“Sacher” Cake for a Special Occasion
The legendary Viennese cake: a dense chocolate sponge cake, a thin layer of apricot jam, and a mirror-glazed chocolate coating. The recipe has remained virtually unchanged since 1832.
What It Tastes Like
The sponge cake has a rich chocolate flavor and is intentionally not too moist—it’s meant to be dense. The apricot jam adds a fruity tartness that cuts through the chocolate and gives the flavor depth. The glaze on top is firm and smooth. According to Viennese tradition, the “Sacher” is served with unsweetened whipped cream—it’s this that balances out the cake’s density.
What occasions is it suitable for
Anniversaries, formal dinners, business events, New Year’s and Christmas tables, or as a gift for someone who appreciates the classics. This is a “grown-up” cake with subtle sweetness and iconic status.
Weight and Servings
A whole cake weighs 1.3 kg and yields 12 servings of approximately 105 g each. It’s enough for a group of up to twelve guests.
How to Order in Kharkiv
The price for a whole cake is 1200 UAH, and a slice is 100 UAH. The cake is prepared for your specified date; orders must be placed at least two days in advance. Delivery within Kharkiv or pickup available.
The History of the “Sacher” Cake
This is one of the few cakes whose authorship was contested in court—and the trial lasted twenty-five years.
Vienna, 1832
Chancellor Clemens von Metternich ordered a new dessert for his guests. The head chef fell ill, so the task fell to a sixteen-year-old apprentice, Franz Sacher, who was in his second year of training. The guests liked the cake, but at the time no one attached any significance to it—Sacher completed his training and went to work in Bratislava and Budapest.
The Hotel and the Pastry Shop
It was Franz’s son, Eduard, who brought the cake true fame: he refined the recipe at the Demel pastry shop in Vienna and later opened the Sacher Hotel, where the cake became the signature dish.
“The Sweet War”
From 1938 to 1963, the Sacher Hotel and the Demel pastry shop were locked in a legal battle over the right to call their cake “the original.” The dispute was serious: how many layers of jam there should be—one or two—and exactly where it should be placed. The court ultimately ruled that only the hotel’s cake could be called the “Original Sacher-Torte,” while Demel was granted the right to its own name. Both cakes are still sold in Vienna today.