Salzburger Biertorte

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •26cm springform pan (Tortenform)
• •Large heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Offset spatula
• •Heatproof bowl for bain-marie
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Pastry brush

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm beer and melt chocolate

   Heat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Butter and line a 26cm Tortenform (springform pan) with baking paper on the base. In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the beer and butter. Let the butter melt slowly into the beer. Don't let it boil. When the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Stir gently until the chocolate dissolves into the warm liquid. The mixture will turn glossy and deeply dark, almost black. That's exactly right. Set it aside to cool for ten minutes.

   Choose a dark lager, not a stout or a porter. Austrian Dunkel beer has a clean malty sweetness that works with chocolate. Stout is too bitter and heavy-handed here. If you can't find an Austrian Dunkel, a Munich-style dark lager will do.
2. 2

   Mix the wet ingredients

   Whisk the sugar and Vanillezucker into the chocolate-beer mixture until dissolved. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each one. The batter will look silky and loose. Stir in the sour cream. The Sauerrahm does two things: it adds moisture that keeps this cake from going dry, and its acidity reacts with the baking soda to give the crumb its lift. Don't skip it and don't substitute yoghurt. The fat content matters.

3. 3

   Fold in the dry ingredients

   Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in three additions, folding gently with a large spatula or wooden spoon after each one. Stop the moment you can't see dry flour. Overmixing develops the gluten and you'll end up with a cake that's tough instead of tender. The batter will be thinner than you expect, almost like a thick pouring consistency. That's the beer doing its work. Trust it.

   Sifting is not a suggestion with this recipe. The cocoa powder loves to clump, and any lumps will show up as dry pockets in the finished cake. Thirty seconds with a sieve saves you the disappointment.
4. 4

   Bake the Torte

   Pour the batter into the prepared Tortenform. It will fill it about two-thirds full. Bake on the middle rack for 45-50 minutes. Start checking at 40 minutes. A skewer inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, not wet batter and not bone dry. The top will dome and crack slightly. That's fine. The glaze will cover everything. Let the cake cool in the tin for fifteen minutes, then release the springform and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely. I mean completely. If you glaze a warm cake the chocolate will slide off and pool on the counter and you'll stand there watching your afternoon's work melt away.

   If the top domes too much, let it cool, then level it with a serrated knife before glazing. A flat top means the glaze sits evenly. Save the trimmings. They're the baker's reward.
5. 5

   Apply the apricot jam

   Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan and push it through a sieve to remove any fruit pieces. Brush a thin, even layer across the top and sides of the cooled cake. This is called an Aprikotur in Austrian baking, and it does two essential things: it seals the crumb so the chocolate glaze doesn't soak in and go matte, and it adds a sharp, fruity note underneath the chocolate that gives every bite somewhere to go. You'll barely taste the apricot on its own, but you'd notice immediately if it wasn't there.

   Use good Marillenmarmelade if you can find it. Austrian apricot jam has a sharper, more concentrated flavor than the generic supermarket brands. Wachau apricot jam is the gold standard.
6. 6

   Make the chocolate glaze

   Place the chopped chocolate and butter for the glaze in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. The bowl should not touch the water. Stir slowly and patiently until everything melts together into a smooth, glossy liquid. Take it off the heat and stir in the tablespoon of dark beer. This last splash of beer ties the glaze back to the cake underneath. Let the glaze cool for five minutes, stirring occasionally. You want it thick enough to coat the back of a spoon in a clean, even sheet but still pourable. If it's too thin, it slides off. Too thick, it won't spread.

7. 7

   Glaze the Torte

   Place the cake on a wire rack set over a baking tray to catch the drips. Pour the glaze over the center of the cake in one confident motion. Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to guide it gently over the top and down the sides. Work quickly, touching the surface as little as possible. Every stroke shows. The Viennese glaze technique is about letting gravity do the work: pour, nudge, and leave it alone. Let the glaze set at room temperature for at least thirty minutes. When it's done, the surface should be smooth and dark enough to catch the light.

   One pour, one pass with the spatula. That's it. If you go back and try to fix thin spots, the glaze will drag and lose its shine. Imperfect coverage with a glossy finish beats fussed-over coverage with a dull one.
8. 8

   Serve the Biertorte

   Cut with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices. The crumb should be dark, close-grained, and deeply moist. Serve each slice with a generous spoonful of unsweetened Schlagobers on the side, never on top. The cream is the counterweight to the chocolate and malt. It needs to be there, and it needs to be unsweetened so it doesn't fight the cake for attention. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Everything should be at room temperature before you start. Cold eggs will seize the melted chocolate, and cold sour cream will make the batter lumpy. Pull everything out of the fridge an hour before you bake.
• •This cake tastes better on day two. The malt flavor deepens overnight and the crumb becomes even more moist. Bake it the day before your dinner party, store it unglazed at room temperature, then glaze it the morning you plan to serve.
• •Don't use a beer you wouldn't drink. The flavor concentrates in the oven. If the beer tastes metallic or harsh in the glass, it will taste metallic or harsh in the cake. A good Salzburg Dunkel is ideal. Stiegl Paracelsus Dunkel or Augustiner Dunkel are both excellent choices.
• •The Schlagobers is not optional. This is a rich, dense cake. The unsweetened cream opens it up and gives your palate room to breathe. Without it, the chocolate and malt can overwhelm each other instead of working together.

Advance Preparation

• •The cake can be baked a full day ahead and stored unglazed, wrapped tightly, at room temperature. The flavor actually improves overnight as the malt and chocolate mellow together.
• •Glaze the morning of serving. The glaze needs about thirty minutes to set at room temperature and holds its shine for six to eight hours.
• •Once glazed and cut, leftovers keep well in an airtight container for three to four days. The crumb stays moist thanks to the beer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)