Flourless Sacher Torte - Rich & Dense Chocolate Ganache Enveloped Cake

The Sacher Torte would have to be the world's most famous chocolate cake.  First created for Prince Metternich, by Franz Sacher, a 16 year old apprentice at the court, the original recipe has been a well kept secret since 1832.


Countless variations of Sacher Torte recipes exist, this is my version of the cake which captures the richness and denseness of the original.  This recipe uses almond meal instead of wheat flour so is totally gluten and wheat free.


This cake keeps well, and I often bake it the day before I ice it.

Flourless Sacher Torte

Ingredients:
Torte

     6 Eggs
     2/3 Cup Sugar
     160gr Butter
     200gr Dark Chocolate
     1 1/2 Cups Almond Meal
     Apricot Jam
 Ganache

     150gr Dark Chocolate
     100ml Pouring Cream


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius, and ensure the rack is positioned in the middle of the oven.
2. Separate the eggs and place the egg yolks and sugar into a mixer bowl and beat until pale and creamy.
3. In the meantime, place the 200gr of chopped chocolate and butter into a small pan and stir over a very low heat until just combined. The mixture should be tepid at all times - not hot.
4. Gently stir the warm chocolate / butter mixture into the creamed sugar and eggs.
5. Fold almond meal into the mixture.
6. Place the egg whites into another bowl and beat to stiff peak stage.
7. Stir 1/3 of the egg whites thoroughly into the chocolate almond mixture.
8. Gently fold the remaining egg whites through the mixture.
9. Pour into a greased round spring form cake tin that has had the base lined with baking paper.
10. Bake for around 1 hour - or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
11. Leave to rest for 15 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a cooling rack.
12. When cold, slice the cake through the middle and spread a generous layer of apricot jam on one half and sandwich together again.  Remove any crumbs on the cake's outer surface by gently brushing with a pastry brush.
13. Prepare the ganache by heating the cream until it just comes to the boil.  Remove from the heat and stir in the finely chopped chocolate until all the chocolate has melted.  Stir gently, to avoid introducing too many air bubbles.  Allow to cool slightly.
14. Pour a couple of tablespoons of ganache onto the cake and spread with a spatula to seal any crumbs and prepare the base for the remaining ganache.
15. Place the cake into the refrigerator for 5 minutes to set the thin layer of ganache.
16. Then cover the cake by pouring the remaining ganache onto the centre of the cake.  Working quickly, spread the mixture with a spatula to push the ganache over the edges and evenly onto the sides of the cake.
17. Allow the ganache to set.  This cake is traditionally served with a small dollop of whipped cream.

Banana Bread: Nature's wonder fruit just became a whole lot better

Banana bread - It was a favourite years ago and it's still a favourite now.  Whether you call it banana bread, banana loaf or banana cake, one thing's certain, we all love it.


There are countless variations of recipes, my favourite, is simple, fast and just about foolproof.  If you find yourself with some bananas that are overly ripe this is the perfect way to use them.  It's also possible to use thawed frozen bananas for this - just peel and wrap in cling film to freeze.  


Now you have NO excuses for throwing overly ripe brown bananas away!

Banana Bread

Required time:  10 minutes preparation, 55 minutes baking

Ingredients:

  Dry Ingredients:

     1 3/4 cups Plain flour

     3/4 cup Sugar

     1 cup Walnuts (coarsely chopped)

     1 1/4 tsp Baking powder

     1/4 tsp Salt

     1 tsp Cinnamon

  

Wet Ingredients 

     2 Eggs (lightly beaten)

     1/2 cup Rice bran oil

     3 Bananas (over ripe)

     1 tsp Vanilla extract or essence

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Grease and flour a loaf tin approximately 23cm x 13cm x 8 cm.
3. In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients, I like to use a hand whisk for this.
4. In a medium size bowl combine all the wet ingredients well.
5. Lightly fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until it has just combined - it is crucial to FOLD and NOT MIX the ingredients or you risk making your loaf rubbery and tough.
6. Turn the mix into the prepared tin and place on a rack in the middle of the oven.
7. Bake for approximately 50 - 55 minutes, at which stage the loaf should be golden brown.  To test whether the cake is fully cooked insert a skewer into the thickest part of the loaf and withdraw- if it's not sticky and no dough is stuck to it, then the cake is done.
8. Allow the loaf to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan, then remove and place onto a rack to fully cool.
9. Enjoy...