Famous for its chocolate glaze and its rich, velvety texture filled with jam, the Sacher Torte is definitely the queen of chocolate cakes, or at least it is a prominent member of the family. It was in fact created for a prince named Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, Chancellor of the Austrian Empire.
The year was 1832. The place was Vienna. The prince, who was entertaining a group of eminent guests, ordered his staff to prepare a special dessert. But a problem arose. The head chef suddenly became ill, so the task fell upon the sixteen-year-old apprentice named Franz Sacher. The disheartened prince told the boy, "I hope you don't embarrass me this evening!" Undaunted by this responsibility, the talented teenager took a look at the available ingredients — dark chocolate, apricot jam and whipped cream — and promptly invented the Sacher Torte. The prince and his illustrious guests were enthusiastic, Sacher continued to enjoy a successful career, and his culinary heritage was passed down to subsequent generations of his family.
Interestingly, this cake bears the name of its creator and not of its client. Who knows if it would have reached the same international fame with the name Metternich Torte?
Today each pastry shop has its own version of this chocolate delight. Marchesi 1824 is particularly proud of its interpretation, consisting of two layers of light cocoa sponge cake filled with dark chocolate cream and with a heart of raspberry or apricot jelly covered with dark chocolate mousse.
Inspired by the tradition of decorating each slice with a gold disk, Marchesi 1824 has reinvented this symbolism with a gold-foil circle topped with a fresh raspberry.
The combination of slightly tart, fresh raspberries and intense dark chocolate gives the Marchesi 1824 Sacher Torte a delightful flavour that is perfect in any season.
