Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (13 page)

When it has thickened to the consistency of a very soft mayonnaise remove it from the ice water and work quickly as it will continue to thicken now.

Remove and reserve ⅓ cup, which will be used to cover the outside of the roll. Unroll the cake, loosen it from the wax paper, spread the glaze evenly to the edge on three sides of the cake—stop it a little short of the farther narrow end—then reroll the cake firmly. With a pastry brush, brush excess sugar off the top of the cake and, with a narrow metal spatula, spread the reserved glaze over the top and sides—then quickly, before the glaze hardens, with a spoon sprinkle the chocolate shavings over the top and as much of the sides as possible.

The cake roll should still be on the wax paper on one end of the cookie sheet; transfer it to the refrigerator for about half an hour or until the glaze is firm.

Then, through a small fine-mesh strainer, sprinkle confectioners sugar generously over the top.

With a wide metal spatula (or the flat side of a cookie sheet) transfer the cake to a serving platter and let stand at room temperature. It may stand all day or overnight. It should be served at room temperature unless the room is too warm, in which case it should be refrigerated as necessary—but it is best if the chocolate is not too firm.

Cut into 1- to 1¼-inch slices.

Layer Cakes with Filling and Icing

SACHERTORTE

ST. LOUIS CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

BLACK FOREST CHERRY TORTE

NEW ORLEANS CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

COUNTY-FAIR CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK LAYER CAKE

OLD-FASHIONED FUDGE CAKE

F.B.I. CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

COCOA SPONGE CAKE

GÂTEAU AU CHOCOLAT

DEVILISH CAKE

CHOCOLATE MERRY-GO ROUND

HUNGARIAN SEVEN-LAYER CAKE

Sachertorte

8 TO 10
P
ORTIONS

This is unquestionably the most internationally famous of all chocolate cakes. According to one story it was created in 1832 by a Viennese cook named Eduard Sacher at the request of his employer, Prince Metternich, Imperial Chancellor of Austria. Sometime later Sacher built a hotel, the Hotel Sacher, which soon became Vienna’s most distinguished hotel and his chocolate cake became world famous.

Demel’s, the leading patisserie in Vienna (perhaps in the whole world), was as famous as the Hotel Sacher for its Sachertorte, and both claimed to be the originators of the cake. It turned into a heated argument that culminated in a lawsuit that went on for seven years. (It was a very sweet suit.)

Eventually the judges handed down a decision proclaiming the cake from the Hotel Sacher as the original, or “genuine.” (Incidentally, Demel’s later gained legal right to use the name “original Sachertorte.”) The decision was based on the fact that at Demel’s it is a one-layer cake with apricot jam on the top; at the Hotel Sacher the cake is sliced into two layers and the jam is put in the middle. There were witnesses who testified that the original was sliced in two.

The cakes otherwise are very similar. I ordered them both by mail a few years ago. (It seems I sent too much money, so they each sent me two cakes—all four arrived rather quickly in individual small wooden boxes and in very good condition.)

The story is that Prince Metternich asked Eduard for a “dense, solid, masculine” cake. And that is what it is, be it Demel’s or Hotel Sacher’s. It is unusual by our standards; it is a plain, dry, slightly heavy, not very sweet, shallow, dark chocolate cake with a chocolate glaze. It is served with mountains of whipped cream. I like it very much; so do innumerable people who eat it in Vienna or order it to be shipped all over the world. But I want to be sure that you understand what to expect before you make it. And I can tell you that if you do make it, it will be better than what you would get if you ordered it by mail from Vienna.

I would gather from many cookbooks that Anna Sacher, Eduard’s cigar-smoking granddaughter, has been playing a game she must be enjoying tremendously; everyone claims to have the original recipe from Frau Sacher herself, and yet no two are alike. This recipe makes no claims to authenticity, but it is a combination of many of the different versions I have read.

It is best to make the cake a day ahead, wrap airtight and let it stand overnight, or freeze it for a longer time, but don’t ice it until the day it is to be served.

6 ounces semisweet chocolate

6 ounces (1½ sticks) sweet butter

⅓ cup granulated sugar

5 eggs (graded large), separated, plus 1 extra egg white (The extra white may be one that was left over from some other recipe, frozen, and thawed.)

¾ cup sifted all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

3 tablespoons apricot preserves (to be used after the cake is baked)

Adjust rack one-third up from bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch spring-form pan, or an 8 × 1¾- or 2-inch layer-cake pan; line the bottom with wax paper cut to fit, butter the paper, dust with flour, invert over a piece of paper, and tap lightly to shake out excess. Set aside.

Place the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Cover until partially melted, then uncover and stir until completely melted and smooth. Set aside uncovered to cool slightly.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Beat in the sugar. Add the egg yolks (all at once is O.K.) and beat well, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed beat in the melted chocolate. Then add the flour and beat only until mixed. Remove from the mixer.

Add the salt to the 6 egg whites in the small bowl of the electric mixer. With clean beaters, beat until the whites hold a definite shape but not until they are stiff or dry.

Stir two large spoonfuls of the whites into the chocolate to lighten it a bit. Then fold in the remaining whites in four or five additions—the first three or four additions should be small and not too thorough. Incorporate about half the whites in these small additions. The last large addition should be folded in until no whites show, but no more.

Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and rotate the pan briskly first in one direction, then the other, to level the top. (In a layer pan that is 1¾ inches deep the batter will be only ¼ inch from the top of the pan—it is O.K.)

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top will feel rather firm and will spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip; a toothpick gently inserted in the middle will come out clean and dry.

Let the cake stand in the pan for 10 minutes. Then cover it with a rack, invert, remove the pan and the paper lining, cover with another rack and invert again, leaving the cake right side up. It will be 1½ inches high.

Let stand for several hours or preferably overnight or freeze it.

When you are ready to glaze the cake, prepare a flat cake plate by placing four strips of wax paper around the outer edges.

Place the cake upside down on the plate, checking to be sure that the papers touch it all around.

If you have a cake-decorating turntable or a lazy Susan, place the cake plate on it.

Strain the apricot preserves—they should be very smooth. Place them in a small pan over moderate heat and bring them to a boil.

Pour the boiling preserves over the cake and, with a long, narrow metal spatula, spread evenly over the top.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

This will have an incredible mirrorlike sheen which neither the Hotel Sacher’s nor Demel’s had, but this glaze will not dry as hard as theirs, therefore this cake cannot be mailed as theirs can.

8 ounces semisweet chocolate

¼ cup light corn syrup

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons butter

If you use 1-ounce squares of chocolate, chop them coarsely; if you use bars, break them up; if you use morsels, use as is. Set the chocolate aside.

Place the syrup and water in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Cut the butter into small pieces and add them to the pan. Place over moderate heat and stir occasionally until the mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from the heat, immediately add the chocolate and stir until it has melted. With a small wire whisk, beat briskly until completely smooth.

Set aside, stirring occasionally, until the glaze reaches room temperature and begins to thicken slightly.

Now, hold everything for a minute. At Demel’s they decorate the top with the name “Sacher” written in
script with the same glaze. At the Hotel Sacher they top each portion with a chocolate seal imprinted with “Hotel Sacher Wien.” If you want to write Sacher, reserve about 2 tablespoons of the glaze; just set it aside at room temperature.

Stir the remainder and pour it carefully onto the very middle of the cake. It will spread out and run to the edges. You do not want too much of it to run down the sides (but if it does, scoop it up with a metal spatula and replace it on the top). With a long, narrow metal spatula spread the top to make a smooth layer, being careful while you are spreading that you do not force much of it down the sides. The sides should be covered with a thin coating. When the top is smooth use a small, narrow metal spatula to smooth the sides.

If the glaze is still running off the sides (if you have used it too soon or if you have spread too much from the top over the edges) do not remove the wax paper strips now. Wait until it has stopped running, smooth the sides again if necessary, and then remove the wax paper strips by pulling each one out toward a narrow end.

If you are going to write “Sacher” on the top, let the cake stand for an hour or so for the glaze to set. It will not become dry or hard but it will set enough so the lettering does not run.

Prepare a small paper cone with baking-pan liner paper or wax paper (see page 266). With scissors cut off a tiny bit of the tip to make a very small opening.

Place the reserved glaze in the paper cone, close the top by folding it down. “Sacher” is traditionally written with a slanted script in lettering large enough to reach almost from one side of the cake to the other. Practice it on paper if you wish—you can scrape it up and reuse it. Write “Sacher” and if you have a steady hand, and if you would like the lettering to show up more, go over it a second time. Obviously, if you would like to write your own name or someone else’s, do it—but since it is brown on brown it will not show up very much.

WHIPPED CREAM

Sachertorte is
always
served with a generous helping of whipped cream (“
schlag
” in Vienna)—it is an important part of this dessert. If you plan to serve the whole cake to eight or ten people, use the following amounts or more; if you are serving fewer people, cut the amounts in half.

2 cups heavy cream

¼ cup strained confectioners sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, whip the above ingredients only until the cream holds a soft shape, not stiff. (If you prepare it ahead of time, refrigerate it. It will probably separate slightly; if so, stir it a bit with a wire whisk just before serving.)

Pass it, or serve it on the side of individual portions.

St. Louis Chocolate Layer Cake

12
P
ORTIONS

This is a prized heirloom recipe that has been kept secret for many years. It is a two-layer devil’s food cake with a wonderful fluffy white marshmallow filling and icing. (Do not freeze this cake after it has been iced.)

1¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

⅛ teaspoon salt

2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate

⅓ cup water

6 ounces (1½ sticks) butter