This classic Viennese cake has been Austria’s favourite for a century and a half, and not surprisingly so. Our vegan Sachertorte brings this cake into the 21st century. Who would say no to a rich chocolate cake filled with apricot jam and topped with dark chocolate icing?
Yep, another Austrian classic that we veganised. Our vegan Sachertorte recipe is easy as cake, erm, pie, and just as rich, chocolate-y and fruity, and every bit as indulgent as the original.
The Origin of the Iconic Sachertorte
Ok, hands up, who does NOT like chocolate cake? … I thought so, nobody. But what makes the Sachertorte so special among chocolate cakes? Why do thousands of tourists and locals alike visit Hotel Sacher in Vienna for a slim slice of this cake? Well, for one, Viennese cuisine from the era of the Austrian-Hungarian empire is known to be super-indulgent, and the Sachertorte is no exception to that.
Secondly, it’s been originally designed for a special occasion back in 1832, and perfected by the Sacher family over the decades. And what's more, it’s rich and dark chocolate flavour, complemented with the fruity sweetness of apricot jam, makes you melt away just like the icing on your tongue.
The Story of our Vegan Sachertorte
Sophie first made a vegan Sachertorte last year for Paul’s birthday - so just like the original, it was conceived for a special occasion. And now as we celebrate our first birthday here at Vegan on Board - it's about time we publish it here on the blog.
This cake tastes incredible!!! But we almost didn't share it with you...
Why? Because we got too caught up in making the perfect vegan sachertorte. We must have gone through dozens of versions of this cake, and variations on the glaze. Like Goldilocks we found some versions too sweet, some too dull and so on... Sophie preferred one of the tests, whereas Paul preferred another... And so, we worked away, much like Sacher himself, to try and find the version that was just right. After a week of experimenting it turns out: the easy way is the right way for us, and we think you'll love it too!
You'll love how easy this vegan Sachertorte is...
Our sachertorte is easy to make, with no fancy techniques or equipment needed. Whilst the cake is perhaps not as 'perfect' looking as the original at Hotel Sacher, you don't have to be a trained pastry chef to make it. But we promise it will live up to your taste expectations!
The cake batter is really easy, you just combine all the wet ingredients with the sugar, then combine all the dry ingredients together. And then mix the two together into a rich chocolaty batter. It's so simple, we can do it in 5 minutes! Much quicker and easier than a Sachertorte made with eggs - you'd still be making the batter by the time our vegan version is out of the oven!
A classic torte is often made by baking one large cake and cutting it into layers. For our easy vegan Sachertorte we simply bake the mixture in two tins and then put the two cakes together like a sandwich. It's really easy this way, and a lot less stressful than cutting the cake.
The Chocolate Glaze
If you thought the cake was easy to make, then the glaze is even easier!
It's got just three simple ingredients:
- Chocolate
- Sugar
- Water
As much trouble it was for us to adapt and refine this recipe, the more pleasure it will give you. In terms of indulgent vegan chocolate cakes, you won't find anything better and more pleasing than this Vegan Sachertorte. The perfect special cake for any special occasion... Or just because you deserve it 🙂
Lots of love & chocolate,
Like our Vegan Sachertorte? Try these other vegan Austrian recipes next:
Vegan Apple Strudel
Kaiserschmarrn - Austrian Pancake Speciality
Vegan Apricot Cake - Marillenkuchen
📖 Recipe
Vegan Sachertorte
Ingredients
Cake
- 150 g (1.2 cups) plain flour
- 40 g (0.5 cups) cocoa powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (see notes)
- 1 pinch salt
- 150 g sugar
- 190 ml hot water
- 45 ml vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vinegar apple cider or white wine
Filling
- 200 g apricot jam
Chocolate Glaze
- 100 g dark chocolate 70% cocoa (see notes)
- 50 g sugar
- 35 ml water
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat a fan oven to 180℃ (350℉). Prepare two 7-inch / 18cm greased and lined, or springform, cake tins.
- Combine flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt.150 g (1.2 cups) plain flour, 40 g (0.5 cups) cocoa powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 pinch salt
- Dissolve the sugar in hot (boiling) water, add oil and vinegar.150 g sugar, 190 ml hot water, 45 ml vegetable oil, 1 tsp vinegar
- Combine your dry and wet parts and stir or whisk into a smooth batter.
- Roughly divide up into the two cake tins and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until a cake testing needle comes out clean.
- Take the cakes out of the tins and onto a cooling rack. Let cool down for about an hour. (See recipe notes for tips about cooling and levelling dome-shaped cakes.)
Filling with Jam
- TIP: From here on, keep working with the cake on the cooling rack or cake rack, with a tray or large plate underneath to catch excess jam and chocolate glaze dripping from the cake.
- Gently heat the jam up a bit (on the hob or in the microwave) to make it more liquid and spreadable. This will also help it adhere to the cake and make it richly moist.200 g apricot jam
- Spread a good layer of jam on the layer of the cake that will be the bottom. (At this point, you can also seal and conceal minor cracks and holes in the cake and piece a layer together that has broken in two or three pieces.)
- Place the second layer of cake on top and use the rest of the jam to cover the whole top and the sides of the cake.
- Let the jam cool down and set for a bit (around 15 min).
Glazing
- Break the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a jug, mug or small glass bowl together with the sugar and water. Microwave on max power for 30 seconds, then stir until the chocolate is all melted and the texture is smooth. If the chocolate does not melt, heat up again in steps of 15 seconds. (For other methods to prepare the glaze, see recipe notes.)100 g dark chocolate, 50 g sugar, 35 ml water
- Let the glaze cool down a bit, stirring frequently to check consistency. You are aiming at a rather thick, but completely liquid glaze, that coats the back of a spoon about 3 mm thick.
- Pour the glaze over the cake to cover it in a thick layer. Work your way round the sides with a cake spatula if necessary.(See recipe notes for some tips and detailed method.)
Serving
- For best results and a less messy eating experience, wait for a few hours until the glaze has set.
- Cut with a clean, hot knife (out of cup of hot water and wiped dry) for the most beautiful slices.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Bicarbonate of Soda
To substitute for bicarbonate of soda, use three times as much baking powder. So, instead of half a teaspoon of bicarb, use one and a half teaspoons baking powder.Cake tins
Springforms and some cake tins have a base plate that can be separated from the round side walls of the tin. In this case, it is enough to grease the tin. After baking, go round the sides, take the base with the cake out and go round the bottom of the cake as well. If your cake tins do not have removable bases, we strongly recommend lining their bottoms with circles of baking paper. Otherwise, the cake will most likely stick badly to the base. Just go round the sides with a knife after baking, and the cake comes right out of the tin. Don't get rid of the baking paper too soon - it might still come in handy for levelling dome-shaped cakes (see below)Baking the cake in just one tin
If you don't have two cake tins of the same size, or for whatever other reason want to bake the cake all in one tin - you can! Increase baking time to at least 20 minutes and check that a cake tester comes out clean before you take it out of the oven. You can cut the cake horizontally into two layers after it is baked and cooled down. Professionals use a wire cutter, but a large bread knife will also work.Levelling the cake
In our experience, this cake rises well and creates a slightly domed shape. Some people cut of a thin layer off the top of their cakes to level them - but you lose a lot of cake in doing so! Here's what we prefer: When we let the cake cool down on a cooling rack, we flip it upside down. The weight of the cake pushed down onto the dome and helps to level it a bit. Baking paper underneath prevents the cake from sticking to the rack and leaving it engraved with the grid shape. Consider using the underside of one of your cake layers as the top of your cake - that way you will have a completely level cake top, which yields the most beautiful results for glazing - unlike our one here! (Well, you always know better afterwards!) It just makes it slightly trickier to fill the gap between the layers with jam.Preparing the glaze
The above method is our 'lazy way' of doing it. Here are two other options: Option 2 (medium): Use boiling water (from a kettle) to dissolve the sugar. Once completely dissolved, add the chocolate, cover for a minute. Stir until chocolate is fully dissolved and consistency is smooth. Option 3 (crafty): In a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the water on medium heat and gently boil for a few minutes to create a sugar syrup. In the meantime, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a hot water or steam bath (bain marie).Pouring the glaze
Temperature and runniness:- It really works best if the glaze is not too hot and runny anymore, or most of it will just run off the cake and only leave a thin layer. In particular, it is easier to cover the sides of the cake in a good layer of glaze if it has thickened up considerably.
- Don't worry too much at this point about the glaze being too thick to create a completely smooth surface. If you run it off a spoon back into the jug or cup, and it melts back in within a few seconds, you're all good. Also, see below.
- Keep some of the glaze back at first to patch up gaps, especially on the sides.
- I (Paul) like to start with a big pool in the middle of the cake. Then I slowly make my way around the cake, pouring the glaze close enough to the edge to make it flow thickly across and onto the sides in a sort of rolling motion. Add a bit more where needed. To finish up, work your way round the sides with a cake spatula or wide rounded knife.
- If there are some inconsistencys and wrinkles in the surface when you are done (like where you patched up a whole or there's a trace from using the spatula), a little shake of the rack or plater under the cake can help smooth them out.
Choice of chocolate
The traditional glaze for a Viennese Sachertorte uses chocolate with about 50% cocoa, and much more sugar. We found that waaay too sweet. We settled on 70% cocoa because it tastes amazing (like chocolate, not just sugar) and yields the most beautiful, glossy results. We also experimented with dark cook's chocolate (50% cocoa), which sets quicker, is sweeter, less smooth and more matt-looking, but closer to the traditional version. Just not as nice, we think! But just so you know, if you haven't got 70% dark chocolate on your hands or would rather just eat it as is, other types of chocolate will basically also work. Happy baking! 🙂Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
... And one last time - happy birthday to us!
This week we are celebrating the first birthday of Vegan On Board with a post each day. Join in on the daily fun to celebrate with us!
Katrin says
Thanks for this lovely recipe! This is perfect for my dairy and egg allergic son and it saves me the headache of 'veganizing' traditional Austrian recipes.
Sophie and Paul says
So happy we could help you enjoy some vegan Austrian treats Katrin!
Isla says
Hello! Keen to make this for my mums birthday on Tuesday and wondering how far in advance I would be safe to make it?
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Isla! Sorry for the delay in getting back to you - your comment was filtered into our spam by mistake and we only just found it. Hope you mum had a lovely day 🙂 For future reference, a couple of days in advance should be fine, as the apricot jam helps the cake stay nice and moist inside. If you wanted to make it further ahead you could bake the cakes, cool them, wrap and freeze, defrost and assemble the cake on the day or night before. All the best, Sophie
Kristal says
It would be really helpful to include what size cake tin to use. I only had two 8 inch pans and the batter barely covered the bottom. Very frustrating when you think you have all the ingredients you will need and then find out the recipe needs to be doubled.
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Kristal, thanks so much for your feedback! We really appreciate it to help improve our recipes 🙂 The cake layers are typically thinner than what you might expect if you are used to baking other types of cake, as the original Sachertorte is quite short and wide in proportion. We've made it in both 8 inch and 7 inch tins before and the batter typically increases in size about double when baked. Hope that helps!
Helen says
Thanks for the great recipe, I was worried the cakes were too thin at first but once assembled it was just right. I really don’t think anyone would know it was vegan!
Sophie and Paul says
Aw Helen, so glad it turned out so nice! 🙂
Thanks for the comment <3 enjoy!
Danimal says
Hi from the other side of the pond. I tried making this according to mostly U.S. measurements, and it came out great. For the cake, I used 1c flour, 1/3c cocoa powder, 3/4c sugar, and 3 tbsp oil. I used about 3/4c apricot jam for the filling, although more probably would have been ok. For the glaze I used 1/4c sugar and 2 tbsp + 1 tsp water, but I just measured the chocolate exactly since I couldn't find a conversion table for that, and anyway I have a metric scale handy.
One slight modification I made was using Dutch-process instead of regular cocoa, since the former was all I had available. Maybe that's a no-no for an Austrian dessert. But as I said, the flavor was excellent.
I also had trouble finding 7" cake pans, which apparently isn't a common size around here. So I used 8" ones instead. The resulting cake was a little on the thin side, but it still ended up fine. Next time, I would for sure double the servings when using 8" pans, or track down 7" pans for making the original quantity.
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Danimal, hello there back across the pond, and thanks so much for the comment! 🙂 Glad to know the cake came out great. Thanks for sharing the cup quantities you used. Hopefully we'll add cup conversions to this recipe soon!
In terms of cocoa, Dutch process is perfectly good for this cake! In fact, I think that most cocoa powder here in Europe is Dutch-processed rather than raw, so there you go! 😉
Hope you'll enjoy this cake again! Sophie & Paul
Mika says
Hi 🙂 for the first time making this cake, I just wanted an easy fast simple recipe and yours was perfect! I made it with the help of my partner, who usually doesn’t help much in the kitchen, but since it was my birthday he kind of had to, and we both found it very easy and fast!
He was a bit sad when I decided to make this cake because he hates abricot jam. So instead of using only jam, I mixed 100g of chocolate with 200g of abricot jam, and it was PERFECT. Just enough jam to notice a bit of sweetness but not enough so that he ends up sick. He even took another slice! Tonight he is going to a friend’s house to play video games with a couple of his buddies, and he was supposed to take a few slices to share with them, but now he doesn’t want to anymore, doesn’t want to share the cake and wants it all for him and me haha, that’s how much he likes it!
So thanks for this delicious recipe, I’m putting it in my recipe notebook and will definitely share with friends 🙂
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Mika,
so glad you enjoyed our recipe and found it easy 🙂 I agree this cake is so nice it can be hard to have someone else have it when you just want to eat it all up!!
The homemade apricot jam that I know from Austria is not like any apricot jam you can buy in the shops, but is much fruitier and less sweet. Sophie used to not like apricot jam before she had some that my mum made! I hope that one day you can taste some good apricot jam, and perhaps even your partner will like it! 😉
Enjoy the cake, and thanks for recommending our recipe!
Alisa says
Hi, I would like to bake this wonderful looking cake for my best friends weeding next week. Just one question, which size of cake tins did you use?
Sophie and Paul says
Hey Alisa, We've used 2 18cm/7inch cake tins for the ones pictured. If you've got different sized tins, or want a taller cake, the batter is pretty adaptable. You can adjust the servings in the recipe card to suit you, and just cook until a skewer comes out clean. All the best! Sophie