Sachertorte

As I described in a previous post, a Sachertorte is a kind of cake that originated in the Hotel Sacher in the late 17th century.

Sachertorte: Yields 1, 10" cake
Ingredients:
1, 10" Baked and chilled Sacher cake
Simple syrup flavoured with Kirsch (this recipe usually uses a run or raspberry flavoured liquor)
Raspberry jam (can use other flavours, in the Gisslen text it says to use apricot)
Gnache
Praline

Tools: offset palette knife (offset spatula), serrated knife, pastry brush, 10" cake card, 12" decorative cake card (for presentation), half sheet pan, wire rack that fits inside sheet pan, parchment paper, parchment paper to make a decorating cone, turntable

MOP: assemble
Take the 10" Sacher cake out of the freezer, if the cake is cold but not frozen it will be easier to cut.

Make gnache. Gnache is usually equal parts chocolate and heavy cream. Place chocolate, cut up to small pieces, in a stainless steel bowl. Heat the cream over a burner until it is hot and steamy, not boiling. If you are using a cream that is of a higher percentage then you dont need to heat it up so much. When it is hot, pour cream over chocolate and mix with a spoon not with a whisk (whisks incorporate air). Let it sit before using it.

Unwrap the cake and place it on a 10" cake card on the turntable, upside down. Trim cake if it is not level. Slice the cake in half (the best way to do this is keep your serrated knife level and spin the turn table. That way you decrease your chances of cutting in a crooked line.) aSet the other half of the cake aside for now.

Use a pastry brush to generously dab the simple syrup mixture on the cake. This aides in moistening the sponge (cake) layer. (See Black Forest Cake entry for instructions on how to make simple syrup).

Place a generous portion (about 6 oz.) of the raspberry jam in the center of the cake, using your offset spatula spread the jam almost the the edge, leaving about half of an inch from the edge. The jam should not be too thickly put on either, about 1/4 inch thick. Put the other cake on top, gently push it down (the "cut" side should be facing down). Dab simple syrup on the top layer.
Now you want to do what is called a crumb coating or a masking. This can be done with different kinds of frosting, butter cream is often used. In this case we are just going to use the raspberry jam

again. Dab another layer of jam on top and push to the edges, just like before. This time you want to only have a very thin layer, about 1/8th of an inch thick. Use a similar technique to the Black forest cake to frost the sides, dabbing a bit on in a straight vertical manner with your offset spatula and then gently dragging it back and forth. Clean off the edges and the top and put the cake in the freezer to set. Clean up your work area and set up a cooling rack inside of a parchment lined sheet pan.

Grab the gnache that you previously prepared and make sure it is still at a liquid consistency. If not, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and take it out and stir it to get it to a pouring consistency.
Pour the gnache in to the middle of the cake, generously, and let it fall of the sides.

As it begins to fall off the sides use your offset spatula to push the excess gnache away from the middle and allowing it to fall down the sides. You should not need to use the spatula on the sides, instead you can knock the pan against the table a few times to aide the gnache in flowing down the sides. This is why you want to use a lot of gnache, so it will fill down the sides of the entire cake.
If you don't get a complete covering you can do two things. You can take your offset spatula and try to fill in the cracks. Or you can pop the cake back in the freezer for 10 ish minutes and then pour another layer of gnache over the cake. While this is very yummy and provides for a really chocolaty rich cake, its not the best solution production or money wise. This however is how I finished the cake in this picture and it was thoroughly delicious!
Let the cake set up.

To garnish the cake you can use either chocolate shavings (see Black Forest Cake posting for directions on how to make this) or you can use Croquant (rice grains) or Pralines (caramelized hazelnuts, like I did with this cake). Hold the cake with one hand, and with the other grab a bunch of pralines. With your open hand bring it to the cake and press gently off the bottom to form a semi circle. continue this all the way around the cake.

If you want to decorate the cake very traditionally make a parchment cone and fill with gnache. Write "Sacher" in the middle of the cake in your very best Cursive. You can also make a decorative swirly, yet uniform, boarder around the top of the cake as well. Lift the cake, with the cake card, off of the wire and place it on the larger cake card. Best served a little cold.

Eat with a loved one, or friend. They'll be very impressed (as will strangers on the bus or at the wine store if you are transporting it, and getting a bottle of red wine on the way).