The recipe for these Sacher Cake Bars comes from a friend who is from Lower Austria. Her family owns an Austrian Gasthaus there and they know good, authentic Austrian food.
These Sacher Cake Bars have all the elements of a traditional Viennese Sacher Torte but are so much easier to make and, I think, even more delicious. The light chocolate cake is soft and moist. The cake is then spread with a thin layer of fruity jam and topped with a fudgy chocolate ganache. Sacher Cake Bars are so luscious and chocolatey!
Sacher Cake Bars slice beautifully into perfect squares and they can be transported right in the sheet cake pan. They’re just perfect for taking to any gathering and everyone loves them! You would be the star of the office by brightening your co-workers' week with these Viennese cake bars.
Sacher Cake Bars
Ingredients
Cake
- 7 ounces (200 g) semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted
- 6 eggs separated
- 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons (7 ounces or 200 g) butter room temperature
- 2 ¾ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk room temperature
- About 1 generous cup (300 g) apricot, black currant or raspberry jam preferably seedless
Chocolate Ganache
- 14 tablespoons (7 ounces or 200 g) butter cubed
- 10 ½ ounces (300 g) semi-sweet baking chocolate chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (170°C). Grease 16x13 inch (ca. 40x32 cm) cake pan with butter.
- For the cake: beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs yolks, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Alternately add melted chocolate, milk and the flour mixture and beat on low speed to combine. Fold in one-third of the beaten egg whites, then fold in the rest of the egg whites.
- Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Test for doneness with a wooden toothpick. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- For the ganache: melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or in one-minute intervals in the microwave. Stir until completely smooth. Stir in oil. Chill ganache until slightly thickened.
- Gently heat the jam to thin it. Spread jam over cooled cake. Spread chocolate ganache over the jam and allow it to set before cutting cake. Stored at room temperature, cake bars will stay fresh for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Leave a Reply