. But it's all justified. This combination makes this Sacher cake more moist than any other! Don't worry, you can't taste the coconut flakes. If you're unsure, you can replace them with the same amount of breadcrumbs.
The breadcrumbs are essential. They are the trick and the secret. Honestly – try it, you'll never do anything else again!
Well, and the eggs... Honestly? If the cake is divided into 12 pieces, each piece contains less than one egg. That's something we can live with! Hey, and it's more protein! 😊
Why caramel, actually?
I ask the counter question: Why not? Caramel is simply awesome. It also looks very pretty on the glaze. Especially if you have a knack for glazes and they don't all look as awful as mine. Just whipped cream on a Sacher cake is no good either, right?
You can't count the calories in this gem anyway. As we would say in Austria: "Des Karamell is donn a scho wurscht." (‘The caramel doesn't matter anymore.")’
Speaking of caramel: be careful with caramel. It's actually quite easy to make, but sugar gets incredibly hot when it melts. Please keep children, pets and anyone else present away from the stove when cooking caramel. Especially when adding liquids. If the melted sugar splashes onto your bare skin, you'll have a memory for life. Admittedly, the cake is good enough for that, but in this case, you'd be better off considering a tattoo than a scar. A friend of mine has both: tattoos and a caramel scar, but he would certainly have preferred to do without the latter.
Unfortunately, I was home alone when I made the caramel, otherwise I would have asked for a photo of myself. Long-sleeved shirt, long thick oven gloves, apron and a plastic coronavirus visor (so those things are good for something). I'm sure I looked ultra-chic.
Finally, some knowledge for smart alecks:
There is only one cake that can be called the Originale Sacher Torte , and that is the one from the Sacher confectionery in Vienna. However, there was a very famous dispute about this, because although the cake was invented by a confectioner's apprentice from the Sacher family, he was training at the equally famous Demel confectionery at the time.
In short: the long-standing dispute has been settled and the original has been awarded to Sacher. The spelling ‘Originale Sacher Torte’ also remains exclusively reserved for this company.
That's why I can shamelessly call my chocolate cake a ‘Sachertorte’! 🙂
Sacher cake with coconut caramel
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C top/bottom heat.
- Grease a springform pan well and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
- Cream the butter and icing sugar together until fluffy. Gradually add the egg yolks and rum. The mixture should become fluffy.
- Melt the dark chocolate and stir into the mixture.
- Beat the egg whites with granulated sugar until stiff.
- Carefully fold the snow, then the breadcrumbs and coconut flakes into the dough mixture.
- Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake in the oven for approx. 50 minutes. Halfway through baking, check that the cake base is not getting too dark – cover with aluminium foil if necessary.At the end of the baking time, test with a skewer.
- Remove the cake from the oven. Carefully open the springform pan. If the edge of the cake is stuck, loosen it with a thin knife.Allow to cool completely.
- Heat the apricot jam in a saucepan with the rum so that it becomes slightly more liquid.
- Once the base has cooled, cut the surface evenly with a long knife. Then cut the base in half. Carefully lift off the top half.
- Spread apricot jam on the bottom layer, then put the layers back together. Now spread apricot jam all around the cake.Das Ganze an einem kühlen Ort oder im Kühlschrank komplett trocknen lassen. Das geht auch gut über Nacht (abdecken!).
- Heat the chocolate glaze to liquefy it. Place the cake on a cooling rack. Pour the chocolate onto the surface of the cake and quickly spread the glaze evenly over the top and sides using a palette knife or dough scraper.Allow the glaze to set.
- For the coconut caramel, melt the butter in a saucepan and sprinkle in the sugar. Melt the sugar over a high heat, stirring constantly. Now watch the colour closely: the caramel should be a light golden brown (caution: it will continue to darken after being removed from the heat).Now pour the coconut milk into the melted sugar.CAUTION: The melted sugar is extremely hot and may splatter. Caramel can cause very nasty burns!The sugar will clump together in the coconut milk, which is normal. Stir until the caramel has dissolved in the coconut milk (this may take a while).
- To serve, place the cake on a cake plate and pour the cooled coconut caramel over it in an irregular pattern.
