Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Sacher Torte

sachertorte

For dessert on Midsummer's Eve, not only did we eat Madeleines with strawberries and cream. Oh no. We also had a genuine Sacher Torte, that Danne and Tesse were given by one of their wedding guests, from Austria. Supposedly, this cake would be good for a year. A year. Really. Wow. I wonder what's in it?

Anyway. I'm showing you a photo of the very pretty box, but not of the cake. Because honestly? It was really, really dry and not very special at all. Nor was it very pretty, the chocolate had bloomed a bit and it looked a bit grayish.

So. Too bad. Homemade Sacher Torte is delicious though, so I think I'll make one soon...

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

i've heard mixed things about sacher tortes.. they seem to be either really great or really horrid depending but never inbetween! never had one :)

Anonymous said...

I can understand You are disappointed.. but if You are in Wien, you HAVE TO try Sacher Torte in Cafe Sacher, it's really really delicious.
Sitting on the Kartner Strasse, drinking Milchkaffe and a slice of Sacher Torte with whipped cream... this is my most important program every time I'm in Vienna..especially when I'm lucky to be there in a relativ tourist-free period.

Kinna Jonsson said...

Nobody will ever know what is in a Sacher cake because it is a family secret. I have heard they are very dry and preferable with champagne.

Anonymous said...

I want to ask you a question....What kind of sugar were in use on sail boats in the past in Sweden. I can't imagine nothing....Thank You!!!

thepassionatecook said...

wow i knew it would keep, but a year? then again, i guess that's good news for me as i just remembered that we were given one on our last trip to austria and it's still in the wine fridge... i'll report on the state of the nation's favourite cake after 2 months...

Anonymous said...

Nice box! I still have the box in which I brought a Sacher torte home from Wien way back in 1994! It was from Demel, another famous pastry maker in that incredible city. That torte, as I recall, was very good. I now use the box for the safekeeping of my income tax receipts.

Hope you're having some fun and some good meals in Brussels!

Jeff.

onemorehandbag said...

As as Austrian who likes to "export" Sacher Torte abroad occasionally, let me add that a) it definititely does NOT last for a year but in fact has a best before date on the box (it's usually 8 weeks or so if I remember correctly and b) it must indeed have gone off somehow (maybe heat if the chocolate icing looked odd, too?) if it was dry. What makes the original so special is the fact that it is in fact very moist. It is a must to eat it with whipped cream, though.

Anne said...

Thanks everyone! I will definitely try fresh sacher torte - that will be great! :) We did have whipped cream with it - it was absolutely necessary, I totally agree.

Kinna - that's true, but there are so many similar recipes around! :)

Gianfi - I have no idea.. regular sugar? Lump sugar? What period are you talking about?

Thepassionatecook - please do! This was probably no more than a little over one month.

Onemorehandbag, I'm with you - probably something faulty with it, or more likely, with storage.

Honeybee said...

I felt very much the same about a Sacher Torte I was given some time ago - very dry, nothing special at all. But Vienna is well worth a trip for foodies, the baked goods at the Kaffeehäuser are to die for! I especially love Topfenstrudel, a strudel filled with fromage frais.

Ilva said...

Oh what a pity, it's so good when it's fresh, I know because Marco brought me a fresh one from Hotel Sacher when he was in Vienna a couple of weeks ago. It was moist and not dry at all...

Jessica said...

The idea of anything being good for a year says it all though. Except for some pickled and stored vinegars etc., a Sacher torte that lasts for a year must be a truth that requires an enormous amount of modification.
They are great fresh, hope you get/got to have some.

Unknown said...

Lehrreicher Blog!
You make me hungry :)

Anonymous said...

I live in Vienna, and I really dont know what all the rave is about the sacher torte! Its like a really dry, tasteless chocolate cake, with a brand. Home made is muchhhh better!