By, Margot Helquist
According to the author Joseph Wechsberg of the old
Time-Life Books, which I have several of for many different countries, it
seems that the Sachertorte is the most famous one, even though it is not the
best tasting, according to Mr. Wechsberg. This torte apparently created many
myths as to who actually invented it.
One legend reports that it is not so that the notorious,
cigar-smoking owner of the Hotel Sacher, Frau Anna Sacher, invented it.
She was known to irritate the Emperor Franz Josef I. The
Sachertorte had been invented by the founder of the Sacher line, Franz, in
1832, when he was serving as the chef of Prince Metternich. The prince always
bothered his chef to invent something new, so Chef Franz Sacher threw together
some ingredients and voila, the Sachertorte.
This Sachertorte became the issue of a celebrated court case,
which created more excitement in Vienna and used up more newspaper space than
a minor war. The issue was: who had the right to call the torte the genuine
Sachertorte, the Hotel Sacher which was part of the family connection to the
original chef, or Demel's which had bought the right to fix the "Genuine
Sachertorte" seal in finest bittersweet chocolate on its Torten. Demel's
had acquired the right from Edouard Sacher, the grandson of creator Franz
Sacher. The recipe was published with the permission of Edouard Sacher, in Die
Wiener Konditorei. The recipe starts out with 14 egg yolks, just to give you
an idea of its scope says Mr. Wechsberg. There are two versions of this Torte,
and this kept the Viennese courts as well as the public busy for seven years.
It is known in Vienna as the "Sweet Seven Years' War."
Eventually it was decided by the courts that the Sacher Hotel had the right to
make the "Genuine Sachertorte."
This was not the end of the passionate fight about who had the
real Sachertorte. You can be sure though that both the Sacher Hotel as well as
Demel's both send their versions of the Sachertorte in wooden boxes all over
the world. I understand that the Sachertorte can be enhanced by serving it
with whipped cream.
I experienced the Sachertorte served to me and my mother when
we went to Salzburg, Austria, to the Cafe Winkler, where sitting way above the
city in their garden cafe, the Sachertorte tastes just wonderful.
SACHERTORTE
Ingredients;
to make 1 nine-inch round cake
6-1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate,
broken or chopped in small chunks
(I use European chocolate)
8 egg yolks
8 Tbsp. (1/4 pound stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
10 egg whites
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup apricot jam, rubbed through a sieve
the Glaze
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate,
broken or chopped into small chunks
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. corn syrup
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9 x 1-1/2 inch round cake pans with
circles of wax paper.
In the top of a double boiler, heat the chocolate until it melts, stirring
occasionally with a wooden spoon. In a small mixing bowl, break up the egg
yolks with a fork, then beat in the chocolate, melted butter and vanilla
extract.
With a wire whisk or a rotary or electric beater, beat the egg whites and pinch
of salt until they foam, then add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, continuing
to beat until the whites form stiff, unwavering peaks on the beater when it is
lifted from the bowl.
Mix about 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk-chocolate mixture, then reverse
the process and pour the chocolate over the remaining egg whites. Sprinkle the
flour over the top. With a rubber spatula, using an over-and-under cutting
motion instead of a mixing motion, fold the whites and the chocolate mixture
together until no trace of the whites remains. Do not overfold.
Pour the batter into the 2 lined pans, dividing it evenly between them. Bake in
the middle of the oven until the layers are puffed and dry and a toothpick
stuck in the center of the layer comes out clean.
Remove the pans from the oven and loosen the sides of the layers by running a
sharp knife around them. Turn them out on a cake rack and remove the wax paper.
Let the layers cool while you prepare the glaze.
The Glaze: In a small heavy saucepan, combine the chocolate, cream, sugar and
corn syrup. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook on low heat until the
chocolate and sugar are melted, then raise the heat to medium and cook without
stirring for about 5 minutes, or until a little of the mixture dropped into a
glass of cold water forms a soft ball. In a small mixing bowl beat the egg
lightly, then stir 3 tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into it. Pour this
into the remaining chocolate in the saucepan and stir it briskly. Cook over low
heat, stirring constantly, for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the glaze coats
the spoon heavily. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla. Cool the
glaze to room temperature.
When the cake layers have completely cooled, spread one of them with apricot
jam and put the other layer on top. Set the rack in a jelly-roll pan and,
holding the saucepan about 2 inches away from the cake, pour the glaze over it
evenly. Smooth the glaze with a metal spatula. Let the cake stand until the
glaze stops dripping, then, using two metal spatulas, transfer it to a plate
and refrigerate it for 3 hours to harden the glaze. Remove it from the
refrigerator 1/2 hour before serving.
Guten Appetit!
