Happy world chocolate day! To celebrate, here are some random musings about chocolate that I tend to have while browsing pinterest, cooking, or generally just living.
For me, chocolate is extremely nostalgic. I think the first time I saw chocolate as not just chocolate but CHOCOLATE was while reading Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory as an eight year old. I’ve never wanted to eat chocolate more. Until I saw the film.
Chocolate pudding was the highlight of my childhood. It was one of the limited selection of desserts that did the rounds on our dinner table over the week and I preferred it so much over vanilla custard, fruit cream, stewed peaches, which were few of the others. When i started baking, a couple of years ago, I saw a recipe for ‘chocolate pots de creme’ and I realised it’s nothing more than the chocolate pudding from the 90s! I will always call it chocolate pudding, the more honest, more humble name for the fancy pots de creme.
Now, I’m a dark chocolate over milk chocolate person, I dream of godiva truffles and ghirardeli 70% chocolate bars and not willy wonka ones, I’m a huge sucker for liquor in my chocolate, or coffee, or sea salt. My mom’s 2-minute chocolate cake is still my favorite but this is a close second.
A sacher torte is essentially a rich, 2-layer chocolate cake, with apricot jam in between and a dark chocolate glaze on top. YUMMY. A friend sent me some homemade apricot jam and so I gave it a shot! I’ve made many chocolate cakes in my life and I can’t say i’ll ever not like a chocolate cake to be fair but this one really…takes the cake ?!
You decide - here’s the recipe: adapted from Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Ingredients:
For the cakes:
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
45 g unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
150 g flour
200 g sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
140 g unsalted butter
A jar of apricot jam
For the chocolate cream glaze:
250 g bittersweet cooking chocolate
1 cup cream
Process:
Preheat your oven to 180 ˚ Celcius and line two 7-inch cake tins with greased parchment*
To make the cakes, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla & eggs. Beat again.
Mix the cocoa powder and boiling water in a bowl and stir until smooth. Add to the batter.
Lastly, with the mixer on low speed, add the flour one spoonful at a time.
Divide the batter equally in two pans and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool before inverting onto a wire rack. The cakes will be very tender so be careful and gentle.
Take one layer of the cake and spread apricot jam on top. Place the second layer on top of the bottom layer.
Place the cake on a wire rack with a tray underneath.
To make the glaze, melt the chocolate over a bain marie or in 30 second spurts in the microwave. Add the cream and whisk until smooth.
Gradually pour the warm glaze on top until it fully covers the cake. Decorate with raspberries, cherries or leave as it is.
Let it cook on the rack and then refrigerate until ready to serve - or eat right away!