Trying Vienna’s Original Sachertorte

Vienna is famous for many things, the most obvious of which being opera, architecture and of course, cake.  The coffee and cake culture here is so famous you will see it mentioned in every guide book and blog post, and none is more of a must-try than the original Sachertorte.  I am not one to shy away from famous or ‘touristy’ things when I visit a place for the first time, there’s got to be a good reason these things are so popular right?  So I made sure this was on my to-do list when visiting the city.

The original Sachertorte consists of dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam, covered in dark chocolate frosting and traditionally served with whipped creme.  It’s rich, moist and totally delicious!  The recipe was invented by Franz Sacher and the place to get it is the Cafe Sacher inside the Hotel Sacher in central Vienna.  The recipe is a closely guarded secret so if you want to try, you’re just going to have to make the trip to Vienna to taste the original.

With our visit to Vienna only being a few days we were worried we would struggle to fit it in.  We soon realized the only time we could do it would be early in the morning before catching the boat to Bratislava.  I thought this might be looked on as strange but when we arrived at the cafe I was happy to find that everyone in the cafe was eating this famous cake for breakfast!

The decor of the Cafe Sacher is rich and luxurious, with deep jewel colours throughout and beautiful paintings and artwork.  This is quite simply one of the fanciest settings for breakfast I’ve ever been in, but the atmosphere is light and welcoming.  There was a breakfast menu but like most other patrons I forewent this for a slice of the Original Sachertorte and a cafe latte.

The cake itself is rich, moist and delicious without being too sweet.  The icing on the outside is incredibly smooth and the fruit on the jam cuts through the chocolate to stop it becoming too overpowering.  It’s the perfect accompaniment to a cup of hot, fresh coffee.

Find the Original Sachertorte at the Cafe Sacher at any time of day, take away is also available and it can be bought whole or by the slice.  A slice will cost you €7.90 and it is worth every cent.

What ‘must-try’ food did you get on your last trip?