Sumitra Senapathy finds out what's unique about the Austrian delicacy, Sacher torte

If there was ever a torte that tasted more delicious, that travelled better, that looked more elegant and that was considerably less expensive there would still be only one, one real Sacher torte and everything else would be an imitation or a variation on the theme of Sacher torte.

What Is Sacher Torte?
Torte is the German word for 'cake'. Although they may be single layered, tortes are usually sliced into several layers and filled with whipped cream, jam or butter cream. And Sacher torte is the typical tender, fluffy chocolate cake with tasty apricot jam underneath the coating, named after its inventor, Franz Sacher.

How It All Began
It was the year 1832. Prince Metternich gave an order to create a particularly delicious dessert for spoiled, high-class guests. "But don't get me into disgrace, tonight," he said. And all this, at a time when the chef had taken ill. The order got passed on and finally ended up with a 16-year-old apprentice, Franz Sacher. Nobody knows exactly what happened thereafter. His efforts were, however, crowned by success and this was the beginning of the tour de force of what probably is the world's most famous cake.

The Story Now...
Today, there is only one Sacher torte. It is also the only one whose history is documented in the archives of the hotel. Incidentally, Hotel Sacher is a world-renowned hotel founded by Franz Sacher's son, Edward Sacher, in 1876.

Vienna is known to be the sweet tooth of Europe, and probably has more talented pastry chefs than in any city in the world. It is no wonder then that several local hotels have come up with their own versions, which are no doubt pretty good. But, 'Sacher' smiles at these little follies. Imitations are the sincerest form of flattery.

The Original Sacher Torte
The original Sacher torte keeps well. In fact, it gets better with a little ageing, which means it is the ideal present for faraway friends. Interestingly, a legal quarrel simmered between Sacher and the famous pastry 'Demel' for nearly a quarter of a century and was not settled until 1965. Finally, it was decided that only Sacher could call its cake 'original', and so even the highest court of the land lent its attention to a humble chocolate cake.

The Secret
The secret, of course, is probably the best-kept one of the Sacher house. Nobody will say exactly how it is made or if the reason for its delectable consistency should be attributed to the baking time, the balance of ingredients or some arcane cooking procedure. Of course, the annual order of 4,00,000 eggs and 12 tons of chocolate and jam do suggest certain largesse in its composition.

So, What's Unique About It?
Like the Sacher Hotel itself, there is no stinting on quality, no corners cut, and no restrictions placed on the buyer. When the chocolate seal guaranteeing an 'Original Sacher Torte' is placed upon the icing by hand, a little work of culinary art has been completed and is ready for serving in the café, the restaurant, or being transported in its elegant wooden box to any place at home or abroad.

Did You Know?
• That an Original Sacher Torte produced at Hotel Sacher in 1998 with a diameter of 2.5 meters is even included in the 'Guinness Book of Records 2000'?
• That the Original Sacher Torte is protected by trademark and at present, there are no re-sale licences whatsoever anywhere on earth?
• That the annual number of Sacher tortes produced totals approximately 2,70,000?
• That they are still manually covered with apricot jam, coated with chocolate, and packed?

Bake It Yourself
Ingredients
150 g butter
150 g cooking chocolate
90 g castor sugar
8 egg yolks
8 egg whites
60 g sugar
150 g flour
A pinch of salt
Apricot jam
For the icing:
250 g sugar
250 ml water
500 g cooking chocolate

To make the torte:
Beat the butter, cooking chocolate and castor sugar until fluffy, stirring in the yolks one by one. Whisk the egg white, add the sugar and fold carefully into the butter mixture, adding the flour gradually. Butter a cake tin, sprinkle with flour, pour in the cake mixture and bake slowly for an hour. Turn out onto a cake rack and allow to cool. Then glaze the top of the cake with hot apricot jam and cover with chocolate icing.

For the icing:
Bring the sugar and water to a boil, add cooking chocolate and cook on low heat until it thickens. But it should remain a fluid consistency before putting onto the cake.