<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

OMG. I wasn't inclined to have my husband make his usual strawberry shortcake for a birthday we're celebrating at Thanksgiving dinner, too rich with turkey....so we came up with a gf version of the Austrian delight..sachertorte....

Instead of using the sponge-type cake recipe from The Good Housekeeping cookbook, we used the sponge cake he always makes  from Roben Ryberg's The Gluten-free Kitchen.  Then we followed the rest of the sachertorte instructions from my ancient Good Housekeeping cookbook.

I don't know if Roben's book is still available, but it's one of my favorites.  I hope she doesn't mind my sharing the recipe for the spongecake...It has been online before.  Perhaps it will entice you to seek out her book. My copy is from 2000. Caveat...if there are any mistakes here, they are mine, not hers or Good Housekeeping's. 

I'm writing this as a narrative to minimize the cyberspace gibberish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Separate 5 (large) eggs. Beat egg yolks until they are pale and begin to thicken.  Add one quarter cup water, three quarters cup sugar and two teaspoons vanilla to egg yolks.  Mix well.  Add one third cup potato starch, one half cup corn starch, one quarter teaspoon xanthan gum, one quarter teaspoon salt, two teaspoons baking powder . Mix well, being sure to remove lumps.  

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and one half teaspoon cream of tartar, to stiff peaks.  Fold egg whites into batter, incorporating well. Pour batter into ungreased (she says tube pan with removable bottom) I use  9 inch spring form pan..  Bake 35-40 minutes until light golden brown.  She inverts the tube pan over a glass bottle.  My husband inverts the spring form pan over an identical spring form pan or something that holds up the edges, so the cake can hang down and stay puffed.  Once cool, cut around the edges and remove carefully.  

If you're making sachertorte the cake should be on a mesh wire rack, with waxed paper under the rack to catch the drippings from the chocolate.

To complete the sachertorte, you need a few tablespoons of apricot jam...no fruit chunks.  Very carefully cut the cake into two layers and smooth the jam on the bottom layer. Put the top layer back in place.

In a double boiler, or a small pot in a large pot (bottom pot has water), bring the water to a simmer.  Melt 5 squares of semisweet chocolate and a few pieces of really dark (80%) chocolate candy or whatever you like. Melt it WITH two tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon milk (don't let it curdle), and the recipe calls for one tablespoon of light corn syrup....I used about two tablespoons of agave syrup. Melt all this until smooth....stirring almost constantly. 

Your cake on a rack....Pour chocolate over top of cake. Use a metal or flat spatula to push excess over the top and down the sides.  You'll have to catch the drippings, because this recipe really makes just enough to "ice" one cake.

This isn't thick like icing.  It's more like a glaze that covers the cake.  Refrigerate to set the chocolate.  Good Housekeeping says to serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. (I'll make that tomorrow.)

The book also says to use two pancake flippers to transfer the cake from the rack to a platter.  It also recommends letting it sit for 30 minutes before serving. 

I hope this makes sense. I'm flipping between two cookbooks and licking my fingers at the same time!

To make if fancy, my husband decided to make the spongecake marble...Just added some cocoa to a little batter and swirled it in.  But that's not truly sachertorte style.  I can't wait for tomorrow!!!
*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List *
Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC