Sachertorte

Sachertorte from the Hotel Sacher, Vienna

Franz Sacher

Sachertorte (German pronunciation: [ˈzɑxərˌtɔrtə]^[1]) is a chocolate cake, invented by Franz Sacher in 1832 for Klemens Wenzel von Metternich in Vienna, Austria.^[2] It is one of the most famous Viennese culinary specialties. The Original Sachertorte is only made in Vienna and Salzburg, and is shipped from both locations.

1 Composition
2 Sachertorte references
3 Notes
4 External links

Composition

The cake consists of two layers of dense, not overly sweet chocolate cake (traditionally a sponge cake) with a thin layer of apricot jam in the middle and dark chocolate icing on the top and sides. It is traditionally served with whipped cream without any sugar in it (Standard German: Schlagsahne, Austrian Standard German: Schlagobers), as most Viennese consider the Sachertorte too "dry" to be eaten on its own.

The trademark for the "Original Sachertorte" was registered by the Hotel Sacher, which was built in 1876 by the son of Franz Sacher. The recipe is a well-kept secret.^{[citation needed]}

Until 1965, Hotel Sacher was involved in a long legal battle with the pastry shop Demel, who had also produced a cake called the "Original Sachertorte." Numerous tales have circulated to explain how Demel came by the recipe. The cake at Demel is now called "Demels Sachertorte" and differs from the "Original" in that there is no layer of apricot jam in the middle of the cake, but directly underneath the chocolate cover, covering the entire cake.

There are various recipes attempting to copy the "Original," and some may be found below. For example, at the cultural event "Graz-Kulturhauptstadt 2003", the "Sacher-Masoch-Torte" was presented (its name alluding to Leopold von Sacher-Masoch), a cake unique in that it uses redcurrant jam and marzipan. Sachertorte is made up of chocolate, nuts, apricot, butter, eggs and sugar.

Sachertorte references

Sachertorte is the name the main antagonist from Sorcerer Hunters.

In Akuma to Dolce, Sachertorte is the favorite cake of the demon Belze-Beaut, and is used to bribe him.

Sachertorte is the "chocolate cake in a bag" from the song "The Ballad of John and Yoko".^[3]

In the film Persepolis, Marjane's father tells her to try the dessert while she studies in Vienna.

On the TV show Sesame Street, the Count calls the Countess "my little Sachertorte".

Sachertorte is the favourite food of Hitomi from the video game Dead or Alive.

In the anime series Mai-Hime, one team in the Fuka academy's cooking re-exams makes a Sachertorte.

In the video game Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, the player can create a Sachertorte using the item creation system.

In the video game Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, the cake can be found in the portrait of the City of Haze in a hidden bakery, as well as later on, in the portrait of 13th Street in another hidden bakery. The two differ in that the player must pay for the cake when it is found in the City of Haze and reappears when it is consumed.

In the film Transporter 3, when Valentina is discussing with Frank what she'd like for dinner, she lists Sachertorte as her dessert of choice.

On the PBS TV show Arthur, Arthur adds Sachertorte into his list of demands from his dad.

Notes

^ Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition ed.). 1989. http://www.oed.com/.
^ Bell, Bethany (2007-05-31). "Happy Birthday, cake" (STM). BBC News, Vienna. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6598995.stm. Retrieved on 2007-05-31. "It was created by chance one day in 1832 when the chef to the chancellor, Prince Wensel Metternich, suddenly fell ill. His 16-year-old apprentice, Franz Sacher, was called in to create a dessert that would not disgrace the prince and the Sachertorte was born."
^ John T. Marck, "The Wedding and Ballad of John and Yoko", I Am the Beatles.