What is Sacher? Many people would just say it's a cake. But it's much more than that! It is a pastry masterpiece, a symbol of a culture, an irresistible delicacy. Today, it is not only a European conqueror, but a household name almost everywhere in the world. Sacher is a chocolate speciality that you can't help but love.
The magic of Sacher
A beautiful cake set will enchant you at first sight. It's so tasty that after eating it, you're tempted to eat another slice. One of the best ways to get pleasure is to eat a really delicious cake. Whether it's a surprise or an after-meal dessert, excellent solution. There are different sizes and flavours of cakes and cake slices on the market, but one of the most commonly found, a Sacher. It is indispensable and important in the pastry shops and restaurants.
Why has it become legendary? Very simple. We love chocolate sponge cake on its own, and apricot jam is a firm favourite. And when you put them together and top them with a dollop of chocolate, you're sure to have a hit.
The secret of Sacher love is chocolate
In 1528, Hernán Cortés imported the first cocoa beans into Spain, thus launching his European career. It was believed that cocoa had some inhibitions-relieving properties. This is partly true, because it does contain phenyl ethyl, which has a stimulant effect, but only in negligible quantities. Nevertheless, chocolate releases happiness hormones in the body. The sweet taste, the sight, the is tempting in itself and makes people happy. And Sacher cake is just that. It is the most famous cake in Austrian gastronomy, named after the Viennese pastry chef Franz Sacher.
The Sacher story
Franz Sacher was an apprentice confectioner in 1832, at the very young age of 16, yet he was known to many. People came to him from all over Vienna for his fantastic cakes. It was no accident that Prince Metternich asked him to make a special cake. The prince was feared by all and such a request was impossible to refuse. Franz Sacher, who worked for days perfecting the recipe, is said to have never gone to bed until it was ready. When he took his work to Metternich, he was afraid to show it to him, but the prince liked it very much. After that he made it several times, and many confectioners began to imitate it, with varying degrees of success. The original recipe was inherited by his son, Eduard Sacher, who improved on it. By then, there had been quite a few different versions, so there was much debate as to whether which recipe is the real one. In the end, the wooden box cake - with chocolate seal - of the Hotel Sacher in Vienna became the „Original Sacher-Torte”.
It's no coincidence that the Viennese saying goes: „The Emperor rules in the ”House of Austria„ and Sacher in the ”Hotel of Austria".
A recipe that conquers the world
Unfortunately we couldn't get hold of the original recipe, as the secret - the exact amount of chocolate - will remain hidden forever, but we can offer you a particularly delicious version.
Ingredients for 6 people:
sponge cake: 17 dkg flour, 5 g baking powder, 7 dkg icing sugar, 7 g sugar, 15 dkg butter, 15 dkg dark chocolate but we recommend to add MATUSZ - VAD chocolate pastilles- , 6 eggs, 8 g vanilla sugar, 15 dkg apricot jam
Preparation: mix the butter with the icing sugar until as soft as possible, almost fluffy. Pour in the melted chocolate and stir until smooth. After separating the eggs, add the yolks to the mixture. Beat the egg whites with the sugar and vanilla sugar until frothy. Then a delicate operation begins as we slowly add it to our chocolate mixture. Take your time. When you're ready, you can add the flour and baking powder. Place the resulting dough in a baking tin and bake at 180 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
Once the sponge cake has cooled, carefully cut it in half and spread with peach jam (it is easier to spread if you boil it first.) Fold the sheets together and wait for them to cool. From here, all you have to do is pour the melted chocolate pastille over the top of the cake, spreading it evenly all over. Then you just have to wait for the chocolate to set and you're done
Yet the original is obscured
It's certainly the Sacher flavour that is commonly known today, Eduard Sacher's recipe. It's also certain that the first one Franz Sacher made must have been completely different. To this day, there is still debate on the subject, but everyone agrees that the recipe for chocolate is the basis of everything.
The popularity of the cake continues to this day and there is already a day celebrated on 5 December. Today, however, Sacher cakes can be found in bakeries all over the world and are made according to a variety of recipes.
