The Sacher Torte is a cake that can be made with dark or white chocolate and a thin layer of apricot jam, for us, we are going to make it with white chocolate.
The top and sides of the cake are covered with chocolate icing. It is usually accompanied by unsweetened whipped cream on the side. You are supposed to eat the cake with a dollop of cream with each bite. You can simply switch out the dark chocolate with white chocolate and call it a day.
But white chocolate is quite different than dark chocolate and it behaves differently in recipes. Unlike dark chocolate, white chocolate is not acidic.
In cake batter, an acidic ingredient will help the proteins to set more quickly. Maybe in a more acidic dark chocolate batter the eggs are able to set more quickly, so the batter doesn’t separate.
Ingredients;
- 1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz, 189g) cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 3/4 cup (6 oz, 168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (8 oz, 225g) granulated sugar, divided
- 6 large eggs, separated, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 6 oz (170g) white chocolate, melted
Assembly; - 1 1/2 cups (18oz, 510g) apricot preserves
- 1/4 cup (2 oz, 60 ml) dark rum
- 8 oz (225g) white chocolate, chopped
- 1 stick (4 oz, 112g) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz, 28g) hot water
- 2 tablespoons (1.4 oz, 40g) corn syrup
- White chocolate for decoration
Instructions;
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of two 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper, or butter and flour the bottom of the pans.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt set aside.
- Cream the butter and 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar until light and aerated. Add the egg yolks and vanilla, mix until combined. Mix in the sifted dry ingredients, don’t over mix.
- Whisk the white chocolate into the batter.
- Whip the egg whites to soft peak. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and whip to full peak. Fold the egg whites into the batter in 3rds, mixing until there are no streaks of egg white visible.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until the middle of the cake springs back when pressed or a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
- Cool the cakes for 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack until completely cooled.
Assembly; - Stir the rum into the apricot preserves.
- Using a serrated knife trim the top of the cakes so they are flat. Place one layer onto a cardboard cake round.
- Spread 3/4 of the apricot mixture onto the bottom layer and place the other layer onto the cake.
- Strain the remaining apricot preserves into a clean bowl to remove the chunky bits of fruit. Ice the top and sides of the cake with the remaining apricot preserves.
- Place the cake in the freezer for at least 30 minutes while you make the glaze.
- Microwave the white chocolate in 15-second increments until melted. In a separate bowl, melt the butter with the hot water and corn syrup. Stir the warm butter mixture into the melted white chocolate until it’s smooth.
- Remove the cake from the freezer and set it on a cooling rack set over a clean sheet pan.
- Starting at the center of the cake, pour the glaze all at once over the cold cake. Use a small spatula to spread the glaze over the top and let it fall over the sides of the cake.
- Allow the glaze to set completely before moving the cake to a serving platter.
- Store and serve at room temperature. The assembled cake will improve for a day or two after being iced as the apricot preserves absorb into the cake.
