I am an emotional baker. I know this about myself and I am
at peace with this.
Today was no exception.
The news came yesterday that Doctor Charles “Chick” Davis,
the founder and former director of the Emory & Henry Concert Choir, beloved
by so very many people, had passed away. Doc (as I have always known him by)
influenced my own life in immeasurable ways and my heart was broken. He had
been sick for quite awhile at the end and while I am so grateful for him and
for his family that the suffering has ended, I am still grieving for the loss
of such an incredible man. Another former Concert Choir member said that she is
certain the heavenly choir of angels is thrilled with their new director, and I
found such comfort in this thought.
The times I spent in rehearsals and performances with Doc
deeply formed my own understanding of spirituality and connection to God
through music and I know with certainty that a vast number of former choir
members feel the same way. In fact, one friend commented that she was not only
grieving for Doc’s family and for the loss of his life, but also for the fact
that she knows she will never be a part of something so magnificent as Concert
Choir again. Her words spoke volumes to me and I realized that this is why I
have never been able to fully commit to any other choir, church or otherwise. I
think deep down I feel like everything else will fall short of what we had with
Doc. He was gifted in so very, very many ways but to me the most amazing talent
he had was that he could take voices from many of us who would likely never go
on to sing solos and transform those individual sounds into something so beautifully
communal.
Twenty years ago today, our choir embarked on a journey to
Europe, largely due to the fact that Doc wanted to honor some of the greatest
composers of all time. We began in Salzburg, Austria where we sang the New
Year’s Mass in the Dom where Mozart was baptized. When we ended with our
traditional choral benediction, we remained still, awaiting the seven second
echo delay when we heard our own voices drift back towards us. Watching Doc, as
tears streamed down my face, was truly one of the most sacred moments of my
life. There were many other deeply spiritual moments on that trip, but this one
I will never forget.
This trip also gave me my husband of 11 years. As we watched
fireworks light up the New Year’s Eve sky in Salzburg, I stood wishing for my
imaginary prince to come along soon. Little did I know, he was standing right
beside me. I paused yesterday to give thanks to Doc for this amazing life I now
have!
I woke up this morning grieving even more now that I was
truly living with the reality that Doc has really left this earth. I hadn’t
seen him since our last Concert Choir reunion in 2008, but he was ever present in
my heart and when I learned recently of how much his health had declined I
thought of him all the time.
I took my scrapbook of our trip to Europe out to remember
all the details and to find pictures of Doc’s infectious smile and was quite
grateful that my eldest daughter indulged me in sharing my memories with her. I
rose from the table knowing exactly what I should do with this grief.
While we were in Vienna, several of us made sure we went to
the Sacher Hotel café to try their world-famous Sacher Torte. I remember
vividly how decadent it was and how perfect it felt to be sitting in that café
surrounded by my friends. Revisiting the pictures of that afternoon prompted me
to reach for my copy of The America’s
Test Kitchen Baking Book where I recalled years ago spying the recipe for
Sacher Torte.
Tonight, we will share this torte with my dear friend Angela
and her family. Angela, it turns out, made fast friends with Doc’s daughter,
Alicia, when they taught together years ago. For the serendipitous ties that
bind, I give thanks.
I know many of my readers eschew what you perceive to be the
more difficult of the recipes I share and that this one will be no exception. I
am perfectly all right with that this time, because honestly, this project
really is not about the cake. It is about remembering a man I loved so very
much. If by some chance, you decide to make this cake, I ask that you raise a
fork to Doc; I know I will!
In all reality, the cake really is not that hard and I have
faith that you can do it if you just follow the directions carefully! Make sure
you allow enough time in between the steps.
Sacher Torte (click for printable version)
Chocolate Genoise (fancy name for fluffy chocolate cake)
1 cup of cake flour
¼ cup cocoa (I used King Arthur Black Cocoa blend for a deep
chocolate flavor, but any cocoa will work)
5 large eggs, room temperature (you can warm the eggs to
room temperature by letting them sit in a bowl of warm water for about 10
minutes)
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
Filling
1 1/3 cup apricot jam
Chocolate Glaze
2/3 cup heavy cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped finely (I used mini
semi-sweet chocolate chips)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Genoise:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of
a 9” springform pan with parchment paper or waxed paper. DO NOT GREASE!
Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt in a bowl and then
pour mixture into a sifter. Set aside.
In a large glass or metal bowl, whisk eggs and
sugar together until thoroughly mixed. Bring about an inch of water to a low
simmer in a saucepan that the bowl with eggs and sugar will fit on top of
without the water touching the bottom of the bowl. Heat the egg and sugar
mixture for just a minute or two over the simmering water until it is just warm
but not hot, whisking the entire time.
Remove hot egg mixture from stove and
immediately whip with an electric mixture on medium-high for about 5-6 minutes
or until the mixture is thick and of a good volume. DO NOT STIR! You want the
mixture to stay fluffy. Add vanilla and whip briefly.
VERY, very gently remove one cup of the egg
mixture and set aside.
Sift about half of the flour/cocoa mixture over
the remaining egg mixture and GENTLY fold it in with only about 15 folds. Sift
remaining flour/cocoa mix and fold again for just about 10 folds. BE GENTLE!
Add the melted butter to the 1 cup of reserved
egg mixture and gently stir.
GENTLY fold the egg/butter mixture into the
flour/cocoa mixture just until combined.
GENTLY pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake
for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean when poked in the middle of
the cake.
Remove
cake from oven and cool in pan until it is entirely cool, about 2 hours.
Run
a small knife around the edge of the cake and then take the edge of the pan
off. Turn the cake onto a plate lined with waxed paper and remove the bottom
piece of paper. Turn it right-side up and throw away all the paper you used.
Carefully
slice the cake into two layers. Set one layer aside while you assemble the
bottom.
Filling the cake:
Place a piece of waxed paper over a large baking
sheet and set a wire cake rack on top.
Place the bottom layer on the rack.
Using a food processor, process the apricot jam
for about 20 seconds to make it smooth and slightly runny. This will help with
assembling the cake.
Spoon about ½ cup of the jam over the first
layer and gently spread it all the way to the edges. Set the second layer on
top of the jam and push on it lightly to help it stick. Spread the rest of the
jam on the top of the cake letting any excess fall over the sides.
Place the cake in the fridge for about 30
minutes.
Glazing
the cake:
Place the cream, corn syrup, chocolate, and
vanilla in a large microwaveable bowl and microwave for 30 second increments,
stirring in between. Heat until it is all melted and completely smooth.
Allow glaze to cool until it is easy to pour.
This will take about 20 minutes.
Pour the chocolate glaze all over the filled
cake. Spread it evenly over the sides. Place in refrigerator for at least 2
hours or until the cake is entirely set.
To serve, move cake to a platter and allow it to
sit out of the refrigerator for 30 – 60 minutes.
