A Piece of Vienna- Sacher Torte and Coffee with Mozart at the iconic Landtmann Cafe

No trip to Vienna can be complete without trying out the famed  'Sacher torte' and we certainly couldn't be the exceptions. 

The Sacher-Torte has been the most famous cake in the world since 1832 and the original recipe remains a well-kept secret. The basis of this uniquely fabulous confection is a chocolate cake, thinly coated by hand with best-quality apricot jam. The chocolate icing on top of it is the crowning glory. It tastes best with a portion of unsweetened whipped cream.

Cafe Sacher, a landmark in Vienna

There is a very interesting story about the origins of the Sacher Torte. In 1832, Prince Wenzel von Metternich charged his personal chef with creating a special dessert for several important guests. The head chef, having taken ill, let the task fall to his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Franz Sacher, then in his second year of training in Metternich's kitchen. The Prince is reported to have declared, "Let there be no shame on me tonight." 

While the torte created by Sacher on this occasion is said to have delighted Metternich's guests, the dessert received no immediate further attention. Sacher completed his training as a chef and afterward spent time in Pressburg and Budapest, ultimately settling in his hometown of Vienna where he opened a specialty delicatessen and wine shop. Sacher's eldest son Eduard carried on his father's culinary legacy, completing his own training in Vienna with the Royal and Imperial Pastry Chef at the Demel bakery and chocolatier, during which time he perfected his father's recipe and developed the torte into its current form. 

You can easily understand the relevance of this torte when I tell you that 5th December is National Sacher torte Day in Austria.

 

 The Display insidethe Landtmann Cafe

One late, very cold evening after a show at the Opera House, we decided to take a chance and try out the Landtmann Cafe, which we had heard so much about. This cafe was founded in 1873 on October 1st when Franz Landtmann opened Vienna’s most elegant Café.

This legendary Café has been and continues to be one of the most popular in Vienna with regulars such as: Peter Altenberg, Sigmund Freud, Gustav Mahler, Max Reinhardt, Marlene Dietrich, Romy Schneider, Burt Lancaster, Hans Moser, the Dutch Queen Juliane, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sir Paul Mc Cartney, among many others.

The lovely Menu

Even better from Inside   

As it happened, we were in for an initial disappointment as the waiter informed us that the Sacher torte selection for the day was over. Then looking at the very obvious dismay on our faces, added that there was a very wide selection of other cakes that we could choose from.

 Which is exactly what we did!

Late night coffee and cakes 

My order- A Mozart Torte and a Melange cappuccino

Coffee and chocolate cake for Avi 

It was absolutely delightful- sitting in that wonderful restaurant which has seen artists,musicians, and celebrities from all walks of life walking in through its doors and making a morning, or as the case might be, an evening of it. 

The Logo is unmistakable- after all we are in the city of the greatest music composer of all time, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

As to our share of the Sacher Torte, the most amazing coincidence was that we found it served up in our Breakfast Buffet at the  Hotel Maria Theresa the very next morning!