Sachertorte (Viennese Chocolate Apricot Torte)

Vienna's famous chocolate torte: a light, dark chocolate sponge split and filled with apricot jam, brushed with more jam and covered in a glossy poured chocolate glaze, served with unsweetened whipped cream.

📖 Myth check: Is German Chocolate Cake German? The Man Behind the Name →

Why it works the kitchen science

Step by step

1. Step 1

   Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment and grease the parchment lightly. (If your pan is shallower than 2 inches, use two 9-inch pans.)

2. Step 2

   Melt the chocolate gently in the microwave or over low heat, stirring until smooth. In a bowl, beat the yolks lightly, then whisk in the melted chocolate, melted butter and vanilla until no streaks of yolk remain.

3. Step 3

   Whip the egg whites with the salt until foamy, then add the sugar slowly and whip on high until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes.

4. Step 4

   Stir a third of the whites into the chocolate to loosen it, then pour the chocolate over the rest of the whites and fold gently, 20 to 30 strokes. Sift the cake flour over the top and fold until no white streaks remain.

5. Step 5

   Scrape into the pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes (20 to 25 minutes for two pans), until the top is puffed and dry-looking and a tester in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, turn out onto a rack, peel off the parchment and cool completely, about 1 hour.

6. Step 6

   Warm the jam until loose and press it through a fine sieve. Split the cake into two layers with a serrated knife and spread half the jam between them, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush the rest thinly over the top and sides and let it set 15 minutes.

7. Step 7

   Set the cake on a rack over a parchment-lined sheet. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir the chocolate, boiling water and sugar for 4 to 5 minutes, until smooth, shiny and slightly thickened. Pour it over the cake at once, scoop the drips onto any bare spots and smooth the sides with one or two passes of a spatula.

8. Step 8

   Let the glaze set at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with unsweetened whipped cream. King Arthur says the cake is best the day it is made.

Tips

• Strain the jam; fruit pieces spoil the smooth look under the glaze.
• Don't overwork the glaze. King Arthur warns that too much spreading takes away the shine.
• King Arthur's traditional finish: pipe the word "Sacher" on top in melted chocolate once the glaze sets.
• The whipped cream is unsweetened on purpose; the cake is sweet enough.

The rules people argue about

What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.

• Franz Sacher created it in 1832 for Metternich. Disputed: Wikipedia gives the 1832 Metternich story, but also Sacher's own 1906 interview placing the cake in the 1840s in Pressburg.
• How the Sacher vs Demel case ended. Disputed: Wikipedia says the Austrian Supreme Court ended the case in 1963; it also cites Deutsche Welle calling it an out-of-court agreement, and some websites give 1965.
• Two layers of jam or one. Disputed: Wikipedia says the hotel favored two layers and Demel one in 1934, and that Demel had switched to two layers by 2022. Our version uses the hotel-style two.
• The hotel's recipe is secret. Documented by King Arthur Baking's 2010 blog post; no home recipe can claim to be the real one.
• Serve it with unsweetened whipped cream. Documented as Austrian practice on Wikipedia.