The Chocolatiest Cake: La Sachertorte

Well, this is hardly a cake.  This is certainly more a gateau, but for simplicity’s sake, I’ll refer to it as a cake.  So, I recently made a sachertorte–a multi-layer devil’s food cake, with alternating layers of rich chocolate mousse.  The last step is to douse the entire cake in… more chocolate.  This post could have also been called The most complex, complicated thing I’ve ever made.  Whilst in the throes of whisking it up, I spoke to my mom on the phone and implored her, Don’t ever let me make this cake again!  But, by the time I finished and had a few bites… I know that I will most certainly be making it again.  Due to its complexity and the amount of time it requires, it won’t be a staple–but it’s a show-stopper and perfect for special occasions!

I topped it with raspberries because they are in season and were super fresh and sweet.  The acidity from the berries was a perfect balance to the rich chocolate.  Strawberries or blueberries would also work splendidly.  You can serve some on the side.  Of course, you could also use whipped cream or ice cream, but it might overpower the delicate charm of this cake.

I used the recipe from Thomas Keller’s fantastically remarkable Bouchon Bakery cookbook.  This is one of those game-changing cookbooks.  This giant book is rather pricey, but as soon as I opened it, I knew I had to have it.

The cake in theory is rather simple.  I made devil’s food cake, which served as the chocolate cake layers.  I then froze the cake to make it easier to cut, and then cut it into rounds.  The next step was by far the most complicated–the chocolate mousse.  This is a traditional French chocolate pastry cream–made with egg yolks and top-quality chocolate, folded into whipped egg whites.  I then used cake rings, and placed a cake round, with melted chocolate on it, chocolate side down.  I used a pastry bag and circled the cake with the mousse cream.  I then topped the cream with another layer of cake, and added more mousse.

I then used a spatula to scrape away the excess mousse.  The key to making this cake is to make sure that the entire cake ring is filled with mousse in every nook and cranny.    I then froze the cake, as it must be completely frozen before pouring the hot chocolate glaze to coat it.  Lastly, I made the chocolate glaze by whisking heavy cream and chocolate in a saucepan until it thickened.  I then gently removed the cake ring and poured the glaze over the cake.  Voila!