Chocolate Cake Anyone?
Walk into any of the dozens of Bakery Restaurants in Vienna and you will find yourself in Cake Heaven. Coffee and Cake are an important part of the day for many Viennese, and this gentle occupation has much to recommend it. Vienna is just a few hours away and it’s easy to find cheap flights to this beautiful city.
Specialities of Vienna
For a flavour of one of the worlds finest cakes, take a trip to Hotel Sacher, located in the very centre of Vienna, opposite the State Opera. Built in the sumptuous old Empire style, the Hotel is known as the birth place of Sachertorte, a rich chocolate concoction, flavoured with apricot conserve and topped with a covering of pure, dark chocolate. It’s usually served with a side helping of whipped cream and a cup of rich, smooth Viennese coffee. The coffee is also served with whipped cream…..Vienna is not a place for the faint hearted in more ways than one!
Demel was once the Imperial Bakery for the Hapsburgs, who ruled the Austrian Empire for nearly 600 years. Demel can be found at Kohlmarkt 14 and it’s a sensory overload of the best kind. Their sweet and cake shop displays are mouth-watering. Fantastic pastries and chocolates compliment each other in texture and colour, and choosing what you would like to sample is tough. In warm weather it’s great to sit outside and watch the world go by, but it’s just as interesting inside – you can drink in the atmosphere, read a paper and savour the heady aroma of Chocolate. If you are lucky, you might get a table near the back of the patisserie, to watch the Mehlspeiskoshen (sweet pastry chefs) at work, embelishing edible works of art.
Rigó Jancsi Torta is an Austro-Hungarian cake, one for those who require a genuine chocolate hit. The chocolate sponge cake is filled with a chocolate cream mousse and topped with a chocolate alcohol-laced glaze. It’s named after a Hungarian gipsy violinist, Rigó Jancsi who seduced and then married Clara Ward, the Princess de Caraman-Chimay, the only daughter of an American millionaire and the Belgian Prince de Caraman-Chimays wife. The scandal calmed down but the cake remained as a reminder of the young lovers.
Such was the importance set on the creation of luscious deserts, that Bakers specialising in sweeties and cakes, had their own Guild. Many of the rich families in Vienna employed their own personal Sweet Cook, together with a ladies masseuse to work off the effects of their sugary diet.
As you walk through the city, you’ll be amazed by the variety of cakes shops, the highly decorated porcelain espresso machines, mirror lined rooms, chandeliers, fine linens and china – all there to celebrate the civilised pastime of Coffee and Cake. Vienna blossomed at a time when everyday items were beautifully made for the pleasure of those who could afford them – it’s a wonderful place to visit, so check out airline tickets to Vienna and remind yourself of the joys of a good cup of coffee and a slice of heaven.