Mary Berry’s Chocolate Apricot Cake (Homemade Sacher Torte)

Photo courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

Recipe Courtesy: Mary Berry

Sometimes you just stumble on to great recipes. This is exactly what happened with me. I was just browsing for a new chocolate cake recipe when I found Mary Berry’s easy Chocolate Apricot Cake. I tried it to bake two homely looking cakes for one of Debarshi’s office parties.

These cakes turned out so delicious that Debarshi saved a piece for me so that I can try it myself. After tasting the cake, I was convinced that this deserves a place on my blog.

I started doing my research so that I can post the recipe. However, when I looked for Chocolate Apricot Cake, google started showing me results for ‘Sacher Torte’ and I thought hmm..this is interesting.

So, what I learned, Sacher Torte is a classic chocolate cake. It has an apricot jam filling and a decadent chocolate icing on top and sides. It was invented by Franz Sacher in 1832 for the prince of Vienna, Austria. It is one of the most famous Viennese culinary specialties. Of course, there is no way to know the original recipe, however, bakers all over the world have tried to create something very close to the original Torte or as we call it – Cake. Traditionally, it is served with unsweetened whipped cream (now you are talking!). Yum, yum! 

The cake is prepared in advance so that the chocolate topping gets enough time to set properly. The apricot jam filling, makes a moist layer in the center. It is indeed a sweet surprise and it makes sense since it was created for a prince. It has layers of flavors complimenting each other.

After all my research I concluded that Mary’s recipe comes very close to all the Sacher Torte’s recipes I have seen online. Yes, there are expert chefs who have done some extra ordinary difficult steps to prepare this cake. However, what I love most about Mary’s recipes is the simplicity. She bakes from the heart, the instructions are easy to follow and the result is always delicious. So, if you want to bake a Sacher Torte at home for your little prince (princess or even your king) then this recipe is perfect. 

Mary Berry decorated the cake with some white chocolate strips. I thought this is a Chocolate Apricot Cake, what else will fit perfectly than a few bright apricot pieces dipped in chocolate. I think they look very cute with the dark chocolate icing. 

This recipe makes two small 6-inch cake layers. You can of course go for a tiered cake like I did. Making a perfect Sacher Torte with a level top needs practice but even if the presentation is imperfect, it will still taste absolutely delightful and rich. 

Since the cake is coated with chocolate, it will start melting when stored at room temperature so keep it refrigerated. Cover the cake with the cake dome so that the beautiful decoration and topping doesn’t get disturbed. 

If you would rather serve a simple homemade Chocolate Apricot cake, then you can just skip the decoration. You can also just fill and top the cake and not the sides. It will still taste very good and also look different. 

Finally, don’t forget to share with friends and family. 

Ingredients:

For the Cake-

• Cocoa Powder - 4 tablespoons 
• Boiling water - 6 tablespoons 
• Eggs - 3 
• Milk - 2 tablespoons 
• All Purpose flour - 12 tablespoons 
• Baking Powder - 1 rounded teaspoon plus 1 + 1/8 teaspoons
• Butter – 4 Oz, softened 
• Superfine Sugar – 1 ¼ cups 

Tip: You can just use regular granulated sugar like I did. Just put it in a zip lock bag and beat it a couple of times with a mallet or rolling pin to crush it.

Icing and Filling:

• Chocolate – 1 cup, chocolate chips or bar broken into small pieces
• Heavy Cream – 1 cup
• Apricot Jam – 3-4 tablespoons 
• Dried Apricots – 10-12 pieces

Directions:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
• Grease two 6-inch cake pans. To make a tiered cake, use one 9 inch and another 6-inch pan. Line them with parchment and grease again.
• This cake is prepared in an all in one method, attach the stand mixer bowl and the beater.
• Add the Cocoa Powder and boiling water into the stand mixer bowl, and mix well to make a paste. 

• Add the Eggs, followed by the Butter then Sugar.
• Add the Flour, Baking Powder and Milk.

• Start beating on the lowest speed and continue till it is beautifully smooth. 
• Divide the cake mixture into two portions for the two 6 inch pans (Tip: If using a 9-inch pan, make sure to keep one portion a little more than the other).
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 22-25 minutes until well risen. 
• Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for ten minutes. 
• To turn out, loosen the sides of the tin with a palette knife. 
• Turn the cake over on a mitten then turn it on the cooling rack (do not peel the parchment paper right now).

To Prepare the Icing and Filling (Ganache):

• Boil the Heavy Cream in the microwave for 2 minutes on High.
• Add the chocolate and stir well with a whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture looks smooth. 
• Set aside and allow to become cold and almost set.

To Assemble and Decorate:

• Spread the tops of each cake with 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of Apricot Jam. 

• Divide the Ganache into 4 parts.
• Spread the tops of each cake with one part of the Ganache. 

• Coat the sides of the cakes with one portion of the Ganache. 
• Dip the Dried Apricots in the remaining Ganache and stick all around the cake.

Tip: If you want to skip the decoration, just divide the Ganache into two parts for the two cake layers. Spread, set and enjoy.

We enjoyed the leftover Sacher Torte the next morning with a cup of coffee.

Recommended Reading (Some recipes with Chocolate):

• Chocolate Ganache - Low Carb Dessert
• Black Forest Gateau
• Chocolate Coconut Cake
• Shave Chocolate with a Peeler
• Chocolate Raspberry Cake
• Chocolaty Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Chocolate and Vanilla Half and Half Muffins
• Chocolate Sponge Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream
• Simple Chocolate Cake
• Delicious Chocolate Orange Muffins
• Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
• Prepare the Chocolate Glaze
• Basic Kitchen Measurements
• Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
• Remember the characteristics of a good quality Cake
• Mary Berry’s Victoria Sandwich Cake
• Martha Stewart’s Classic Pound Cake

Chocolate and Vanilla Half and Half Muffins

Photo Courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

I baked these delicious muffins for Debarshi’s office party and let me tell you, these muffins are not only fun to bake but great to eat too. These soft and fluffy buttery sugary Chocolate Vanilla muffins are sure to be a hit in a party as kids love the chocolate over load and adults adore the cute combination. Decorated with both white and dark chocolate chips these muffins will bring a smile on your face before you even eat them. I made a few changes in the original recipe and they turned out amazing! Also, just for this recipe, I decided not to follow the ¾ cup rule which asks to fill the muffin cups only to the ¾th cup level, I filled them up to the top so once they started rising, the tops rose to form big beautiful round domes just like the ones sold in bakeries. So don’t wait, bake these scrumptious half and half muffins today!

This recipe will yield 12 big muffins

Ingredients:

Dry Products-

• All Purpose Flour - 2 and ½ cups 
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – 3 tablespoons
• Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon
• Baking Powder - 1 tablespoon
• Salt – ½ teaspoon
• Dark Chocolate Chips - about 2-3 tablespoons (I used Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Baking Chips, 60% Cacao, Bittersweet Chocolate)
• White Baking Chips - about 2-3 tablespoons (I used Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Baking Chips, Classic White Chips)

Wet Products-

• Unsalted Butter - ½ cup (or 1 stick) at room temperature
• White Sugar - 1 cup 
• Plain Yogurt - ½ cup 
• Milk - ½ cup (I used 2%)
• Eggs - 2 large, at room temperature
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon 

Others:

• Muffin Tray
• Muffin Cups - 12
• Spray Oil – for greasing
• Stand mixer recommended

Directions:

• Prepare the muffin baking tray – grease the tray, arrange the muffin cups on them and grease/ spray them with Oil, this double greasing will prevent the batter from sticking on the tray thus yielding smooth bakery standard muffins.
• Put a sifter on a large bowl and sift all the dry ingredients (All Purpose Flour, 
• Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt). Set aside. Please do not skip this step. 
• In the stand mixer bowl, combine the Unsalted Butter and White Sugar. Attach the flat beater and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until fluffy. 
• Add the Eggs (one at a time), Plain Yogurt and Milk and beat until well mixed. 
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
• Add the flour mixture a little at a time, beating on low speed until just blended, being careful not to over mix (Tip: I keep the stand mixer running on low speed and I add continuously a tablespoon of the flour mixture into the egg mixture. This ensures that the flour mixes properly. I keep adding the flour until I have used the entire mixture)
• Divide the batter between two bowls. Stir Vanilla Extract into one bowl of the batter. Stir Unsweetened Cocoa Powder into the other bowl of the batter.
• Spoon vanilla batter into one side of each of the prepared muffin cups. Spoon chocolate batter into the other side of each muffin cup, filling the cups full. Sprinkle dark chocolate pieces over the vanilla batter and white baking pieces over the chocolate batter. 
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them sit inside the pan for 2 minutes.
• In the meantime, arrange cooling racks on the kitchen counter and carefully remove the Muffins from the tray and transfer them on the cooling rack. Do not turn the tray upside down as the Muffins will be soft and may break. Do not skip this step as it will make the bottoms soggy (Tip: I use two spoons to scoop out the hot muffins from the tray and transfer).
• Let them cool for about 5- 10 minutes then serve.
• Enjoy these scrumptious Muffins whenever you want. They are made of Chocolate remember.

Tips: 

• Measure all the ingredients before starting the mixing and baking. Sometimes it may seem that you have enough flour or vanilla extract but when you actually measure them, they are less than you expected. So, instead of running to the store at that last minute, measure them beforehand.
• Keep the eggs and butter at room temperature so that they mix easily and evenly.
• Make sure you are not dropping any egg shells in the mixing bowl. If you are having trouble, use a small bowl. Crack each egg into the bowl, check for shell fragments, then pour it into the mixing bowl. This is also a great way to make sure that we are not using any rotten eggs.
• Chocolate tastes even better the next day but do not keep these muffins outside for long. Transfer to a container in a single layer, cover and refrigerate. Before serving, heat them up for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.

Recommended Reading:

• Blueberry Orange Muffin
• Chocolaty Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Cranberry Orange Muffin
• Muffin Making and Baking Tips
• Muffin Making and Baking Tips 102
• Basic Kitchen Measurements
• Fabulous Lemon Muffins with Lemon Syrup
• Delicious Chocolate Orange Muffins
• Yummy Brownies
• Mary Berry’s Chocolate Apricot Cake (Homemade Sacher Torte)