Sachertorte-ish cake
I always loved a good Sachertorte, but when it comes to making it, there are dozens of recipes on the web and I've tried a few of them without ever achieving the desired result. So I decided to go another route and made a layer cake that captures the essence of Sachertorte, and I must say I am quite happy with the outcome. I used very little flour in the cake, just enough to make sure it held together. And instead of a ganache filling, I made a light chocolate mousse.
CAKE
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
FILLING
1 pound of "fromage blanc" (7% fat), also known as "kwark"
200 grams of dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup white sugar
1 jar of apricot jam
TOPPING
3/4 cup heavy cream (at least 30% fat)
100 grams of dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa)
Note: In order to make 3 even layers, I used a metal square pan (8x8 inches) and baked 2 layers, one after the other. Then I cut 1/3 of both layers and put them together to form the third layer.
Preheat oven at 350°F (180°C). Butter a 8x8 in. square pan and place some baking paper to cover the bottom.
In a bowl, place 3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg. Add sugar, oil and almond extract, and whip with electric beaters until sugar has dissolved and mixture turns a light yellow (4 to 5 minutes).
Add dry ingredients (flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt) to the mixture, folding them in gently.
In another bowl, beat the remaining 3 egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the mixture with a spatula, making sure you don't overwork the batter.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
Repeat with the other half once the first layer has finished baking (unless you have 2 identical square pans in which case, you can bake both layers at the same time).
Remove layers from pan immediately and set aside.
To make the filling, break chocolate tablet into bite size chunks and place in a bowl, over a pan filled with one inch of water. Place pan on the stove and bring water to a boil, stirring chocolate constantly with a spatula (alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a microwave oven, but I don't like that option). Once chocolate has melted completely, remove bowl from the pan and add the "fromage blanc", stirring vigorously with a whip.
In another bowl, beat egg whites with electric beaters, pouring the sugar slowly as you go to let it dissolve completely and turn the egg whites into a meringue (4 or 5 minutes). With a spatula, fold the meringue gently into the chocolate mixture.
To assemble the cake, place one rectangle of cake down on a plate. Spread 2 generous tablespoons of apricot jam on the layer, then add chocolate mousse on top (about 1/4 inch thick). Repeat with second rectangle (formed by putting together the 2 pieces cut previously - read note on top). Finally, place the third cake rectangle on top. Place cake in the fridge.
To make the topping, bring heavy cream to a boil in a saucepan, and pour it over the chocolate, broken into pieces in a small bowl. Let the hot cream soften the chocolate before stirring the mixture gently with a small whip. Let the ganache cool for 20-30 minutes until it thickens. Then pour it on top of the cake (cold now) making sure to cover top and sides evenly.
Keep refrigerated, but take the cake out the fridge 20 minutes before serving.
CAKE
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
FILLING
1 pound of "fromage blanc" (7% fat), also known as "kwark"
200 grams of dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup white sugar
1 jar of apricot jam
TOPPING
3/4 cup heavy cream (at least 30% fat)
100 grams of dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa)
Note: In order to make 3 even layers, I used a metal square pan (8x8 inches) and baked 2 layers, one after the other. Then I cut 1/3 of both layers and put them together to form the third layer.
Preheat oven at 350°F (180°C). Butter a 8x8 in. square pan and place some baking paper to cover the bottom.
In a bowl, place 3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg. Add sugar, oil and almond extract, and whip with electric beaters until sugar has dissolved and mixture turns a light yellow (4 to 5 minutes).
Add dry ingredients (flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt) to the mixture, folding them in gently.
In another bowl, beat the remaining 3 egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the mixture with a spatula, making sure you don't overwork the batter.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
Repeat with the other half once the first layer has finished baking (unless you have 2 identical square pans in which case, you can bake both layers at the same time).
Remove layers from pan immediately and set aside.
To make the filling, break chocolate tablet into bite size chunks and place in a bowl, over a pan filled with one inch of water. Place pan on the stove and bring water to a boil, stirring chocolate constantly with a spatula (alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a microwave oven, but I don't like that option). Once chocolate has melted completely, remove bowl from the pan and add the "fromage blanc", stirring vigorously with a whip.
In another bowl, beat egg whites with electric beaters, pouring the sugar slowly as you go to let it dissolve completely and turn the egg whites into a meringue (4 or 5 minutes). With a spatula, fold the meringue gently into the chocolate mixture.
To assemble the cake, place one rectangle of cake down on a plate. Spread 2 generous tablespoons of apricot jam on the layer, then add chocolate mousse on top (about 1/4 inch thick). Repeat with second rectangle (formed by putting together the 2 pieces cut previously - read note on top). Finally, place the third cake rectangle on top. Place cake in the fridge.
To make the topping, bring heavy cream to a boil in a saucepan, and pour it over the chocolate, broken into pieces in a small bowl. Let the hot cream soften the chocolate before stirring the mixture gently with a small whip. Let the ganache cool for 20-30 minutes until it thickens. Then pour it on top of the cake (cold now) making sure to cover top and sides evenly.
Keep refrigerated, but take the cake out the fridge 20 minutes before serving.
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