letsgeaux

I have to say that I liked the Sacher Torte. I had it at several cafes in Vienna including the one at the Sacher Hotel. Maybe the elegant atmosphere had something to do with it, but we enjoyed it. I remember having it with a cup of very strong Turkish coffee, the bottom half inch of which was of the consistency of mud. Tasted good though.

Nikki

I love sacher torte. I grew up with the one they made at the Eclair bakery in New York. Dark chocolate and apricot, two of my favorite things. A friend in college learned to make it for me and I would look forward to his cakes for weeks.

I did have one in Vienna but by then I was predisposed to love it. That was in 1972 though and it may have become stale in the intervening years.

kleeblatt

Sachertorte
Baklava
Turkish Delight

All things to try before you die. I've had the pleasure of eating all three and I preferred Baklava over the rest.

annhig

you've missed out clotted cream, kleeblatt.

it would undoubtedly make even the driest piece of Sachertorte taste better.

nytraveler

Yes, but it would make dry rice cakes delicious too. Not a reason to eat them.

sandralist

Sacher Torte is an incomparable creation, like a good many other Viennese pastry creations. There is no dessert that everyone likes anyway (not even Black Forest Cake, which disappoints plenty) but to try to understand Sacher Torte by comparing it to high-rise cakes with chocolate is bit like going to San Sebastian and trying a unique, complicated, chef-created pintxos, spitting it out and announcing: "I like ham sandwiches better!"

For me, what makes Sacher Torte outstanding is not only the perfect austere elegance of it as a grown-up sweet to be eaten with Viennese coffee, but the unique flavor of the local apricot jam from the unique apricots of the Danube area. It is one of the few areas where I think the Viennese have it all over the Italians when it comes to things to eat. Italians favor apricot jam in a lot of baked creations, and have marvelous fresh-ripe apricots, but the apricot preserves (and liquers) of the Danube are extraordinary. It's one of the reasons I like Sacher Torte even without whipped cream, to taste the purity of the apricot jam. (And the overload of fixed-onto-the-cake whipped cream decoration is the main reason I don't order Black Forest Cake, silly fun as it is too look at).

But no, Sacher Torte is not conventional chocolate cake. It is the category of signature and incomparable Viennese pastry creations, like Esterhazy torte, Imperial torte, Klimt cake, Mozart cake.... No reason to like it (I can't stand tiramisu and have never ordered it once since moving to Italy) but I don't think you can understand the nature of imperial Vienna without understanding Sacher Torte.

sandralist

(I meant to add that understanding Sacher Torte is also part of understanding Jewish culture in Vienna and its relationship to Imperial Vienna. It's not just a piece of cake. It's a piece of history. Again, most visitor's palates don't favor it and no judgment about that. Surely many native born Viennese don't like it. But for those whose palates do appreciate it, the creation is precise and very satisfying.)

annhig

but I don't think you can understand the nature of imperial Vienna without understanding Sacher Torte.>>

to this we can presumably add Wienerschnitzel and Tafelspitz!

NYCFoodSnob

Sometimes, you just can't ignore the troll.

<i><font color=#555555>"Sacher Torte is an incomparable creation"</font></i>

I'll give you that.

<i><font color=#555555>"There is no dessert that everyone likes anyway"</font></i>

Perhaps. And what dessert lover cares about the opinion and taste buds of "everyone?"

<i><font color=#555555>"but to try to understand Sacher Torte"</font></i>

A dessert that requires specific study to appreciate? Enjoy yourself. You can have my serving.

<i><font color=#555555>"the perfect austere elegance of it as a grown-up sweet to be eaten with Viennese coffee"</font></i>

Pure pretension.

<i><font color=#555555>"It is the category of signature and incomparable Viennese pastry creations"</font></i>

There you go again with that word "incomparable." Overwrought writing. It's safe to assume the board knows you like Sacher-Torte.

<i><font color=#555555>"I can't stand tiramisu and have never ordered it once since moving to Italy"</font></i>

Funny. I never liked it much until I started traveling to Italy. Tiramisu is a dessert that beckons a chef's creativity. In my vast experience with Italy's cucina, no two Italian cooks have made it the same way, but I have enjoyed so many variations that blew my mind, exploding with an unforgettable taste sensation and sumptuous mouth feel. The best one I've had so far can be found in the hills of Lake Como. That handsome Italian chef grew up with a French grandmother. Oh my, the influence she had on the boy's cooking. You need a car to indulge in this delightful birthday treat.

<i><font color=#555555>"It's not just a piece of cake. It's a piece of history."</font></i>

Sorry. You lost me here with this added pretension. I can think of plenty of history that tastes awful and doesn't feel good in one's mouth.

Different strokes for different folks.

kleeblatt

Annhig: Clotted Cream with Scones.... heavenly!

mes2525

Sacher Torte is usually eaten with lots of schlag. The cakes are less moist than what most Americans are familiar with - that's why they are eaten with schlag. I had it warm from the oven years ago in Vienna and enjoyed it.

I love clotted cream and baklava too! Happy dessert eating.

StCirq

Sorry, but I don't need to rip the roof of my mouth apart to understand Jewish history in Vienna. There is usually significant history behind any food that has lasted over time.

Great if you like it - eat it. I'll take baklava, though it's usually too sweet for me, and Turkish Delight, and definitely a good scone with clotted cream over Sachertorte any day.

nytraveler

Sorry - we did not find most desserts in Vienna to be dry and crumbly. Most of them were perfectly delicious - and did not require a doctorate in pretension to enjoy.

As for saying Sacher Torte is integral to the history of Vienna - as someone with a degree summa cum in european history - that's simply nonsense.