Sacher Torte

Vienna, home of breathtaking architecture, grand palaces, Mozart’s music and the Sacher Torte!  While I was researching a trip to Vienna I stumbled upon this delectable dessert which is served at the Sacher Hotel and added it to my list of things to see.  I had planned the trip for my mother, my dog and me to hit as many sites as we could in 3 days.  One thing I hadn’t planned for which was a pleasant surprise was the Stadtfest (city festival) at the Rathaus (town hall) square.  The Stadtfest hosted a large festival with music, food and entertainment that went through evening.  We spent much of the first day outside enjoying the Stadtfest and Viennese culture.  The most stunning photo I took of Vienna was the Rathaus lit up like a candle at dusk.

During the trip we spent the days seeing the magnificent sights such as the Stephansdom the cities prominent gothic cathedral, the Naschmarkt market “the belly of Vienna” where we bought most of our meals and 3 of us walked the grounds of the 2 Belvedere Baroque palaces (Upper Belvedere below).

We also touring the inside of the Neo Renaissance Staatsoper (city opera) with Olive my dog tucked in my bag.  Shortly after our tour ended we headed outside to watch the opera on the big screen hanging on the exterior of the Staatsoper (below).   The city is very proud of its culture and likes to make the it accessible to all Viennese and tourists.

While my mother loves the opera, my eyes started to wander and notice the Sacher Hotel across the street.  We headed over and found that the Sacher Torte is the most famous Viennese culinary speciality invented by Franz Sacher in 1832 for Prince Metternich to serve to his guests.  My raw version follows the same guidelines as the original with two thick layers of chocolate cake, an apricot jam center and smothered in rich chocolate frosting!  It is wonderfully rich and chocolatey without being too sweet and looks gorgeous topped with Cape Gooseberries.  It was such a hit last weekend at a Raw Food Potluck in Hamburg that I had to jump the queue in order to get a slice!

Sacher Torte

Apricot Jam Filling:

• 1 c Dried Apricots, finely chopped
• 1/4 c Lemon Juice
• 1/4 c Filtered Water

Blend half of the apricots, lemon and water in a personal blender.  You might need to give it several sakes while it is blending as it is a thick paste.  Empty into a bowl and repeat with the other half of the ingredients.  Empty the rest into the bowl and set aside.

Chocolate Cake:

• 4 c Walnut halves or 3 c Walnut meal
• 2/3 c Cacao or Carob Powder
• Pinch Himalayan Salt
• 1 1/4 c Dates

Process the walnuts halves until a course meal is formed or dump the walnut meal in a food processor.  While the food processor is processing on low, slowly pour in the cacao or carob powder and salt.  Stop the food processor and scrap down the sides.  Turn the food processor back on low and add the dates one at a time.  Once the dates are completely incorporated, dump the cake dough into a large bowl.  Divide the dough as equally as you can and add half to a 8 inch spring pan.  Be sure to wipe the spring pan with coconut oil so the dough does not stick.  Lightly press the dough into place being sure to create a flat surface.  Pour the Apricot Jam over the top and smooth over.  Let set for 1-2 hours in the freezer until the Apricot Jam is firm but not solid or frozen.  Dump the rest of the cake dough over the top of the Apricot Jam layer and press lightly into place.  Let set for 1 hour in the freezer or in the fridge until you are ready to frost the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

• 1 1/2 c Ripe Avocado, chopped
• 1 1/4 c Dates
• 1/3 c Cacao or Carob Powder
• 1/4-1/3 c Filtered Water, or more depending on how dry the Dates are
• 10-20 Drops of Liquid Stevia, depending on how sweet the Dates are

Process the avocado and dates in a food processor until only a few lumps remain.  Add the water then the cacao or carob powder.  Check for sweetness and add stevia accordingly.  You might need to process the frosting more and add additional water, a tablespoon at a time if it is still too lumpy.  Once the frosting is smooth, dump into a medium size bowl.

To frost the cake, remove the spring pan side and place on a cutting board.  Add half the frosting to the top and slightly smooth over.  Add more to the sides using an offset spatula.  Once you have frosting on all sides of the cake, use the offset spatula to smooth over the sides while you turn the cutting board to rotate the cake.  Smooth over the top surface and top with Cape Gooseberries with the husk turned inside out for a beautiful effect.

Makes 1 8″ Spring Pan Cake