Sachertorte

Self explanatory really, this is the cake I could not resist making, but you will note that I have scored it into quarters ready for further divisions.... It is so fattening, you would not believe it if I told you the recipe....I will only add that it is not a conventional cake, so you need to have fresh brown breadcrumbs and ground almonds to the ready.  I always make my own bread first and then save some to make the 2ozs of breadcrumbs required. It also contains creamed unsalted butter and castor sugar which I can now make myself with my new glass liquidiser as it grinds granulated sugar. You also need fresh free range eggs and they must be separated and of course good quality chocolate.  I use 2 types; Cadbury's Bournville for the cake mixture and Prestat  Choxi for the topping which is double cream and chocolate mixed.  Before you spread the chocolate icing on top you need to cover the cake top in Apricot jam too and I have to admit that this I do not make myself, I usually buy it. So now you know why it has to be given out in small portions. This is the richest cake recipe I make.

I have to report that I have tried very hard since eating some of this cake to lose the pounds by pounding up a hill or three.  It was the Keswick Mountain Festival over the last weekend and I was helping out with leading some of the walks, not fit enough to lead myself yet though as my ankle is still not 100%.  It was five hard days up the mountains for DH so he had the lion's share of this cake to himself. I did go out on the worst day though when the gales on the top reached 70 miles an hour, it was so bad on one particular ridge that I and one of our clients were blown sideways by the wind and another leader (a man) was blown off his feet. So today I am resting and I need to as it was very hard on the muscles.....If you need further proof of how tiring it all was, well here it is, Bella on the Langdale Pikes walk; day 3.