European diplomacy
The first decades of 19th century were marked by revolutions that sought to liberate peoples, nations, and classes from various enemies. Not surprisingly, the governments of Britain, Russia & Austria opposed these movements in the hope of safe-guarding the balance of power that existed in the early 1790s. France joined them after Napoleon's defeat but it was Austria's foreign minister who played a key role in European diplomacy. Klemens von Metternich was born into a noble family and served in various posts before he was appointed Chancellor in 1821. He was against liberalism in general, and sometimes anxious when it came to formal dinners. One can imagine his uneasiness when a 16-year-old apprentice replaced his chef who suddenly fell ill some time in 1832 but -thankfully- the lad was Franz Sacher, whose culinary skills delighted Metternich's guests.
 |
| Metternich at the Congress of Vienna, 1815 |
 |
| Franz Sacher |
Haute cuisine in the 1830s
Viennese cuisine was still under the influence of Paris (& Milan). Sacher was just a pupil but there is no doubt that his cake was based on the latest trends of haute cuisine. He could have done no less for Metternich who shared the opinion that culinary art must be the servant of diplomacy (stated by the French Marie-Antoine Carême, best-selling author of L'art de la cuisine française au XIXe siècle & other works). After completing his training in Slovakia and Hungary, Franz returned to Vienna where he opened a shop. The cake he served at Metternich's dinner became popular with time but the recipe was kept a secret until 1912. His son Eduard worked at the Demel bakery, where he perfected Sachertorte. He later opened a hotel. It was his spouse Anna, last owner of The Sacher, who gave the recipe for publishing.
 |
| Hotel Sacher in 1870 |
The 'Original Sachertorte'
In 1938 a legal dispute arose between The Sacher and the Demel bakery. Both parties claimed possession of the 'Original Sachertorte' until 1963, when they agreed that Hotel Sacher owned the label. The Demel was only allowed to name its cake 'Eduard-Sacher-Torte'. Meanwhile, Anna's 'original' recipe was published in Viennese Cooking, adapted for American use by O. & A. Hess though its accuracy was debated by a visitor of the hotel, who claimed that Frau Sacher never brushed the cake with jam. Interestingly, the Demel Sachercake which is based on Eduard's version, consists of two layers with a jam filling in between. With this in mind, two questions arise for the lover of history. One, what did Franz's cake really taste like? And two, why did Eduard need to 'perfect' his father's recipe though it was readily approved by connoiseurs like Metternich? I believe a puzzle like this can only be solved with the discovery of a personal account (letter, journal etc.) by someone that was present at the 1832 dinner. Until then I place my faith in Anna Sacher, whose version can be guessed by reading between the lines.
SACHERTORTE
This is a version of Sachertorte following Anna's recipe from Viennese Cooking, adapted for American use by O. & A. Hess, minus the apricot jam filling, which I believe was added by the editors.
I n g r e d i e n t s
for the cake
175g milk chocolate, grated
175g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
8 egg yolks
115g plain flour
10 egg whites
for the icing
250g milk chocolate
250g caster sugar
100ml water
M e t h o d
1. Set the oven to 150C. Line a baking sheet with paper. Adjust a cake ring at 20cm, place on the baking sheet and grease the paper. 2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool. Beat the butter until fluffy, about 15 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, melted chocolate, yolks (one by one), and flour. Beat the egg whites stiff and fold into the mixture. 3. Pour into the cake ring and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack. 4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. In the mean time, cook the sugar and water to thread. Gradually fold into the chocolate, then pour the mixture over the cake. Leave to set for 2-3 hours. 5. Cut into wedges and serve. Don't refrigerate.
A l t e r n a t i v e l y, divide the base into three layers, one very thin (which you are going to crumble) and the other two of equal height. Mix the crumbs with 6tbsp apricot jam (passed through a fine sieve), then assemble the cake by putting this filling between the sponge layers.
5 December is Sachertorte Day in the United States of America.
Comments