The Sacher Hotel and Sacher Cafe are well known in Vienna. They are known for a not-too-sweet-chocolate cake called sachertorte.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Me eating Sachertorte"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Me eating Sachertorte" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6413737517/"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6230/6413737517_eba7ce4f5d_b.jpg" alt="Me eating Sachertorte" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

Now my whole life I've been a white cake girl. I love a lightly vanilla cake. I love vanilla butter-cream frosting. I always have. I think this is because some chocolate cakes are too rich for me. I know plenty of people doubled over gasping for air at their computers right now. My sister C. is probably one of those people. Our whole lives this has been the case. I have a May birthday and my cake of choice has always been vanilla or strawberry shortcake. She has a June birthday and she always has chocolate cake.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Sachertorte"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Sachertorte" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6413730027/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6413730027_e0338468c5_b.jpg" alt="Sachertorte" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

Anyhow, back to the sachertorte. It's an institution in Vienna. Yes. The cake is an institution in and of itself.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Cafe Sacher menu"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Cafe Sacher menu" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6413673543/"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6214/6413673543_c5977d89ac_b.jpg" alt="Cafe Sacher menu" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

This cake is well known and well loved so who am I to poo-poo a cake before actually trying it? So A. and I went to the Sacher Cafe. We had a slice of cake and a coffee. The cake? It was just about perfect.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Sachertorte close-up"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Sachertorte close-up" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6413699943/"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6052/6413699943_2982a0819a_b.jpg" alt="Sachertorte close-up" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

I guess that shouldn't surprise me. A cake doesn't get this famous without good reason. Here's what great about the cake. It's light. The crumb is soft without being dry. There's a hint of jam between the two layers of cake and what seems to be the chocolate ganache topping. The cake is served with a side of not-too-sweet whipped cream.

Yum.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="More Sachertorte close-up"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Sachertorte close-up" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6413714819/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6413714819_2ce699edce_b.jpg" alt="Sachertorte close-up" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

This is a chocolate cake that I could get behind. In fact, I think that I am going to give this one a whirl at home at some point in the future.

The original sachertorte recipe is apparently a well guarded secret but luckily for me there are lots of entrepreneuring cooks out there and plenty of versions of this recipe available on the internet. <a href="http://www.pomiane.com/2008/01/recipe-original-sachertorte.html" target="_blank">This recipe looks pretty good</a> and sums up the legal battle over the cake's origins.

Oh and the cafe itself it pretty fancy. And very pretty too look at both from the inside and the outside. Enjoy these few pictures!

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Chandler Inside the Cafe Sacher"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Chandler Inside the Cafe Sacher" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6413692127/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6413692127_e36f8637b3_b.jpg" alt="Chandler Inside the Cafe Sacher" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Me taking a photo of the logo of the Hotel Sacher"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="IMG_1156" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6413665407/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6413665407_c64a1a3436_b.jpg" alt="IMG_1156" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Hotel Sacher from the outside looking in!"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Hotel Sacher" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6413760163/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7032/6413760163_685e781dcf_b.jpg" alt="Hotel Sacher" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Hello Cafe Sacher"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Cafe Sacher" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6413747273/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7032/6413747273_224f51c596_b.jpg" alt="Cafe Sacher" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]