Inspired by the classic Sacher Torte of Vienna, Austria, this beauty boasts a soft graham cracker base layered with apricot preserves, sacher cake, and a giant marshmallow, before being iced with rich chocolate frosting and coated in a dark chocolate glaze.
Sacher S’mores Torte
Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
Ingredients
- 1 9- inch round Homemade Graham Cracker (recipe follows)
- 1 9- inch round Vanilla Bean Marshmallow (recipe follows)
- 3 tablespoons (21 grams) confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup (32 grams) cornstarch
- 1 (8-ounce) jar apricot preserves
- Sacher Cake Layer (recipe follows)
- Chocolate Ganache Frosting (recipe follows)
- Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)
- Garnish: edible gold flake (optional)*
Instructions
- Prepare Homemade Graham Crackers recipe through step 1. Roll dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Place a 9-inch round cake pan upside down over dough and parchment. Press to make an indention. Remove pan and parchment. Cut out round, and place on a baking sheet. Use a wooden skewer to poke holes in concentric circles from edge to middle. Freeze for 30 minutes. Bake as directed.
- Prepare Vanilla Bean Marshmallows recipe through step 3, using a 9-inch round cake pan lined with parchment paper, sprayed with cooking spray, and generously coated with 2 tablespoons (14 grams) confectioners’ sugar. Pour prepared marshmallow into pan. In a medium bowl, sift together 1 tablespoon (7 grams) confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch, and sprinkle marshmallow with confectioners’ sugar mixture. Flatten with hands. Wrap in plastic wrap, and let stand overnight. Remove from pan, and dust off excess confectioners’ sugar.
- Place Homemade Graham Cracker layer on an 8-inch cardboard cake board. Spread a thin layer of apricot preserves onto graham cracker. Top with Sacher Cake Layer. Spread a thin layer of apricot preserves onto Sacher Cake Layer. Top with Vanilla Bean Marshmallow layer. Line up all edges, and trim any overhang to make smooth sides. Apply a thin layer of Chocolate Ganache Frosting for a crumb coat. Apply a second thicker layer of Chocolate Ganache Frosting, and refrigerate until set.
- Place a wire rack over a baking sheet or large bowl. Place cake on wire rack. Pour Chocolate Glaze over cake starting in the middle, and working to the edge in a spiral motion. Let stand for 10 minutes. Place on a cake stand or plate. Garnish with edible gold flake, if desired.
Notes
* Note: Edible gold leaf may be purchased at goldleaffactory.com.
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Homemade Graham Crackers
Makes 24
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (165 grams) firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (42 grams) honey
- 1 tablespoon (21 grams) molasses
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
- 2 cups (260 grams) whole-wheat flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, honey, molasses, salt, and cinnamon at medium speed until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour and baking soda. Gradually add whole-wheat flour to butter mixture alternately with all-purpose flour mixture, beating until combined.
- Roll dough to ⅛-inch thick 18x16-inch rectangle between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Transfer to a baking sheet. Remove top layer of paper, and score dough with a knife into 2-inch squares, being sure to cut all the way through. Use a wooden skewer to make holes in crackers. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake until crackers begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Once cooled, break apart into squares.
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Vanilla Bean Marshmallows
Makes 12
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (160 grams) water, divided
- 2 (0.25-ounce) envelopes (14 grams) unflavored gelatin
- 1¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (226 grams) light corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons (4 grams) vanilla bean powder
- ½ cup (60 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup (32 grams) cornstarch
Instructions
- Spray a 9-inch square baking pan lined with parchment with cooking spray, and generously dust with confectioners’ sugar.
- In a large bowl, place ⅓ cup (80 grams) water. Sprinkle gelatin over water, and let stand for 10 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, and remaining ⅓ cup (80 grams) water. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved and a candy thermometer registers 240°F, about 6 minutes. Slowly drizzle sugar mixture into gelatin mixture, and beat in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment at low speed just until combined. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until mixture begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat until mixture turns very thick, white, and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Beat in vanilla bean powder. Spoon marshmallow mixture into prepared pan.
- In a medium bowl, sift together confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch. Dust top of marshmallow mixture with confectioners’ sugar mixture, and flatten with hands. Let set for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Cut into pieces with a wet knife, and toss in confectioners’ sugar mixture. Store in an airtight container up to two weeks.
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Sacher Cake Layer
Makes 2 (9-inch) layers
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (26 grams) vanilla extract
- 2 (4-ounce) bars (225 grams) high-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted
- 4 large eggs (200 grams), separated
- 1 cup (100 grams) cake flour*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with baking spray with flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Pour in melted chocolate. Beat in egg yolks.
- In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with a mixer at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture alternately with flour until combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
Notes
* Note: We used Swans Down Cake Flour.
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Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Makes 3 cups
Ingredients
- 3 (4-ounce) bars (340 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (240 grams) heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup (40 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons (63 grams) light corn syrup
Instructions
- Place chocolate in a medium heat proof bowl.
- In a small saucepan, bring cream, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until a spreadable consistency is reached, about 1 hour.
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Chocolate Glaze
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (224 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (15 grams) cold water, divided
- ½ cup (120 grams) heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup (21 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 (0.25-ounce) envelope (7 grams) unflavored gelatin
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, ½ cup (120 grams) cold water, cream, and cocoa over medium-low heat. Simmer until mixture slightly thickens, about 20 minutes.
- Place remaining 1 tablespoon (15 grams) cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over top, and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove chocolate mixture from heat, and whisk in gelatin mixture until combined. Set over an ice bath, and whisk until glaze thickens, about 1 minute.
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OMG….this looks delicious! You guys are amazing 🙂
I’m about to make this, but why apricot preserves? Just wondering before I put it on the Graham cracker tomorrow.
Hi Candace, thanks for reaching out! The apricot preserves gives added flavor and makes the Torte extra delicious. Trust us, it is the perfect touch. Happy Baking!
Also, apricot preserves are traditional to the Sacher Torte!
So the torte recipe only uses one of the two Sacher cake layers? I suppose the extra can be a chef’s treat, or the recipe could simply be halved?
So I made this for my birthday. It was delicious. It does take quite a bit of work and there is a lot of marshmallow to cake. One thing I don’t know how to fix though is the cake naturally will shrink a bit when cooked and the marshmallow does not, so the top was larger then the base by a bit. Not a deal maker but hard to make look perfect. I won’t make this again due to the fuss involved but if someone else made it I would eat it,
Sacher layer recipe? Marshmallow layer recipe? Assembly instructions? Things are missing from this page. Seems too over-the=top even for the exceptional home baker. And just imagine the calorie count!
Hi Georgina,
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The issue has been corrected and the full recipe is now available. Happy baking!