Vienna's Sachertorte
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 
The other day my husband and I were reminiscing about a trip we took almost 2 years ago to Prague and Vienna. We loved every minute of it and dream about going back someday. Our visit took place in mid-autumn when the leaves had changed color but were still on the trees and the weather was cool and crisp yet you felt perfectly comfortable in just a sweater. In other words, the weather was perfect for outdoor sightseeing and long, leisurely walks in both cities.
The other day over homemade lattes, I was lamenting to my husband about how I wished that there were more places in Paris where you could drop in for a cup of coffee and a piece of cake and stay as long as you like (NB: I currently have no children or other similar preoccupations in my life so, yes, completely frivolous concerns like this tend to pop into my head from time to time).
There is, of course, no shortage of cafés or bakeries in Paris. But what I am looking for is one of the coffeehouses or cakeshops that seemed to be on every other corner in Vienna: the decoration might be modern or traditional, but there is always a multitude of tiered cakes either in the windowfront or greeting you on the counter in large, glass domed cake platters. And for the price of a cup of coffee, the table is yours for as long as you wish.
Since we can’t justify a trip back to Vienna for coffee and cake, I thought I would try to bring it to us. We stopped at our fair share of Kaffeehaus and Konditorei during our trip, but one of the cakes stood out above the rest: the Sachertorte. This is a dense, dry (yes, dry) chocolate cake made of two layers with apricot jam in between and a dark chocolate glaze on top. A slice of Sachertorte is always served with a dollop of whipped cream on the side.
The recipe I followed is off of epicurious. Given the trouble I sometimes encounter using non-French source recipes with French products, I was pleasantly surprised that this Sachertorte turned out nearly exactly as it was meant to. The glaze cooked perhaps a little too long (it never quite reached the temperature indicated in the recipe and the waiting took its toll on the texture...), but this extra time on the stovetop is what made the icing so glossy and, I think, even prettier in a way. If you look closely, you can even see the reflection of my pink shirt...
Those lucky enough to be able to visit Vienna should definitely add eating a piece of Sachertorte to their “to do” list.
Reader Comments (3)
I LOVE the photo with the leaves - I am sure there are more where those came from. You should send me some, or consider printing and framing them for your home.
Following this blog... I'm not sure if it makes me happy or sad.... I miss you, sister!!!
The cake looks absolutely delicious! I don't think being obsessed with finding the perfect coffee house is a frivolous concern... if people didn't care, the world would be even more full of generic chain coffee shops!
your cake looks very pretty. i love the top picture. which is prague?