_**Editor's note:** The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Rick Rodgers's book [](http://www.amazon.com/Kaffeehaus-Exquisite-Desserts-Classic-Budapest/dp/0609604538/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237993518&sr=8-1)_[Kaffeehaus: The Best Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague](http://www.amazon.com/Kaffeehaus-Exquisite-Desserts-Classic-Budapest/dp/0609604538/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237993518&sr=8-1). _Rodgers also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page._ _ In the past few years, bakers have been upping the ante with chocolate desserts (think of your local American bistro's "warm chocolate cakes with gooey chocolate centers"). The Sachertorte is a refined, elegant combination of chocolate flavors, complemented by a compulsory mound of Schlag. The whipped cream is an important part of the picture, as it moistens the frankly firm cake layers. Every bit of Sachertorte is supposed to be dipped in the whipped cream. This version is based on the recipe in _Das Grosse Sacher Backbuch_ ("The Big Sacher Baking Cook"), which should be a reliable source. Don't expect the cake layer to look perfect; sometimes the air bubbles are large and make holes in the top of the cake. If that happens, take some cake trimmings and mash them with a little of the apricot glaze to make a paste, and use a metal icing spatula to "spackle" the holes with the mixture. _