Cafés and coffeehouses are a prominent feature of towns and villages across Austria. Tempting displays of cakes and desserts fill the windows to lure passers-by, but locals have long treated their coffeehouses as social institutions.
Livelier than a library, but less boisterous than a bar, a café is an ideal place to catch up on the latest news and gossip, to meet friends and acquaintances, and to debate and share ideas, all for the price of a cup of coffee and – maybe – a slice of cake…
As the political and cultural heart of
Austria-Hungary, enough wealth was concentrated in imperial Vienna to
import quantities of exotic luxuries, such as sugar, coffee and cocoa.
Viennese pastry chefs also drew on influences and ingredients from
across the empire – the art of making dumplings from Bohemia, almonds
from the Balkans, and so on – combining them with local fruit and dairy
products to create the wealth of different cakes and pastries that we
can enjoy today.
Below, we have put together a list of of our favourites, some
well-known, others less so. If you’re planning on visiting Austria and
have a sweet tooth, come with a big appetite, and perhaps some trousers
with a stretchy waistband…
We love taking guests around beautiful Austria – and not just because of the cake! To find out more about our Austrian journeys, please click here.
Cakes with connections
| In Austria, even the humblest cakes have friends in high places. Gugelhupf, or bundt cake, comes in many different flavours, but it was the Marmorgugelhupf (marbled chocolate and vanilla cake) that became the breakfast of emperors, when Emperor Franz Josef (r.1848–1916) decided that a slice of cake was the best way to start his day. |
| Emperor Franz Josef was also lent his title to another popular pudding; Kaiserschmarrn, or scrambled pancakes served with jam and a thick dusting of powdered sugar. “So ein Schmarrn!” is Austrian-German slang for “What a mess!” which is exactly what you’ll find yourself saying if you’re wearing black and order Kaiserschmarrn… |
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We featured Mozart’s most well-known contribution to the world of Austrian sweets, the Mozartkugel, in a story a few months ago. A core of pistachio marzipan and nougat covered in chocolate, Mozartkugeln were created in the 19th
century, so it’s unclear what the composer would have thought of them.
However, this hasn’t stopped pastry chefs from riffing on the same theme
with two delicious pistachio marzipan-filled cakes; the Mozarttorte and
Mozartbombe. The Mozarttorte is the more restrained of the two, with the marzipan sandwiching two chocolate cakes together, covered in an elegant mocha glaze. The Mozartbombe, a specialty of Vienna’s Café Schwarzenberg, requires a heavier hand with the pistachios – thin layers of chocolate cake and copious quantities of pistachio whipped cream are coaxed into a neat hemisphere and covered with lurid green pistachio marzipan. It looks wonderful, until you get a fork into it, and then it quickly turns into a delicious mess. |
| Finally, the divine Kardinalschnitte (meaning Cardinal’s slice) actually gets its name, not from any particular sweet-toothed cleric, but from its appearance. When cut into slices, this cake resembles a cardinal’s white and gold vestments. Strips of light genoise sponge are alternated with a light meringue. A sweet cream is sandwiched between the two layers, sometimes with apricot jam or fresh raspberries. Heavenly! |
On Topfen
If all that sweetness has you yearning for something more savoury, topfen – quark or curd cheese, is a good option. The cheese is traditional ingredient of several Austrian pastries and desserts, where its creaminess is often paired with sharp fruit flavours for a pleasing contrast.
Topfennockerl and Topfenknödel are light balls of curd, served with fruit jam or compote, while Topfengolatsche is a danish pastry with a curd cheese filling. The nockerl and knödel were originally inspired by a Bohemian dish, while Viennese Topfengolatsche found its way first to Denmark, where it is known as Wienerbröd, and thence the USA, where it’s known – accurately, if oxymoronically – as a Viennese danish.
Poppy seeds, please!
Austria’s plentiful poppy seeds (the country produces 1,500 tonnes a year) are grown in the Waldviertel, a beautiful, rural region of north-eastern Austria bordering the Czech Republic. Poppy seeds or mohn are used in and sprinked on many desserts, most famously Mohntorte. Poppy seeds and ground almonds are combined with as many as nine eggs, to give this flourless cake its chocolaty flavour; gluten may be out, but cholesterol is definitely in.
Poppy seeds also feature in the unusual Mohnnudeln (potato noodles with sugar and poppy seeds) and Fachertorte, a three-layer pie made with poppy seed paste, walnuts and sautéed apples, all wrapped in pastry. More than any of these cakes, a slice of rich, delicious Fachertorte may leave you in need of a good lie down afterwards, an urge best counteracted with some strong kaffee!
Oh, Krapfen!
Dunkin’ Doughnuts’ Austrian franchise declared bankruptcy after just three years of operation. Amidst the wealth of more sophisticated cake options on offer, perhaps this isn’t surprising, although Austrian doughnuts – known as Krapfen – are enjoyed in great quantities during Fasching (Carnival time) each February, when 100 million Faschingskrapfen (that’s around 12 doughnuts per person) are consumed. The traditional Faschingskrapfen is filled with apricot jam and dusted with powdered sugar.
A slice of Sachertorte
Austria’s best-known cake, Sachertorte is named for its creator, Franz Sacher. In 1832, Sacher was a 16-year old apprentice in Prince Metternich’s Vienna palace, when the head chef fell ill on the eve of an important reception. Sacher saved the day (and the Prince’s reputation) with this rich chocolate cake covered in glossy chocolate glaze.
Sacher’s original recipe has been the subject of much legal wrangling between Hotel Sacher and Demel, one of Vienna’s best patisseries. Today, both make a fantastic, if pricey, slice of Sachertorte.
Our
recommendation is to leave the issue of authenticity to the lawyers;
enjoy as many slices of this classic cake in as many places as you like,
and decide for yourself which one is the best!
The same could be said for all the cakes and desserts described above – and we haven’t even covered apple strudel or Linzertorte, or the pleasingly-named Polsterzipf yet. Perhaps more field research is needed for a Part II…
