(Sacher cake - Traditional recipe)

Time: preparation: 40-50 minutes ........ cooking: about 50 minutes 100 g (3 1/2 oz) peeled almonds 100 g (3 1/2 oz) icing sugar 125 g (4 1/2 oz) unsalted butter 50 g (1 3/4 oz) white flour 2 teaspoons cake yeast 250 g (8 1/2 oz) pure chocolate       (semi-sweet chocolate) 5 eggs Sugar Apricot jam Brandy difficult recipe

  Spoon measures are American spoons, that is standard cook's measuring spoons used in USA.
  The best plan is to regard 2 American teaspoons or tablespoons as 1 English teaspoon or tablespoon (eating spoons)

It's a very tasty cake but it's a fat recipe, full of calories. In fact among its ingredients there are the butter, almonds, chocolate and jam as you can see. In spite of these considerations, we suggest to prepare it for a special occasion because it's impossible to give up the pleasure of tasting it.
There are many recipes about this cake but we are going to explain you the authentic one.

Let the butter soften at room temperature. Meanwhile you have to toast your almonds
lightly in the oven and then reduce them to powder in a mixer adding also icing sugar
gradually.
Beat 100 g (3 1/2 oz) butter, softened and cut into little pieces, in a bowl with a wooden
spoon for a long time or until it becomes creamy and foamy; at this time add the powdered mixture of almonds and icing sugar, stirring very well.
Separate the yolk from the white of every egg and add yolks, one by one, to the mixture, stirring very well. Remember to pour the whites into a different bowl.
Pour in white flour together with yeast; help yourself with a colander and stir. Your dough
must be soft; if it isn't soft, you can add a little of brandy.
Melt 100 g (3 1/2 oz) pure chocolate in a bain-marie over very low heat. Let it cool lightly and then pour it into your dough, stirring with a wooden spoon very well.
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and butter a 25 cm (10in) non-stick round mould, loose
bottom, with the remaining butter. At this point whisk the egg whites adding a pinch of salt
to stabilize them. Whisk the whites with a large balloon whisk or an electric mixer until they
hold soft peaks when the whisk or beaters are lifted from the bowl. Fold the beaten whites
to the dough with slow circular movements from the bottom upwards, using a wooden spoon, until all the ingredients are well mixed.
Pour the dough into the buttered mould and bake for about 45 minutes or until the cake is well leavened, the surface is lightly cracked and a cake tester (simply a toothpick) inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Open the oven a bit and let the cake cool inside; then remove it from the mould and cut into two layers crossways.
Prepare a syrup with water, sugar and brandy; let it simmer on a very low heat for few
minutes. The quantity of sugar and brandy depends on your personal taste. Let it cool. Soak every layer with the syrup but remember to put aside a bit. Then place the first layer on a serving dish, spoon a great quantity of jam on it and cover this layer with the second one.
Melt the remaining chocolate in a bain-marie over very low heat and spread it on the cake surface uniformly (help yourself with a spatula).
The cake is ready.

Note
You can also serve this cake with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. It's a very tasty dessert!

What's the right wine?
Our suggestion is: Sagrantino Rosso (a dessert red wine from Umbria - Italy)

If you want to combine this dish with other ones for a complete menu,
consult our "Members-only Area".