Sachertorte 

• 6-1/2 oz semi-sweet chocolate broken into small chuncks
• 10 egg whites
• 6 egg yolks
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cups of sugar
• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1/2 cup apricot jam, rubbed through a sieve
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter two 9 x 1-1/2 inch round cake pans and then line them with circle of waxed paper.  Butter the paper circles, sprinkle them with flour and shake off the excess.  In top of a double boiler, heat the chocolate until i t melts,  stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.  In a small mixing bowl break up the egg yolks with a fork, then beat in the chocolate, melted butter and vanilla extract.  With a wire whisk or a rotary or electric beater, beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt until they foam, then add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat until the egg whites form stiff, unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted from the bowl.  Mix about 1/3 of the egg whites in the yolk-chocolate mixture, then reverse the process and pour chocolate over the remaining whites.  Sprinkle the flour over the top.  With a rubber spatula, using over and under cutting motions instead of a mixing motion, fold the whites and chocolate mixture together until no trace of whites remains.  Do not overfold.

Pour the batter into the 2 lined pans, dividing it evenly between them.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the layers are puffed and the dry end of a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.

Remove the pans from the oven and loosen the sides of the layers by running a sharp knife around them.  Turn them out on a cake rack and remove the waxed paper.  Let the layers cool while you prepare the glaze.

Glaze

• 3 0z. unsweetened chocolate broken into small chunks
• 1 teaspoon corn syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar

In a heavy duty saucepan, combine the chocolate, cream, sugar and corn syrup.  Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook on low heat until the chocolate and sugar are melted.  Then raise the heat to medium and cook without stirring for about 5 minutes, or until a little of the mixture dropped into a glass of cold water forms a soft ball.    In a small mixing bowl beat the egg lightly, then stir 3 tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into it.  Pour this into the remaining chocolate in the saucepan and stir it briskly.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the glass coats the spoon heavily.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla.  Cool the glass to room temperature.  When the cake layers are completely cooled, spread one of them with apricot jam and put the other layer on top.  Set the rack in a jelly roll pan, and holding the saucepan about 2 inches away the cake, pour the glaze over it evenly.  Smooth the glaze with a meetal spatula.  Let the cake stand until the glaze stops dripping,  then using 2 metal spatulas transfer it to a plate and refrigerate for 3 hours to harden the glaze.  Remove from refrigerator 1/2 hour before serving.