In the 19th century the Austrian Empire was one of the most powerful forces on the continent. And it’s all thanks to one remarkable cake. Well, maybe. It started in 1832 when Prince von Metternich, the Chancellor of the empire, asked his executive chef to make him a cake so delicious it could win over the hearts of kings and queens, diplomats, businessmen, and intellectuals. Since the chef was sick that night, a young kitchen apprentice named Franz Sacher fulfilled the Prince's request, and the Original Sacher-Torte, a rich chocolate cake filled with apricot jam was born.
But that was just the beginning. The cake made the Sacher name so famous that the son of the dessert inventor’s decided to open a hotel in Vienna. It would be a gilded establishment where the finest members of society could dress their best and discuss the affairs of the world - of course over the cake.
Now there are two Sacher hotels, one in Vienna and one in Salzburg, where the service, amenities, and style are as intoxicating and refined as the dessert. At every turn in the Hotel Sacher Salzburg you’ll find treasures from crystal chandeliers to 19th century paintings, to important antiques. It is one of the many reasons international statesmen, royals, musicians, and titans of industry call this place their favorite.
The hotel was to be a gilded establishment where the finest members of society could dress their best and discuss the affairs of the world—of course over the cake.
Today the Original Sacher-Torte is demanded across the globe. At the Original Sacher-Torten Manufactory in Vienna 360,000 cakes are hand made every year according to Franz Sacher's original recipe from 1832 and shipped to clients across six continents.
The dessert is also available in select cafés and hotels around the world. But there is no experience like biting into it at the hotel that bears its name.
The Hotel Sacher Salzburg has a historical café that has long been a traditional Austrian coffee-house. These refined meeting places are where intellectuals, businessmen, politicians, and visitors have been meeting for centuries to discuss the affairs of the heart and the world. Today the café retains that Old World feel. Red velvet benches against the wall and glistening chandeliers set a mood of sophistication while hungry visitors order traditional sandwiches with smoked salmon or trifled ham. But the main event is the Original Sacher-Torte that tastes best with unsweetened whipped cream and a cup of coffee or tea. Even if you’re eating a full meal, don’t be afraid to order dessert first. After all, life is too short to wait for this.