Sacher Torte

based on the recipe in Cooking the Austrian Way
serves 12

ingredients
CAKE:

• 5 1/3 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
• 1 stick, plus 3 tbsp Butter, melted
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 6 Eggs, separated
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 tbsp Powdered Sugar
• 12 oz Apricot Jam, room temperature

ICING:

• 7 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 tbsp Butter
• Lemon Juice, a few drops
  
• 8 - 10 tbsp Hot Water

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Line the base and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with wax paper.
3. In a double broiler, heat the chocolate for the cake until melted.
   
4. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar. Add melted chocolate and beat. Then add the yolks, one at a time, beating continuously until creamy.
5. In another bowl, sift flour and baking powder together.
   
6. In a third bowl, using clean beaters, beat egg whites and powered sugar until stiff peaks form.
   
7. Add egg whites to chocolate mixture. Sift flour mixture onto egg whites, a little at a time. Fold egg whites and flour carefully into chocolate mixture.
   
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading batter evenly.
   
9. Bake for 50 minutes, testing with a toothpick until it comes out clean.
   
10. Remove cake from oven, remove springform rim and carefully peel away the paper. Allow cake to cool slightly.
    
11. Turn cake onto a cake plate and remove the base of the pan and the wax paper.
    
12. Slice the cake horizontally, and spread bottom layer with jam. Replace the top layer.
    
13. For the icing, melt the chocolate in a double broiler.
    
14. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice to the chocolate. Add the hot water one tbsp at a time to get the right consistency for spreading on a cake.
    
15. While icing is hot, spread over top of cake allowing it to drip down the sides.
    
16. Allow icing to cool completely.