Sachertorte

Ingredients

• For the cake: 140g dark chocolate, 55 to 60 percent, chopped
• 140g butter, softened
• 110g icing sugar
• 6 eggs, separated
• 110g caster sugar
• 140g plain flour, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• For the filling: 200g apricot jam
• 2 tbsp water or rum
• For the glaze: 200g caster sugar
• 125ml water
• 150g dark chocolate, 55 to 60 percent, chopped
• Lightly whipped unsweetened cream, to serve

Before you cook

• Take the butter and eggs out of the fridge an hour ahead so everything is at room temperature.
• Butter a 22cm springform tin, line the base with parchment and dust the sides with flour.
• Heat your oven to 170C conventional, not fan.
• Melt the 140g of chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water, then set it aside to cool until it is warm rather than hot.
• Separate the eggs, making sure no yolk gets into the whites.

Steps

1. Beat the butter and icing sugar together for 4 minutes until pale and fluffy.
2. Beat in the cooled melted chocolate and the vanilla.
3. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each so the mixture never splits.
4. Whip the egg whites with the pinch of salt to soft peaks in a spotless bowl.
5. Add the caster sugar to the whites in three goes, whipping to a firm, glossy meringue.
6. Fold a third of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to slacken it.
7. Fold in the remaining meringue alternately with the sifted flour, in two or three additions, stopping as soon as no streaks remain.
8. Scrape the batter into the tin and level the top.
9. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs and the cake has just started to pull from the sides.
10. Turn the cake out onto a rack immediately, peel off the parchment and leave it upside down until completely cold.
11. Slice the cold cake horizontally into two even layers with a long serrated knife.
12. Warm the apricot jam with the water until it is fluid, then push it through a sieve.
13. Brush a third of the hot jam over the cut face of the bottom layer and replace the top.
14. Brush the remaining jam over the top and sides of the whole cake and let it set for 30 minutes until tacky.
15. Bring the 200g of sugar and 125ml of water to the boil in a small pan and cook for 5 minutes to a light syrup.
16. Take the syrup off the heat, add the chopped chocolate and stir until it is completely melted and smooth.
17. Cool the glaze, stirring occasionally, until it thickly coats a spoon and falls in a slow ribbon, around 35C.
18. Set the cake on a rack over a tray and pour all the glaze onto the centre in one go.
19. Spread it outward with a single sweep of a palette knife so it flows over the sides, and do not touch it again.
20. Leave the cake at room temperature for at least 2 hours until the glaze is matte and firm, then serve with unsweetened whipped cream.