Sigmund Freud's Favorite Cake

Chocolate Sachertorte with Strawberry Jam

A SAH-kər-tort is a Viennese sponge cake split in twain, filled with jam of choice, then put to bed with a blanket of chocolate glaze. Often described as “The Personification of Sweet” by food writers who have never eaten a Cosmic Brownie. The Sachertorte is…is a uniquely indulgent affair that asks, is there too much of a good thing?

I learned all new tips and tricks along the way from making this. So even if you don’t want to go the full monty and make it as God intended, you can use one or two of these skills in your treatment of other wacky dishes. I really hope you do. This recipe makes 12 mini tortes or 1 large. Whatever preparation, just eat off of your most lavish tableware.

Recipe

---

Special things you’ll need:

- Stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachment. (Or hand mixer)

- 12 ct. Muffin tin, or two 8” cake pans

- lotta bowls

Ingredients

Sachertorte

• 130g chopped bittersweet chocolate, like 70%

• 25g soft unsalted butter

• 130g soft unsalted butter

• 110g powdered sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 orange, zested

• 1 tsp salt

• 8 eggs, separated into whites and yolks

• 120g AP flour, sifted

• 110g granulated sugar

• 8oz jam of choice

Chocolate Glaze

• 75g chocolate

• 75g soft unsalted butter

• 100g powdered sugar

• 100g cocoa powder

• 1 tsp light corn syrup

• Boiling water

We must not forget one of Sigmund Freud’s core theories: The Pleasure Principle. Bound within us is the drive to command out bodies to avoid pain and seek pleasure. I cannot promise that this tasty treat is painless, but the scales will tip in your pleasurable favor when you see it through to the end.

Set a pot of water on the stove over medium high heat. Once simmering, place a metal bowl over the pot, but not touching the water. This is a double boiler. Add chocolate and 25g of butter to the bowl. Let heat and stir occasionally until completely melted. Should only take a couple of minutes. Remove from pot and allow to cool slightly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, orange, and salt. Mix on medium-low speed with paddle attachment until creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add yolks, one at a time, until fully mixed with butter.

Turn off the mixer and add chocolate. Let mix briefly on low speed. Add flour and mix on low until just combined. Scrape down the sides and make sure no dry spots or chocolate streaks remain. Scrape out into another large bowl. Clean stand mixer bowl and affix whisk attachment. Add egg whites. Beat until frothy, then begin adding sugar, a tablespoon at a time while the mixer runs on medium speed. Once all the sugar is added, gradually increase the speed to medium high until stiff peaks form.

Add some of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate/butter mixture and mix to loosen. Now with a spatula, carefully and methodically add the egg whites and gently fold into the choc/butt mixture. When there are almost no egg white streaks, add another dollop. Continue until all the egg whites are added and no streaks remain.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray muffin or cake tins with nonstick spray. Scoop your batter into your muffin tins, 3/4 of the way full, or divided equally into two cake tins. Bake for 20 minutes. Rotating halfway through. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove to let cool on wire racks.

Once cool. Flip over so the bottom is now the top. Trip any uneven domes to help it lay flat. Cut in half at the cake’s equator. Fill with the appropriate amount of jam. You’ll just know.

Optional jam filling hack. Make a ganache by brining 100g of heavy cream to just simmering and pour over 100g of chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let rest for 5 minutes. Either using a whisk or immersion blender, blend until smooth. Let cool. Place ganache into piping bag. When cool enough to hand. Pipe a small ring around the edge of the halved sachertorte, creating a barrier from which the jam cannot escape. Chill until ready to fill.

Once filled. Top with the bottom of the cake and make the glaze.

Combine chopped chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a double boiler. Like you did before. Melt. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and corn syrup. Add boiling water, little by little, and whisk until the appropriate consistency is reached.

Glaze your sachertortes over a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Once glazed, let firm up in the fridge for an hour. Garnish with a little flaky salt.

Enjoy ✌🏻