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    Home » Cakes » Sacher Torte

    Sacher Torte

    Published: Feb 16, 2021 · Modified: Feb 16, 2021 by Kate · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

     

    This Sacher Torte recipe is for the original Austrian cake. This homemade cake has chocolate sponge cake, apricot jam filling, & a chocolate ganache glaze!

    Sacher Torte slice on a white plate with a fork

    I love a good Sacher Torte! When I was working in Germany, I had a chance to visit Vienna for a few days.

    I tried a slice of a sacher torte, and it was love at first bite! The combination of the chocolate sponge cake, apricot jam filling, and rich chocolate ganache glaze was pretty amazing.

    Since I can't just grab a piece of sacher torte from my local bakery, I've learned to make the cake. Thankfully, it's a fairly easy cake to make, and now, I make it whenever the craving strikes!

    Sacher Torte slice on a white plate with cake behind it

    What is a sacher torte?

    Sacher tortes are Austrian chocolate cakes. They have layers of chocolate cake, apricot preserves, and chocolate glaze.

    The chocolate sponge cake isn't too sweet, and it goes perfectly with the rich, chocolate glaze and apricot filling. This cake is more of a sponge cake than a typical American chocolate cake.

    The cake is pretty light and airy. It isn't overly moist, but it isn't dry either.

    How to make a sacher torte

    There are a quite a few steps in this recipe. Since it's a traditional cake, the egg whites are beaten and then folded into the batter to make the cake lighter.

    This sacher torte does come together pretty quickly, and it's pretty easy to make.

    egg whites in a glass mixing bowl

    To make the cake, let egg whites stand at room temperature in a very large bowl for 30 minutes.

    Preheat oven. Grease and lightly flour two 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.

    melted chocolate and egg yolks in a mixing bowl

    Melt chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat; cool.

    Stir egg yolks and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture. Set mixture aside.

    beaten egg whites in a glass mixing bowl

    Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until soft peaks form (tips curl).

    Gradually add sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating about 4 minutes or until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).

    Fold about 1 cup of the egg white mixture into chocolate mixture. Fold chocolate mixture into remaining egg white mixture.

    Flour folding into egg and chocolate mixtureSift about one-third of the flour over the egg mixture; gently fold in.

    Repeat twice, sifting and folding in one-third of the flour at a time.

    Unbaked sacher torte cake in an cake pan

    Carefully spread batter into the prepared pans. Hold the bowl close to the pans, and avoid dropping the batter into the pans from any greater height than necessary.

    Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in their pans on a wire rack for about 5-10 minutes.

    Remove cakes from pan. Brush crumbs from edges of cakes.

    apricot jam in a saucepan

    To make the apricot filling, bring the preserves, extract, and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes.

    Strain through a wire sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on the solids. Set aside.

    butter and cream in a bowl

    To make the chocolate glaze, place butter and chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Set aside.

    Bring whipping cream and light corn syrup to a gentle boil in a small, heavy saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

    Pour over butter and chocolate. Let sit for 2-3 minutes, and then stir until melted and well-combined. Cool to room temperature.

    spoon spreading apricot jam filling on cake

    Meanwhile, to assemble, place the one of the cake layers upright on a large serving plate.

    Spread all but â…“ cup apricot filling on top of the cake layer on plate.

    apricot jam spread on a chocolate cake layer

    Top with the second cake layer, inverting if necessary, to give you a flat surface for the top of the cake.

    Spread the remaining â…“ cup apricot filling over the top layer. Let cake sit for 10-15 minutes to let filling soak and set.

    spoon spreading chocolate ganache on a cakePour chocolate glaze over torte, spreading as necessary to glaze top and sides completely.

    Let torte stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving to let the glaze set up.

    sacher torte ingredients in bowlsIngredient tips and substitutions

    • Baking chocolate: I like to use baking chocolate in this recipe because the chocolate melts well and gives a good result.
    • Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe. If you use unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the cake.
    • Apricot preserves: Apricot fruit spread, apricot jam, or apricot preserves will work.
    • Rum: Feel free to use actual rum if you prefer.
    • Chocolate glaze:  If you would like to make a chocolate ganache topping without corn syrup, you can use this recipe instead. I would recommend a half batch of that recipe.

    Storage

    This cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days. The cake can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

    slice of Sacher Torte on a plate with a bite missing

    More cake recipes!

    • German Chocolate Sheet Cake
    • Chocoflan Recipe
    • Apricot Kuchen

    If you’ve tried this sacher torte recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who've made my recipes!

    You can SUBSCRIBE to receive my latest recipe newsletters or FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for even more delicious food.

    Sacher Torte slice on a white plate with a fork

    Sacher Torte Recipe

    This Sacher Torte recipe is for the original Austrian cake. This homemade cake has chocolate sponge cake, apricot jam filling, & a chocolate ganache glaze! Please check out the step-by-step photos above the recipe.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Austrian
    Prep Time: 1 hour
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 503kcal
    Author: Kate @ I Heart Eating

    Equipment

    • 8-inch round cake pan

    Ingredients

    Cake

    • 6 large eggs separated into whites and yolks
    • 5 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate chopped
    • ½ cup butter
    • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ¾ cup all-purpose flour

    Apricot Filling

    • 1 ¼ cups apricot preserves
    • 1 teaspoon rum extract
    • 1 tablespoon water

    Chocolate Glaze

    • 2 ounces semisweet baking chocolate chopped
    • 2 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate chopped
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • ½ cup whipping cream
    • 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • To make the cake, let egg whites stand at room temperature in a very large bowl for 30 minutes.
    • Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease and lightly flour two 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.
    • Melt chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat; cool.
    • Stir egg yolks and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture. Set mixture aside.
    • Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until soft peaks form (tips curl).
    • Gradually add sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating about 4 minutes or until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).
    • Fold about 1 cup of the egg white mixture into chocolate mixture.
    • Fold chocolate mixture into remaining egg white mixture.
    • Sift about one-third of the flour over the egg mixture; gently fold in. (If the bowl is too full, transfer mixture to a larger bowl.) Repeat twice, sifting and folding in one-third of the flour at a time.
    • Carefully spread batter into the prepared pans. Hold the bowl close to the pans, and avoid dropping the batter into the pans from any greater height than necessary.
    • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in their pans on a wire rack for about 5-10 minutes.
    • Remove cakes from pan. Brush crumbs from edges of cakes.
    • To make the apricot filling, bring the preserves, extract, and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often.
    • Cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes.
    • Strain through a wire sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on the solids. Set aside.
    • To make the chocolate glaze, place butter and chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
    • Bring whipping cream and light corn syrup to a gentle boil in a small, heavy saucepan.
    • Reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
    • Pour over butter and chocolate.
    • Let sit for 2-3 minutes, and then stir until melted and well-combined. Cool to room temperature.
    • Meanwhile, to assemble, place the one of the cake layers upright on a large serving plate.
    • Spread all but â…“ cup apricot filling on top of the cake layer on plate.
    • Top with the second cake layer, inverting if necessary, to give you a flat surface for the top of the cake.
    • Spread the remaining â…“ cup apricot filling over the top layer.
    • Let cake sit for 10-15 minutes to let filling soak and set.
    • Pour chocolate glaze over torte, spreading as necessary to glaze top and sides completely.
    • Let torte stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving to let the glaze set up.

    Notes

    • Baking chocolate: I like to use baking chocolate in this recipe because the chocolate melts well and gives a good result.
    • Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe. If you use unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the cake. 
    • Apricot preserves: Apricot fruit spread, apricot jam, or apricot preserves will work. 
    • Rum: Feel free to use actual rum if you prefer. 
    • Chocolate glaze:  If you would like to make a chocolate ganache topping without corn syrup, you can use this recipe instead. I would recommend a half batch of that recipe.
    • Nutrition facts are estimates.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 179mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 250mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 805IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 3.1mg
    Tried this recipe? Rate it below. Mention @i_heart_eating on Instagram & tag #ihearteating!

    Originally published 2/10/12. Updated with additional photos and tips 2/16/21.

    Adapted from grouprecipes.com

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    About Kate

    Kate got her first cookbook when she was five years old, and she hasn't stopped cooking since then! Her delicious recipes have been featured on Food Network, MSN, Better Homes & Gardens, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and more. When she's not cooking or baking, she can be found on her mini farm with her husband and her five kids.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lynn

      March 10, 2021 at 1:20 pm

      5 stars
      Happy to see a cake that is not too sweet. Only the crumbs were left. :)

      Reply
      • Kate

        March 10, 2021 at 1:30 pm

        Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    2. Caroline

      May 15, 2018 at 2:00 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious!!

      Reply
      • Kate

        May 15, 2018 at 11:12 pm

        Glad you liked it! Thank you!

        Reply

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