Vienna's Iconic Chocolate Cake

For another Chocolate cake recipe and the history of Birthday cake check out this video: https://youtu.be/ENJbVgjFwF0?si=qzjY4cYtGCD2GAqI Don't forget to Like and Subscribe, and see some of you at the next Book Tour stop! LINKS TO THE TOUR (Reservations required at some events) Oct 19, 7pm ET -- Atlanta/Decatur, GA Eagle Eye Bookshop eagleeyebooks.com/event/2023-10-19 Oct 23, 6:30pm CT -- Chicago/Evanston, IL Bookends and Beginnings www.bookendsandbeginnings.com/event/tasting-histor…

Gotta love Max visiting Vienna and putting on his best social graces, only to return home and casually mention he cooked a better Sacher cake than the two cafes that claim the original recipe, thus unwittingly declaring war on the Republic of Austria

If you go to Vienna and don't order 4 pastries every meal, you are doing it wrong.

I made a Sachertorte once for my ex husband's grandfather, who was originally from Vienna and came over during the war. It was one of my greatest compliments as a cook to hear him say, "Mr. Sacher himself couldn't have made such a delicious cake!" I always think of him when I see this scrumptious treat.

Max, thank you for your selfless sacrifices in the pursuit of knowledge. Ordering four desserts per meal in Austria must have been a terrible fate to endure. I am glad you survived the ordeal! I appreciated the history lesson as well. The Austrian Supreme Court Sacher case was the first attempt at true torte reform.

Man, the photo of all the people gathered around the book and translating it is so wholesome.

OMG This is my grandmother lost recipe down to the jam. I have been looking for it for years. Thank you Max.

I am from Vienna, and while I certainly prefer getting this cake from other cafes in the city than from the house Sacher, it is important to keep in mind that their claimed "original" recipe is created for preservation I am sure. The super thick chocolate crust rather than a traditional smooth coating gives stability, and the cake itself is rather dry so it doesn't become soggy. I am not sure if this is for accommodating the tourists taking the Sacher OG cakes as a souvenir to their homecountry, but I remember that they preserve for quite long. I don't think this has been confirmed by Sacher itself, but my social circle agrees that there must be a reason that their cake version is so different from other Austrian establishments. So, I am sure your home-baked version is very enjoyable! :) Love your videos

I wanted to make the recipe and transcribed it in a google doc so I decided to add it to comments to make it a bit easier if anybody else wanted to try it out too. :) Cake: 150g (10 ½ tbsp, about 5.3oz) bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cacao) 2 tsp vanilla 150g (10 ½ tbsp) unsalted butter ½ tsp salt 150g (¾ cup) sugar 6 egg yolks 6 egg whites 150g (1 ¼ cups) sifted flour Glaze: 80g (about 3 oz) chocolate* 150g (¾ cup) sugar 115g water (½ cup) Other: About 1 cup (roughly 340g) apricot jam Directions for the cake: 1) Melt chocolate over double boiler 2) Cool slightly, beat in butter until smooth 3) Add egg yolks and beat until combined 4) Add the sugar in thirds and beat for 4-5 minutes once fully added until smooth and light 5) In a separate bowl whip egg whites to stiff peaks 6) Gently and gradually fold in the whipped egg whites until almost no streaks remain 7) Gently fold in the flour about a third at a time until just fully combined 8) Pour batter in a 9” springform pan that has been lined with parchment paper and smooth the top 9) Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit (175 degrees celsius) for 30 minutes 10) Let cake cool for 10 minutes in pan before inverting on a rack to finish cooling completely Directions for glaze: 1) Melt chocolate the same as before 2) In a separate pot dissolve 150g sugar in ½ cup or about 115 grams of water and bring it to a simmer 3) Add the chocolate to the pot of simmering sugar water and mix until smooth (about 5 minutes). It will separate at first but will eventually come together with enough stirring Directions for Assembly: 1) Warm the apricot jam and pass it through a sieve to ensure it is smooth and spreadable 2) Slice the cake in half and spread half the jam on one of the halves before stacking the other half on top 3) Spread the remaining jam on the top layer of the cake 4) Pour over and carefully spread the chocolate glaze on top of the layered cake after it comes together Serve with unsweetened whipped cream and enjoy :) * I couldn't find an equivalent for tablespoons of chocolate that made sense, so instead I opted to add ounces as many baking chocolate bars are sold in amounts listed in ounces

“Always have more chocolate than you think you need” -Max Miller This is the most important life advice in history

Thank you Max for having the valentry to put yourself in the line of duty and trying all those cakes for us in Vienna.

Every time Max Miller smiles... an angel gets his wings.

The best Sachertorte, I have eaten is handmade by my mother. And the cake is never dry, but deliciously soft. The combination of chocolate, apricote jam and cake is pure heaven. Advise from an Austrian, make yourself a Sachertorte, you won’t regret it. Greetings from Vienna 🇦🇹😊

As a poor student in uni, a colleague, who had rich parents, would come to mine once a week and bring two slices of sachertorte and I'd make some strong coffee. It was one of my rare treats which I am reminded of every time I see this in a cafe.

fun fact: Schlagobers is just the normal Austrian word for whipped cream, it's not unique to the Sachertorte but rather the general term for whipped cream

I also heard rumours, that they kept the typical dryness until today - which could be easily be overcome with modern ingredients - was because of the worldwide shipping. Since they mostly ship der cakes, they had to make sure, they arrive well and in a similar condition as in the Cafe. By keeping it dry, it took much longer to get rotten and arrived in a more "fresh" condition. And after living in vienna for about five years, I can say: the best Sacher cakes are the ones, that don´t claim to be the original. Also for another austrian themed dessert-video: Salzburger Nockerl.

Honestly - Austria deserves its own series of videos. There are so many delicious cakes and cookies, not to mention the soups and boiled dishes with meat. Amazing video, thanks for the info!

My grandparents brought us a sacher torte one year for the holidays when I was maybe 8. The leftover box became 8 yo mes treasure box and still holds all my tiny treasures. Since then, my grandma made it every year (a version with toasted ground hazelnuts) she passed on Friday so this video was a nice little surprise.

unsweetened whipped cream with pastries and cakes is so underrated

For the yolk pronunciation—I think either is fine, it just depends on your region/accent. Imo one of the hardest aspects of English is not just how inconsistent our pronunciation rules are, but how much they can vary from place to place. I imagine it’s especially tricky for a German speaker, since it’s one of those languages where every single letter gets pronounced