To be honest the whole sweet tooth is a relatively late development for me. We weren’t allowed to eat a lot of candy and sweet stuff when my sisters and I were kids, so it wasn’t until high school, when we had to sell chocolate bars as a fundraiser for our various clubs, did I begin to understand the evil power of sugar. Whenever I got tired of selling the Snickers or M&Ms to my classmates, I’d indulge in one or two for myself, telling myself all along that it was for a good cause, and happily go off to my next class on a sugar high. White chocolate covered raisins then became a loyal companion for the long hours of prepping for the bar exam some years later. Speed ahead another decade or so and suddenly I’ve got a full-blown addiction to dark chocolate. The darker, the better. I don’t eat milk chocolate (at all) or desserts (much), but put a decadent dark choco cake in front of me and, well…it’s not pretty.
Besides all the wonderful coffees you can get in Vienna, one of the most fun things to taste here is the famous Sacher Torte, which was created for Demel (the store I wrote about yesterday) by the Sacher family way back in the 1800s. The picture of all the chocolate cakes lined up in Demel’s kitchen from yesterday’s blog tells you how wildly popular it still is today.
Later it was offered at the Sacher Hotel; yes, a legal battle of sorts ensued over who had rights to the “original” sachertorte, but for now, it is readily offered all around Vienna. BTW, the Sacher Hotel is this lovely establishment not too far from the Demel location:
I took that picture on a breezy afternoon while watching people stroll by the hotel sidewalks only to pause and find a seat to enjoy the famous cake. I was full from lunch but even from the rooftop where I stood, I wanted that slice of heaven. Such is the evil power of sugar that I was referencing earlier.
The sachertorte consists of two layers of dense, spongy cake that’s actually not too sweet. There’s a thin spread of apricot jam between the layers and the cake is covered in a dark chocolate icing on the top and sides. So much for the cake not being too sweet. It is served with whipped cream. Various restaurants, cafes, and bakeries will offer a slight spin on this theme…
and I’m happy to report I like all of the variations. If it is possible to eat a slice at every meal I probably would. That’d be my ode to the sachertorte. Well, let’s say if my metabolism were still like in my 20s then I probably could. Fine, you got me, metabolism schmetabolism. I ate more than I should have, but who knows when or where I might run into another slice back in the US?
Did you notice from my pictures that when you order a coffee in Vienna, it will come with a small glass of water? Tap water in Vienna is quite good and it makes perfect sense to follow a hot espresso with some cool water on a warm summer day.
Tags: Demel, Sacher Hotel, Sachertorte, Vienna
In these coming entries it will be difficult to explain how I lose instead of gain weight on this trip (but I do walk A LOT when I’m roaming) because just looking at windows in these patisseries around Europe is enough to pile on the pounds. I know, it’s easy for you to say stop looking inside the windows then, but how can I resist any place with a canopy just begging to provide shade from the sun and treat for the eyes?
All I know is that a whiff of the sweet scent triggers a Pavlovian behavior in me…the salivation begins and before I know it, I’m inside the store–in today’s case I’m at Demel, the famed chocolatier and pastry shop–induced into some sugar frenzy where my mind can justify paying an arm and a leg for a tiny box of chocolates meant for people with elfish appetites…
but judging from the crowd of other zombies…er, tourists…it seems I’m not the only one on a candy high. Honestly though, who can resist these types of pretty displays:
I should say the candy boutique is to the right of the entrance, which I suppose most people may miss because when you first come inside the store, you are mesmerized by the pastry display that immediately catches your eye. I tell you, the choices are so varied you just want to weep because there are not enough hours in a day to eat everything…though I’d like to give it a shot!
If you can pry yourself away from the pastry counter, you will see a beautiful mahogany bar ahead, where you can order any kind of coffee (I prefer the strongest expresso possible) to go with your sweets:
You can also grab a quick lunch here…
but who am I kidding…let’s get back to the sweet stuff, shall we?
Geez, I’m drooling now just looking at the pictures again. But I digress. Walk past the bar toward the back of the joint and magic will find you. For it is here that you get a glimpse of the bakers in their white uniforms working on the sweets:
Is it wrong to want to live in this kitchen? Do you see all those chocolate cakes on the counter in the last photo? More about that tomorrow.
By the way, here’s a cake rendition of me falling into a pastry coma, courtesy of Demel (like my shoes?)…
Please don’t wake me up.
