Sacher Torte Cupcake

Inspired by the dense chocolate Sacher Torte with apricot filling and glazed with a silky ganache.

When the kids lived at home when they were growing up, I always requested a Sacher Torte for my Mother’s Day treat. It’s the only time I had it, so I always looked forward to a big slice of decadence. I loved the dense chocolate cake, subtle sweet tartness of the apricot jam, and creamy ganache. Mmmm. Another slice, please.

Now that the girls are grown up, I haven’t had a Sacher Torte in a long time. And the bakery that always carried it, no longer makes it for some reason. I hate it when I get hooked on something, then it’s discontinued. It’s like when McDonalds stopped serving their spicy chicken sandwich. One day it was gone and I asked why? I was told it was because people complained it was too spicy. What? If you don’t like it, don’t eat it!

Well, Mother’s Day is coming up and I kept thinking about my Sacher Torte. So, I decided to make it into a cupcake for Big Bang Bites. I wasn’t sure how a dense cupcake would go over, but I think it worked. After the family had their share, I had Lindsay take the rest to work with her. She said everyone said they liked them. They are all attorneys, so I am sure they were being forthright.

One nice thing about sharing the cupcakes is that I gained a follower for my blog. He even announced it at a weekly meeting. Thank you Ed! You are now on my special list.

Makes 18

Ganache:

• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 8 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips

Cupcake:

• Chocolate cake mix
• Small box of chocolate pudding
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup oil
• 4 eggs

Glaze:

• 1/3 cup apricot jam
• 1T water

Filling:

• Apricot jam

Make the ganache. Bring the heavy cream just to a boil on medium heat. Remove from stove. Add the chocolate. Stir until blended. Then whisk until smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool.

Make the cupcakes. Place all the ingredients for the cupcakes in a mixer. Blend on medium speed for two minutes. Pour into cupcake liners and bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean. Since this is a dense cupcake, do not over bake or they will be dry.

While the cupcakes are baking, make the glaze. Combine the apricot jam with the water and heat to melt the jam. Set aside.

When the cupcakes have cooled, use an apple corer to remove a plug from the center of the cupcakes. Fill the center with apricot jam and put back the plug of cake. You might have to remove some of the bottom of the plug, so the surface will be even.

Use a pastry brush and coat the tops with the glaze. Try to avoid the clumps of jam, if any.

The cupcakes and ganache should be cool for the last step, so the ganache will set and not drip. Dip the tops of the cupcakes in the ganache. Decorate with three chocolate chips. Serve immediately or store in airtight container. Do not refrigerate. The ganache will become dull.

Note: If you have any ganache left over, it can be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks or frozen for  months. To reuse, heat unfrozen ganache in microwave with 10 second bursts.