Viennese Sacher Torte - recipe and history. Where is the best Sachertorte served in Vienna?

Many people have probably heard about the signature Viennese cake called “Sacher”. Trying this cake alone is one of the obligatory points of your visit to Vienna. In this article, I will go back to the origins and tell you: who and where came up with the recipe for the famous Sacher torte, I will cover some questions from the history of the creation of the cake, I will tell you where you can try the legendary cake, where you can buy a whole Sacher torte and how much it will cost.

The history of the creation of the Sacher cake

One day in 1832, a prominent dignitary of the imperial court, Metternich, urgently wanted to eat something sweet, but the chief court pastry chef fell ill and the making of the dessert was entrusted to the pastry chef's apprentice Franz Sacher. He was only 16 years old at the time and naturally the young man was very worried and mixed too many ingredients in the dough. This is how, according to legend, the Sacher cake recipe was invented.

After that, the cake recipe was forgotten for a long time. Franz first continued his studies, and then began working in various confectionery shops, and only many years later he opened his own business and remembered the chocolate cake recipe. The Sacher family owned a hotel and cafe of the same name, where the Sacher cake was originally served, then it was not as famous as it is now. But one day the family went bankrupt.

And Franz Sacher's son Eduard was forced to look for work on the side. He went to work at the Demel confectionery. It was a reputable confectionery - a supplier to the imperial court. Edward allowed the Demel confectionery to put his name on the cakes (1934 - sale of naming rights).

The cake later became the subject of legal proceedings. In Vienna, the concept of the “seven-year sweet war” (1954 -1961) was even preserved. Naturally, the Sacher family, who owned the hotel and Cafe Sacher.

Now the cake baked at the Sacher Café has a round chocolate stamp and the words “real Sachertorte” on it, while the cake made at the Demel Café has a triangular stamp and the words “Sacher-Demel Torte”.

Which cake is the most correct?

So, we found out that the inventor original recipe Franz Sacher (1816-1907) is considered to have made the cake for the first time in 1832, when he was only 16 years old. But the cake became truly famous only when it began to be served in the Demel confectionery. At that time, the production of the cake was already supervised by Franz Sacher’s son, Eduard.

Comparison of cakes

It is known that Edward slightly changed the recipe for the cake. Demelevsky cake is still made by hand and coated with apricot confiture on top of a chocolate sponge cake and poured chocolate glaze on top of the confiture. And the cake served at the Sacher Hotel is cut crosswise and spread with the same apricot confiture and topped with chocolate glaze. Almost like a Twix cookie commercial.

So it is not possible to find out which cake is the most correct. We chose the Demel confectionery for ourselves. Making a cake by hand seemed more attractive to us. In fact, this cake is served in almost all patisseries in Vienna, but the Demel patisserie and the Sacher café in the five-star hotel of the same name are the official heirs of the tradition and most tourists tend to try the cake in one of these places.

In fact, the Sacher Hotel and the Demel confectionery are separated by just 550 meters - on foot. In the central area of ​​​​Vienna, traffic is limited; almost everywhere there is a pedestrian zone.

Hotel Sacher Wien— Philharmonikerstrasse 4, Vienna A-1010, Austria

How we ate Sachertorte at the Demel confectionery

The cafe was opened in 1786, the interior is historical.

In the front hall there is a confectionery shop - they sell exclusively sweets made in the café's confectionery shop.

Of course, in the confectionery shop you can also buy the famous Sacher cake in an original linden wood box at a price of 23.50 euros per 500 grams.

Tables at the Demel confectionery are served by waitresses. I read in the guidebook that the service personnel are dressed in uniform dresses in the style of the 19th century, but in fact this is not the case. The waitresses wear uniforms, but they don’t resemble the 19th century.

We didn’t find a Sacher torte on the menu, but the waitress understood our order, since the pastry shop is literally packed with tourists and most of them order the Sacher torte. There were a lot of Russians, despite the crisis and the low tourist season.

Right on the ground floor you can watch the confectioners at work through the glass.

Sachertorte costs 4.10 euros, Hauskaf coffee fee - 5.20, Melange coffee - 4.60 euros and it’s not expensive. Later we visited two more Viennese coffee shops and became convinced that Austria is a country of victorious socialism, and the prices in different coffee shops are the same. Sachertorte is one of the cheapest Viennese desserts; other desserts cost 7-8 euros.

The taste of the Sacher torte did not seem to us as divine as we would like to think - an ordinary chocolate sponge cake - nothing special, similar to the Russian Prague cake, the existence of which Prague residents do not even suspect.

Visiting places like Demel Cafe while traveling is akin to a tourist attraction. It is very interesting to see how you can make a legend out of an ordinary cake and sell it to tourists along with the cake.

You can also buy the famous Sachertorte in Vienna supermarkets. The prices there are, naturally, more affordable than in historical confectionery shops. For a kilogram cake they ask for only 14.49 euros, and a half kilogram cake will cost only 7.99 euros. I took this photo in the store MERKUR Hoher Markt, located next to the Anchor Clock.

On my website you can find out

Cafe Sacher in Vienna

The famous Viennese cafe, which has become one of the symbols of Vienna, is located in the very center of the capital of Austria, not far from the Vienna Opera and tourists here, no less than on the square with St. Stephen's Cathedral. You can often notice a queue in front of the entrance to a cafe, which, however, moves quite quickly. Cafe Sacher is located in the building of an old respectable hotel of the same name; the decor and surroundings of the cafe correspond to the status of the establishment. Classic interior, mirrors, Bohemian crystal chandeliers, red fabric upholstery on the walls and upholstered furniture, marble tables, a menu with a story about the history of the Sacher brand - everything looks expensive and beautiful and reminiscent of the traditions of 19th century Vienna. The waitresses wear black dresses with white aprons, and the waiters wear tailcoats, as was customary in old Vienna.

The history of the Sacher torte

The purpose of most tourists’ visit to this famous cafe is to try the legendary Sachertorte, the culinary pride of Austria, or rather, its standard, since a dessert with the same name and a very similar recipe can be bought in almost any coffee shop in Vienna, and, it should be noted, much cheaper . The cake itself is a chocolate sponge cake with a layer of apricot jam, covered with chocolate glaze. A piece of cake will be served to you on a signature plate, decorated with whipped cream and a traditional round chocolate stamp with the inscription "Original Sacher Torte". It tastes like the familiar Prague cake. Opinions about the taste of the cake vary greatly, from delight to complete gastronomic disappointment. But in any case, it's worth trying.

The history of the creation of the cake has long become a legend. The famous dessert owes its birth to a student of the pastry chef of the Austrian Chancellor Metternich, a then unknown apprentice named Franz Sacher. Metternich was a gourmet and his receptions were famous throughout Europe, and it had to happen that his chef suddenly became seriously ill and this happened on the very day when the chancellor promised his guests a special dessert for dinner. There was panic in the kitchen - none of the cooks wanted to experiment and 16-year-old cook Franz had to prepare the treat. So in 1832 the legendary chocolate cake, which brought fame to Austrian cuisine. The chocolate cakes, glaze and apricot marmalade underneath caused such delight among the guests that Franz Sacher immediately became a celebrity. Subsequently, Franz worked for other famous gourmets in various countries, he even cooked for the Russian Tsar. In 1848, Sacher was a well-known confectioner and ran a delicatessen shop in Vienna.

The "real" cake debate

In one year, Zacher's confectionery produces about 300,000 cakes - they are served in the coffee shop and sent to all corners of the world.

Franz's eldest son Eduard continued his father's work. He worked at the Viennese confectionery Demel, where he slightly changed the recipe for the family dessert, and later founded the Sacher Hotel with a coffee shop. After his death, his wife Anna-Maria took charge of the hotel's affairs. But the next owner, the son of Anna and Eduard and the grandson of Franz Sacher, could not save the family business from ruin. The bankrupt hotel and cafe were sold to the Gürtler family, and the recipe and the right to manufacture the famous culinary product were sold to the Demel confectionery. Throughout the 20th century, Vienna's two main confectioneries, Sacher and Demel, argued in court over the right to make Sachertorte. Only in 1963 the court put an end to the disputes and confirmed the exclusive right of the Sacher Hotel to the “Original Sacher-Torte” trademark and the original round seal. Well, debates about taste and which cake is more “real” continue to this day, despite the fact that the products of the debaters are approximately equally popular. Currently, Café Sacher exists not only in Vienna, but also in other Austrian cities: Salzburg, Innsbruck and Graz.

What else can you buy in a cafe?

The cafe in Vienna is open from 8 o'clock to midnight, orders are accepted until half past twelve. As for the prices, they are of course significantly higher than in other Viennese cafes. Coffee and a piece of cake for two will cost at least 20 euros. Cloakroom in the cafe is paid, 1 euro per person. Near the entrance there is a company store that sells various sweet products, porcelain plates and cups with a logo, original coffee and chocolate in beautiful jars. There you can also buy a gift version of the Sachertorte in any of four different sizes from 0.6 to 1.6 kg. They are packed in branded wooden boxes. A box of cake, depending on the size, will cost from 20 to 43 euros. The confectionery also has its own online store.

Friends, greetings! Do you think that when you are in Vienna, you should visit a cafe and try the Sachertorte or is this a completely unnecessary idea? Many people know that this cake, although originally from Vienna, is quite often found in domestic coffee shops or culinary departments. I’m not into cakes, but while walking around Vienna, my mind was drilled by the thought that tasting the Austrian Sacher is necessary...

Each country has its own national dishes. And although they can be found in other countries, I personally am interested in the “original source”. It was this interest that prompted me to first find a well-known cafe and see what products were sold there and at what price. And if this offer is reasonably combined with your travel budget, then take advantage of it, and even stock up on the cake recipe.

In this article I want to tell you the following:

1. Where is Cafe Sacher in Vienna?
2. Tasting the signature cake
3. Sachertorte recipe borrowed from Vienna

Where is Cafe Sacher in Vienna?

Knowledgeable people told us that on one of the most popular historical streets there is the Sacher Hotel, which has a cafe and a shop where you can not only try the signature cake, but also buy a cake in gift wrapping.

Therefore, after walking along the street and around, we decided that it was time to find a popular trio - a cafe-hotel-shop:

Have you noticed how delicious the cake is on the plate? These are the confectionery products produced by the Sacher company in Vienna.

I didn't have to look for the right object. From St. Stephen's Cathedral there is a wonderful pedestrian street, Kärntnerstrasse, along which an endless stream of people moves. We joined this stream and, turning our heads in the desire to look at the beautiful architecture, we went for a walk:

When we walked about halfway (and the streets in the historical quarters of Vienna are not long at all) we saw the Sacher Hotel on the right. As noted on the sign attached to the building, Sacher is located at Kärntner Straße 38:

The building has several entrances. Behind the door shown in the photo is a store. The entrance to the cafe is located nearby, and visitors are constantly crowding there. We entered the store and discovered that from the store hall you can also enter the cafe:

The store, as one might expect, was not crowded. Prices for Sacher products are more than serious))

Only the lazy ones didn’t inquire about where the name of the cake came from. It is known that the first cake made from chocolate sponge cake, orange jam and dark chocolate glaze was prepared by the Austrian culinary specialist Franz Sacher. There is a date in history that the first such cake was prepared in 1832.

Over time, the trademark was registered, and the food industry recognized the primacy of the House of Sacher in producing the cake. Some say that there are some secret nuances that distinguish the real Sachertorte from its counterparts produced by other manufacturers.

Of course, a Viennese cake in a gift box looks exclusive. These are the products you can see in the windows of the Sacher store:

The cake varies in size. This display case displays size II and III pieces. Let me note right away that they are average in size. The price tag in the photo is too small, so I will inform you that the Sacher cake II costs 40.50 €, and the Sacher cake III costs 46.50 €. On the shelf below is the original hot chocolate"Sacher", costing 11.50 €.

On the counters opposite are slightly smaller boxes. But no matter how closely we looked, we couldn’t find the price:

It appears to be a size I product and costs around 36€.

Having looked at the prices, we decided that we would be quite satisfied with a piece of cake paired with a cup of coffee. Right there in the store, the employees helpfully put up an information stand informing the visitor how much this pleasure will cost the visitor:

But, as it turned out, not only were all the tables occupied at Cafe Sacher, but there was also a crowd of people eager to try the Viennese brand in this particular establishment.

Sachertorte tasting

We were very sorry to waste time standing in line, so we decided to visit the cafe in the next building. To our great surprise, this place was completely full. But we didn’t give up)) Fortunately, in the center of Vienna there are cafes in almost every building.

Our perseverance was rewarded, and in the next charming cafe with miniature tables for two and wonderful soft sofas, a place was found for us.

What could we order while sitting comfortably in the Oberlaa cafe? Of course, Sachertorte and Viennese coffee:

The cake can be ordered with or without cream. I don’t know whether it was an exclusive Sacher from the house of the same name or its double... But, in any case, a tasting of Sacher cake took place in the center of Vienna. The very sweet cake was successfully complemented by coffee and cream. Overall, this cake is definitely for those with a sweet tooth.

Sacher torte recipe from Vienna

Friends, I suggest you try the recipe for Sachertorte, which I found in a reference book about Vienna. I bought the reference book in the center of Vienna, so I hope the recipe is directly related to the famous cake.

Ingredients for the crust:

• Six eggs
• 160 g butter
• 175 g dark chocolate
• 160 g sugar
• 160 g flour
• Apricot confiture
• One packet of vanilla sugar

Preparation:

Beat the whites with half the amount of sugar into a strong foam. Separately, beat the yolks with the second half of the sugar, softened butter and dissolved chocolate. Mix both masses carefully, gradually adding sifted flour and vanilla sugar.

Place the dough in a greased pan and bake at 180 degrees for about an hour. Cut the cooled cake crosswise, brush with apricot jam, fold the cakes and cover with a thin layer of jam on top and along the edges.

Prepare the glaze: dissolve 200 g of sugar in a small amount of water over low heat. Separately dissolve 100 g of dark chocolate, and then mix with sugar syrup. Drizzle glaze over cake.

I think that culinary enthusiasts will use the recipe and create a cake that is not inferior in taste to the Austrian cake.

Friends, I’ll tell you a secret that the Sachertorte in Vienna did not surprise me at all. It tasted exactly the way I remembered this cake from childhood, buying it at the school cafeteria for pennies. Even at a time when I loved sweets, the Sacher cake was not included in the list of my favorites. He failed to conquer me in Vienna either. And on my next visit to this beautiful city, sitting down at a table in a cafe, I will order an apple strudel, not a Sachertorte... May the fans of this Viennese delicacy forgive me))

Your euro guide Tatyana

Vienna has always been famous for its cuisine, sweet dishes and pastries, which you can try while sitting in old world-famous cafes. The most popular of them is the Sacher Café., which is located in the very center of Vienna. Its windows offer picturesque views of the Vienna Opera. It's especially beautiful here summer time, when glassed-in terraces transform it into an outdoor cafe.

The first thing all visitors order is natural Viennese coffee. Here it is served differently, depending on the size of the mug - "Kleiner Brauner" or "Grosser" coffee with milk. If you prefer black, then order Schwarzer. Although, in a cafe that serves three dozen different varieties, you can try everything.

In almost any cafe and restaurant in Vienna you can taste real Viennese strudel, cakes and buns. However, the Sacher Cafe has also become famous for its amazing Sacher-Torte cake- an original product that has become not just a source of pride, but also a source of good income. The cake recipe was invented in 1832 by Franz Sacher, who worked as a pastry chef for the Austrian Chancellor Prince Metternich. For about a century, the recipe was kept in the strictest confidence. But despite this, many housewives tried to guess the ingredients of the cake by taste.

Thanks to its reputation, Café Sacher is always full of visitors. Don’t be surprised if you see a line at the entrance; all the staff works harmoniously and quickly, so you won’t have to wait long. Of course, the prices here are rather high, but this does not deter guests who dream of tasting the most delicious pastries in Vienna. For example, a cup of coffee with a piece of cake or strudel will cost from 15-20 euros, one piece of branded cake costs about 5-6 euros. The cafe is open daily from 8am and closes at midnight.

How to get to Cafe Sacher

Cafe Sacher is located in the city center, at the address: Philharmonikerstrasse 4 01. To get here from another part of the city, just take tram 1, 2, 62, D and get to the Wien Oper stop. You can also get there by bus: N71 and 3A.

Each culinary masterpiece has its own history, and the Sachertorte - this delicious unique dessert, the pride of Austrian cuisine - is no exception.

It just so happened that the true joy of all sweet tooths, the Sachertorte, was invented in Vienna in 1832 by 16-year-old apprentice chef Franz Sacher, who was suddenly given the most important mission - to surprise high-ranking guests at an important ministerial reception. Foreign Affairs of Austria Prince Clemens Wenzel Fürst von Metternich with a delicious dessert.

The story goes that the choice fell on a young pastry chef (Franz had only been studying confectionery for 2 years at that time), because chaos reigned in the kitchen, the chief pastry chef, as luck would have it, went to bed, and more experienced chefs did not dare take on such a job. responsibility.

No one knows exactly where Sacher got the recipe, but he invented chocolate dessert conquered everyone sitting at the table and became so famous that it not only became the favorite cake of the Viennese nobility, but in 1836 it was awarded the highest honor - it was introduced to the menu of the imperial family. Needless to say, the young pastry chef’s career was more than successful. Having worked for some time after studying at different countries, he returned to Vienna again and opened his own wine and gastronomic store. Years passed.. Franz's eldest son, Eduard Sacher, decides to continue his father's work and undergoes training at the famous confectionery shop of Christophe Demel, where, among other sweets, he prepared a dessert invented by his parent, although he slightly changed the recipe. In 1876, Eduard opened the Sacher Hotel next to the Vienna Opera House, where the main treat is a magnificent chocolate dessert. Among the visitors to the hotel restaurant were high-ranking persons, and the establishment became a truly social place. Moreover, the Sacher family received the title K.u.K. Hofliferant: Kaiserlicher und koniglicher Hofzuckerbacker - "Supplier to the Imperial and Royal Court."

After the death of Eduard Sacher (in 1892), the establishment, and with it the secret of the magnificent dessert, passed into the hands of his wife Anna, and then (in 1929) to their son, also Eduard, who, unfortunately, did not possess business acumen of his parents and, after a little less than 4 years, went bankrupt and sold the hotel to the Gurtler family, who tried to preserve the traditions of the establishment and its famous cuisine. However, trying to improve his rather shaky financial situation, Edward also sold the secret of making the famous cake and the right to produce it to the already mentioned Demel confectionery house. This is where the “Viennese War” begins, since the famous cake began to be served in two establishments at once - the Demel confectionery and the Sacher Hotel. In 1938, the new owners registered the name Original Sacher-Torte as a trademark, and their competitors sold the dessert under the name Eduard Sacher-Torte. Legal disputes began between Demel and Sacher over the right to call the recipe original.

A consensus was reached only in 1963. Title Original Sacher-Torte (with round chocolate medal with Hotel Sacher Wien stamp)

they kept the cakes that the Sacher Hotel makes according to this recipe: to make the chocolate sponge cake more juicy, they began to cut it horizontally and lay it with an additional layer of apricot jam, and then the entire dessert was covered with chocolate glaze.

And cakes from the Demel confectionery are made without an additional layer (a layer of apricot confiture is placed on the chocolate sponge cake, and then chocolate glaze) and 1/6 of the butter is replaced with margarine (this makes the dessert easier on the stomach). These cakes should be decorated with a triangular medal with the inscription Eduard Sacher-Torte. Now this version is officially called “Demel’s Sachertorte”.

Both cakes are incredibly tasty, and although the method of preparing the dessert was published in cookbooks (Anna Maria Sacher herself shared it), no one can reproduce it exactly: a good pastry chef will always keep something quiet - this is one of the secrets of the skill. Rumor has it that the special secret of the cake is in the chocolate glaze, for the preparation of which three types of chocolate are used. And to try real Sacher, it’s better to go to Vienna and taste a piece of this miracle. By the way, a Hotel Sacher Wien cake with a diameter of 12 cm and a weight of 600 g will cost about 19.9 euros. And Eduard Sacher-Torte with a diameter of 17 cm and a weight of 500 g (in the Demel confectionery this dessert is made exclusively by hand) will cost you approximately 21.7 euros.

Since Soviet times, the Prague cake, which is a variant of the Sacher torte, has been popular in Russia.

Chocolate Sacher cake

Ingredients:

100g dark chocolate 250ml water 125g butter, chopped 250g sugar 3 eggs 150g flour 25g cocoa powder 60g ground almonds 110g apricot jam

Glaze:

200 g dark chocolate 160 ml cream

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a round cake pan with a diameter of 23 cm. Line with parchment.

2. Melt the chocolate with water (I add only 6 tablespoons - author's note) in a small bowl placed over a pan of boiling water, cool.

3. Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer, add the eggs, one at a time, without ceasing to beat (in some recipes it is recommended to beat the whites and yolks separately - author's note). Then add sifted flour, cocoa, almonds and melted chocolate.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour until done. Let stand for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool.

5. Cut the cooled biscuit in half and coat with jam.

6. While stirring, melt the chocolate and cream in a bowl placed over a saucepan of boiling water.

7. Coat the cake with glaze. Heat the remaining glaze and pour on top.