National Sacher Cake Day: where to go if you want to try the best cake in Vienna
The Austrian pastries can boast of being one of the best known and most delicious in the world. Some of the most recognized proposals are the sacher cake (also called Sachertorte), the Apple strudel (apple strudel), Buchteln (sweet dumplings) or the Kaiserschmarrn (sweet and thick pancakes) ... that delight the sweet tooth, either on their way through Vienna or from a distance with the recreation of their recipes.
Among all these, the Sacher cake always stands out. Recognized as one of the best desserts around the world , its fame is such that the Austrians decided to allocate December 5 to commemorate this cake.
Original Sacher Torte
Although at first it seems like a simple dessert , it is pure pastry alchemy that combines the chocolate sponge cake, a thin layer of apricot jam, and a layer of dark chocolate glaze ; all this, accompanied on the plate by chantilly cream or, failing that, by whipped cream. Pure explosion of flavors.
It is common to find several of its versions in most parts of the globe, but if we want to see this pastry creation first-hand, we will have to travel to Vienna to experience the origin of everything -and by the way, get to know the city-.
CAFÉ SACHER _(Philharmoniker Str. 4) _
After years of fighting with the Demel pastry shop -which we will talk about a few lines further down- over the ownership of the recipe, finally the Sacher Hotel can market the cake under the name of Original Sacher Torte (while Demel must do it under the Eduard Sacher Torte ) . Therefore, it is in these two cafes that the cake is cooked following the instructions of the original, created by Franz Sacher in 1832.
The Café Sacher, located in the hotel that bears the same name, offers both its guests and the people who come to it this traditional dessert in which the diner enjoys a unique atmosphere and a decoration that transports to another decade with its waiters in tails Y chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
The history of the recipe dates back to 1832 , when the then young novice confectioner Franz Sacher prepared this cake for the prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich . Later, he returned to Vienna where he opened a delicatessen and wine shop. It was decades later when his son Eduard, being bakery apprentice Deme , began to prepare the cake following his father's recipe and, in 1876, he founded the Hotel Sacher where he continued to sell the sachertorte.
Hence the legal dispute between the two confectionery firms over the ownership of the cake that, in the end, was resolved with the agreement of both parties.
Original Sacher Torte
** DEMEL PASTRY SHOP _(Kohlmarkt 14) _**
The great rival for decades of the Café Sacher is today, without a doubt, one of the main places of Pilgrimage of pastry lovers and of this sweet Viennese. The Demel confectionery is located a few steps from the majestic Hofburg Imperial Palace , the largest in the city and the residence for more than 600 years of the Habsburgs.
Demel was founded in 1786 by the german pastry chef Ludwig Dehn . To this day, this confectionery is still known as the 'Sissi's Cafe' , for being its main supplier of sweets at the time of maximum splendor of the Astro-Hungarian Empire.
Sacher cake from Demel Patisserie
Specifically, the empress of austria I had a slight weakness for delicious sugar violets which are still being sold on the premises according to the original recipe in her honor.
It is worth stopping to appreciate the care of her ceiling of inspiration baroque or each of the exhibitors with the hundreds of gastronomic proposals capable of sweetening even the most demanding palates.
** MOZART CAFE _(Albertinaplatz 2) _**
Another of the essentials of the city is located just a few steps from the Hotel Sacher. Its two most demanded sweets are the Sachertorte and the Apfelstrudel, I ideal to accompany on summer days with a refreshing homemade lemonade that they prepare at the moment or with a coffee or chocolate on winter days.
If we are lucky enough to have a table by the window, we should not hesitate to take it. We will be able to have a snack watching passers-by while we find ourselves in a centenary Viennese-style establishment in which it seems that time has stopped and does not want to live in the present, but rather in the more imperial past.
Live in the most imperial past
CENTER COFFEE _(Herrengasse 14) _
open from 1876 is another of the most emblematic cafes in Vienna, combining history, tradition and quality in each of its gastronomic proposals. “All our desserts and cakes are freshly prepared at home every day for our patisserie of which we are very proud; we have about a 500,000 customers per year ”, they indicate from the communication and marketing department of Café Central.
Unlike other establishments in Vienna that sell Sachertorte, they have no problem with spread the recipe of your cake , made from chocolate, butter, eggs, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, flour, granulated sugar, salt and apricot jam. For the layer that covers the cake they use melted dark chocolate, sugar syrup and glucose syrup . A deliciously irresistible sweet bomb.
In addition to its traditional Sacher cake we can find other classics such as the cake of the Center Cafe, its honey bee (only available in the summer seasons) and its RaspberryHarmony.
Sacher cake from Café Central
GERSTNER K.U.K HOFZUCKERBÄCKER _(Kärntner Str. 51) _
open from 1847, originally supply their products to the imperial court and, at present, it does so to institutions of the stature of the Vienna State Opera and Vienna Music Society . Its colorful and careful decorative details make it the perfect stop on our way through the city where we can rest and enjoy a succulent breakfast or snack.
Its great assortment of cakes -among them the Sacher cake- They will leave us speechless. And we've already warned you: you won't want to leave Gerstner K.u.K Hofzuckerbäcker and its refined rooms that invite the most glamorous of rooms.
Glamorous salons by Gerstner K.u.K Hofzuckerbäcker
** IMPERIAL COFFEE _(Kärntner Ring 16) _**
Located in the historic Imperial Hotel, personalities of the stature of Anton Bruckner, Hugo Wolf, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler or Sigmund Freud . “Vienna's elegant Café Imperial is recognized as the place that has inspired philosophers, writers, musicians, teachers and tycoons for more than a century. Spending time in a cafe has always been the favorite pastime of the citizens and visitors of Vienna and this establishment is the great representation of it ”, they indicate from the communication department of the Imperial Hotel.
On this occasion, we are not talking about the Sachertorte, but about its exclusive imperial cake created in 1874 and presented as the first cake with a square format either. According to legend, at that time the young clicker Xavier Loibner he stayed awake the night of April 28 with only one idea in his head: to create the perfect cake for the emperor Franz-Joseph I , who inaugurated the prestigious Imperial Hotel the following day.
“He imagined creating a cake that would be so unique that no other pastry chef could copy it . Since he was not allowed to use any kitchen appliances, he had to prepare his proposal by hand . And so he mustered up all his courage and secretly prepared the first square cake , which stood out from all the other cakes. The next day, the Emperor of Austria was so captivated by this extraordinary dessert that he asked to be served a portion ”, they tell from the hotel. The rest is history.
At present we can find three varieties of Imperial Torte: Das Original (With almonds) , Schwarze Orange (with orange marzipan) and Feine Himbeere (their latest addition made with raspberry paste) .
In short, we are in front of a cafeteria traditional and cozy , which cooks up exquisite Viennese classics with exceptional service. From the establishment itself they advise us to accompany the Imperial Cake with a cup of coffee or a glass of champagne.
If with these addresses we do not have enough in our getaway to the Austrian capital to try the Sacher Tart we can also follow the trail to:
- ** Landtmann Cafe ** _(Universitätsring 4) _
- Coffee Alt Wien _(Bäckerstraße 9) _
- ** Cafe Sperl ** _(Gumpendorfer Str. 11) _. We recommend the visit even if it is just to remember that scene from the beautiful and delicate movie Before dawn -by Richard Linklater- with a fabulous Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as protagonists of the film.
The Sacher Tart is and will be, in short, a delight for the palate imbued with history, quality, flavor and elegance. Who will be able to resist her during the next vacation in Vienna?
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy