Comments on Pomiane: Recipe: The Original Sachertorte...

I prepared this receipe yesterday and I must say t...

2012-02-14T09:17:13.192Z

I prepared this receipe yesterday and I must say the outcome is astonishing. The base is incredibly light and fluffy and the chocolate frosting is beautifully smooth. Thanks for sharing. The perfect Valentine's day treat for my loved ones without breaking the bank. Cheers.

And to you too. And may 2012 bring you many delici...

2011-12-31T22:11:25.856Z

And to you too. And may 2012 bring you many delicious cakes!

Thank you, yes, I agree--I did beat the egg whites...

2011-12-31T19:25:55.948Z

Thank you, yes, I agree--I did beat the egg whites a lot, perhaps it would have been better to fold in the egg whites after the folding in the flour--thats when the batter got dense. Or else, maybe my oven was too hot (the cake cooked in 30 minutes), although I did bring it to 190 degrees. Happy 2012 to you.

I fear you've mishandled your egg whites in so...

2011-12-31T10:03:41.253Z

I fear you've mishandled your egg whites in some way - either they weren't beaten well enough before being mixed in, or else you were a bit heavy-handed during the mixing process and managed to deflate them. Think of it like making a soufflé: the whites need to be beaten to the right consistency that they can be incorporated with the other ingredients (so, neither too much nor too little), and then they need to be gently folded in,so they don't lose the air they contain and which they need in order to rise during baking.

just took the cake out of the oven, it didnt rise ...

2011-12-31T04:08:25.082Z

just took the cake out of the oven, it didnt rise enough..its a rather thin look sacher torte... :-(

Thank you, that makes sense. And thank you, Pomia...

2011-12-31T01:29:22.480Z

Thank you, that makes sense. And thank you, Pomiane, for posting the recipe. I have been dreaming of making a Sacher torte ever since I ate a slice of it at Cafe Sabarsky in New York City...it may not be the original Austrian Sacher torte, but it was simply divine...here goes...fingers crossed.

It does not need baking power, there is enough air...

2011-12-30T20:15:50.707Z

It does not need baking power, there is enough air on the whipping of egg whites to rise the cake when baking it.

I noticed there is no baking power in your recipe-...

2011-12-30T19:04:38.109Z

I noticed there is no baking power in your recipe--isnt that unusual?

Sacher Torte made at home, is one of those things ...

2011-11-19T08:19:59.317Z

Sacher Torte made at home, is one of those things that make the day a better day …..
I still make it on a regular basis, even after 30+ years in the kitchen and 24 years after leaving Demel. I actually just finished one and I am waiting for the family to show up and share.

Love your blog ….

Makes it easier to spread.

2011-11-08T09:16:05.565Z

Makes it easier to spread.

Why should I warm the apricot jam???

2011-11-08T01:45:22.153Z

Why should I warm the apricot jam???

Delicious cake. Even my father-in-law liked it an...

2011-10-23T18:20:28.925Z

Delicious cake. Even my father-in-law liked it and he does not like sweet cakes! I made my icing with creme fraiche. It was much thicker but good. This time I have made it with rice flour and I have used an oil/butter substitute as I am not good with too much diary. Will have to see what it tastes like.

Um....and the difference is likely to lead to what...

2011-10-05T15:48:05.024Z

Um....and the difference is likely to lead to what confusion, exactly?

It is "Das grosse Buch der osterreichischen M...

2011-10-05T14:34:41.687Z

It is "Das grosse Buch der osterreichischen Mehlspeisen" (the 4th word is der, not das).

Visited Vienna this summer, and found out about th...

2011-08-21T17:42:23.095Z

Visited Vienna this summer, and found out about the Sachertorte. Surprised too at how expensive the cakes are to buy, Euro 19 to 41.

I thought though that there was some alcohol in the marmalade? Certainly there was a kind of bitter taste.

Someone there mentioned Rum. Could a bit of alcohol be a missing ingredient?

I have just been in Vienna and after reading all y...

2011-07-31T22:20:26.853Z

I have just been in Vienna and after reading all your posts I feel like making the cake myself, interesting enough I got a tea towel over there with the recipe printed and they use ground almonds instead of flour, I follow recipes the first time, afterwards I just make things my own way.
The instructions for the cake covering are very good, might use that technique for other cakes as well.

I understand the Demel's recipe has the aprico...

2011-07-19T18:28:43.666Z

I understand the Demel's recipe has the apricot jam in the middle (as in this recipe), but the Sacher Hotel's recipe has the apricot jam on the top, just beneath the icing. It's a lot easier and saves cutting a wonky slice through the cake.

This is very similar to a recipe I got from David ...

2011-03-31T17:11:52.936Z

This is very similar to a recipe I got from David Bethel's 1936 book - The Tyrolese Cookery Book.

Hard to say, without knowing what exactly it IS th...

2009-08-17T14:47:36.986Z

Hard to say, without knowing what exactly it IS that you're doing...but I venture to suggest that you must be parting company with the method or recipe at some point. The accuracy of the recipe has been demonstrated to critical acclaim on a regular basis...so I don't think that that's where the problem lies. Sorry.

What am I doing wrong? The recipe does not come o...

2009-08-17T14:30:51.945Z

What am I doing wrong? The recipe does not come out at all like the "original" sacher torte that I have eaten many, many times in Vienna.

There are two answers to this: the technical and t...

2009-08-09T07:48:24.634Z

There are two answers to this: the technical and the psychological. Dealing with the second first.

a. Swear loudly and think of a plan B. But at the same time, bear in mind that 'things go wrong in cooking', and in any event it's only food ....

b. Technically the reason for the problem is one of temperature - probably the syrup wasn't at 110°C but was probably much colder, that's why it started to crystalise the moment the cold
chocolate was added. It is also possible the syrup was very much too hot, which will also cause trouble. Anyway, you have two options. Gently reheat
the mixture in a bowl over hot water (possibly also adding a bit more water to the mixture itself), you may be able to bring it back. If not, go to plan B.

Plan B
Make a second batch or decorate the cake with something else. Chopped nuts pressed into the apricot jam is delicious. Whipped cream flavoured with Nutella, is also pretty good. Just remember the orginal Sacher torte was invented by a young chef busking it in the kitchen - he wasn't creating the Holy Grail! - and necessity has been the mother of some pretty good inventions down through the ages...
If anyone asks why it doesn't have chocolate icing, just say you changed your mind.

yes, but what do you do if the blasted icing goes ...

2009-08-08T19:12:35.944Z

yes, but what do you do if the blasted icing goes granular and stiff the minute you stir the chocolate into the boiled water/sugar mixture????