- Country of origin
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- Category
- Dessert
- Difficulty
- ●●○ Medium
- Preparation
- 45 min
- Cooking
- 1h
- Servings
- 8-10 people
The technique behind the glaze
A sachertorte lives or dies on two precise techniques rather than a long ingredient list: a chocolate sponge aerated only with whipped egg whites, no baking powder involved, and a glaze that must be poured in one continuous motion over a cold cake and smoothed before it starts to set. Rush the sponge and it collapses; hesitate with the glaze and the surface shows every stroke of the spatula instead of the smooth, mirror-like finish the cake is known for.
History
The sachertorte was invented in 1832 by Franz Sacher, then a sixteen-year-old apprentice pastry chef, tasked with improvising an impressive dessert for a banquet given by Austrian statesman Prince Metternich, after the head chef had fallen ill.
The exact sachertorte recipe was at the center of a real legal battle in the 20th century between Vienna’s Hotel Sacher, which claims the “true” sachertorte, and the Demel pastry shop, which sued over the rights to use the name and recipe. This dispute, settled in the 1960s, still distinguishes today’s “Original Sachertorte” from “Sacher Torte” made elsewhere.
Ingredients — for 8-10 people
- 150 g (5.3 oz) dark chocolate, 150 g (⅔ cup) butter
- 150 g (¾ cup) sugar, 6 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
- 150 g (1¼ cups) flour
- 200 g (⅔ cup) apricot jam
- 150 g (5.3 oz) dark chocolate and 150 ml (⅔ cup) cream for the glaze
Austrian sachertorte recipe, step by step
- Melt the chocolate with the butter over a double boiler, then let cool slightly.
- Beat the egg yolks with half the sugar until pale, then fold in the chocolate-butter mixture.
- Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks with the remaining sugar, then gently fold into the batter along with the sifted flour.
- Pour into a buttered cake pan and bake at 170°C (340°F) for about 50 minutes, then let cool completely.
- Cut the cake in half, spread warmed apricot jam between the layers, reassemble, and coat the outside with jam as well.
- Make a glaze by melting chocolate and cream together, pour over the cold cake in one smooth layer, and let set.
Cooking method
Technique: a chocolate sponge made without baking powder, aerated only by whipped egg whites, with a glossy glaze poured on in a single pass.
Traditional equipment: a round cake pan, an offset spatula for smoothing the glaze.
Tips: the glaze must be poured all at once and smoothed quickly before it starts to set, for a glossy, unmarked finish.
Nutrition, per serving
Calculated from the raw ingredient quantities, divided by nine servings.
Two layers of dark chocolate — in the sponge and again in the glaze — push saturated fat to 20 g per serving, on the higher end for a cake slice of this size. The apricot jam contributes a meaningful share of the 64 g of carbohydrate alongside the sugar in the sponge itself.
Economic context
Chocolate and imported apricot jam made the sachertorte a genuine luxury item when Franz Sacher first improvised it for a prince’s banquet in 1832 — a status the cake still carries today through the Hotel Sacher’s premium, trademarked version.
Source: World Bank / FAO, Food Prices for Nutrition database (Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet) v4.0, 2024 data, CC BY 4.0, DOI 10.57966/41AN-KY81. Retrieved 29 July 2026. This figure describes the cost of a healthy diet in Austria generally — it is not a costing of this specific recipe.
Who this dish suits
Fits well with
- An occasional rich dessert rather than a daily one
- Bakers looking to practice precise glaze and sponge technique
Worth knowing
- 20 g of saturated fat per serving, from two layers of dark chocolate
- Contains gluten, dairy, and eggs
- Traditionally served with unsweetened whipped cream to offset the cake’s sweetness
What about you?
In your opinion, what’s the best place or restaurant to enjoy a great sachertorte?