Sacher Torte

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.