Sachertorte

Vienna, Austria — invented by Franz Sacher in 1832 for Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich; Franz's son Eduard Sacher founded the Hotel Sacher in 1876 and formalised the recipe; the 1954–1963 'Sweet Court Battle' between Hotel Sacher and Demel patisserie is the most famous food court case in Austrian legal history

Vienna's most legally contested cake — a dense chocolate torte with a thin layer of apricot jam between the layers and beneath the glossy chocolate fondant glaze — was at the centre of a seven-year Austrian court case (1954–1963) between the Hotel Sacher (which claims the 'Original Sachertorte') and Demel patisserie (which claims Sacher's grandson brought the original recipe there). The court ruled in Hotel Sacher's favour, but both establishments sell their versions today. The Sachertorte is technically demanding precisely because of its apparent simplicity: a dense but not dry chocolate sponge, a single layer of apricot jam (Originalrezept has it under the glaze only; Demel places it between the layers), and a poured mirror-smooth fondant glaze. The glaze temperature is critical — too hot and it runs off; too cool and it sets before flowing smooth.

Served at the Café Sacher (Hotel Sacher Wien) or Café Demel in Vienna with unsweetened Schlagobers (whipped cream) and a Kleiner Brauner (Viennese coffee); in the red box from Hotel Sacher sold worldwide as a luxury souvenir; the cake must be at room temperature — cold from the refrigerator the fondant is too hard and the sponge too dense; the Hotel Sacher serves every slice at exactly 18°C