I’m still recovering from last week’s marathon of house work. My runs so far have been kinda crappy. Even so, I’d rather have a slower than normal run than no run at all. When we work out, we will have days where we’re just not feeling it. The difference between someone who has made exercise a habit versus someone who doesn’t is that you still work out, even though you don’t feel like it. If I skipped a workout every time I didn’t feel like it, I’d miss a lot of workouts. Boy, did I not feel like it this whole week.

This week’s recipe is a nostalgic one for me. This goes all the way back to 1993 when I lived in Graz, Austria for a short time. Our chaperone said we should go to the Hotel Sacher for Sachertorte. The cake may sound like something that isn’t anything to write home about. Chocolate cake with an apricot filling and covered in chocolate ganache. Well I did do exactly that. It was really good. I hadn’t really though about it after that until recently. Tony has really been into the cakes I have made recently. He asked I make more cakes. Looking through some recipes I was reminded of this Austrian cake. I’m starting out with a recipe from Also the Crumbs, Please. I’m going to make this low carb. I want to have my cake and eat it too.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I replaced the flour with almond and coconut flours to reduce the carbs.
• I replaced the butter with unsweetened applesauce to reduce the saturated fat.
• I replaced the sugar with sweetener to reduce the carbs.
• I replaced the chocolate with a sugar free variety to lower the carbs.
• I deleted the added sodium to reduce the sodium.
• I replaced the apricot jam with a lower sugar variety to reduce the carbs.
• I increased the servings from 12 to 18 to reduce the calories

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Low Carb Sachertorte

Serves 18

Cake

• ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup granulated sweetener
• 1 vanilla bean* (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 7 large eggs, at room temperature
• 6 oz sugar free semi-sweet chocolate bars, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Filling

• 17.5 oz low sugar apricot jam
• ¼ cup rum

Glaze

• 8 oz sugar free semi-sweet chocolate bars, finely chopped
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix applesauce and ½ cup (100g) of sweetener on medium-high speed until combined. Add the vanilla and one egg yolk at a time and mix to combine after each egg yolk. Then add the melted chocolate and beat until creamy for about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• In another large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Then add the remaining ½ cup (100g) of sweetener and mix on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
• Carefully fold the whipped egg whites in 3 additions into the chocolate mixture. Fold only in one direction and with the same repeating movement. Don’t overwork, or the cake will turn out flat. Then add the flours and xanthan gum in 2 additions and fold just to incorporate, and no lumps remain. Take care not to overwork the batter. Otherwise, the batter will deflate, and the cake won’t rise as high as necessary. The batter should be light, fluffy, and silky.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spread evenly, and bake for about 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
• Place a mesh strainer over a medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan or dutch oven, and press the apricot jam through the mesh strainer into the saucepan. Discard the fruit pulp. Add the rum and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes until hot, smooth, and combined. Then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Cut a thin layer off the top of your cake to create a flat surface. Then flip the cake upside down and cut it in half horizontally. It’s best to place the cake on a cake turner at this point. Spread about ⅔ of the jam all over the bottom cake layer. Place the top cake layer on top and evenly spread the remaining jam all over the top and the sides of the cake. The cake should be completely covered in jam. Let dry uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour or until the jam is dry to the touch.
• To make the chocolate glaze, place a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or dutch oven over low heat and fill 2-inch (5cm) high with water. Place a large and heatproof glass bowl on top to completely close the saucepan and make sure that the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Place the chocolate and butter in the bowl and slowly melt for about 5 minutes. Stir often with a rubber spatula and remove until the butter is completely melted and you see a few small pieces of chocolate in the glaze. Then remove the bowl from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes until completely melted and smooth. Stir occasionally.
• All at once and in a circulating movement, pour the chocolate glaze on top of the cake and quickly spread with a long frosting spatula to level and let the glaze run down the sides of the cake to cover the cake completely. Work quickly and with just a few movements. Please use a cake turner for easier handling. Let the glaze dry for 1 hour.
• Serve with whipped cream. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.