Hotel Sacher and Cafe Demel are two prestigious cafes in Vienna, Austria.
The two establishments have been feuding for nearly two centuries over the famous Austrian chocolate cake, the Sachertorte, Deutsche Welle and the BBC report.
Although Hotel Sacher says it won a nine-year legal battle in 1963 meaning it could call its cake “the original,” the rivalry persists, and the two have a duopoly over the Sachertorte market.
I went to Vienna and ate both cakes on consecutive days to find out which is really the best.
Hotel Sacher stood out because the Sachertorte was more moist, the setting more pleasant, and the service was far more friendly.
Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
There has been a feud simmering away in Vienna for over 200 years. And the subject of such a long-standing disagreement?
Cake. Chocolate cake. And specifically, which of two prestigious establishments created it.
But this isn’t just any cake – this is Austria’s most famous baked good: the Sachertorte.
Read more:
Why the most expensive hotels aren’t always the best, according to a professional traveller who has stayed in over 3,000
Forget freakshakes and six-layer unicorn rainbow sponges filled with candy – Sachertorte couldn’t be less Instagrammable. It’s a simple chocolate cakes online with a layer of apricot jam, covered in a chocolate coating, and yet it sells like, well, hot cakes.
I paid a trip to Vienna to visit both cafes and, hopefully, put an end to the debate.
Our story begins back in the 19th century, when the cake war between Cafe Demel and Hotel Sacher broke out.
Insider/Rachel Hosie
Cafe Demel (l) and Hotel Sacher’s Cafe Eck (r).
Hotel Sacher claims that the cake was invented in 1832 when Prince Metternich of Austria requested a special cake at a time when the chef was ill, so 16-year-old apprentice Franz Sacher filled in and created the Sachertorte (which the hotel has trademarked as the “Original Sacher-Torte,” and that particular spelling), a spokesperson explained to Insider.
However, Cafe Demel has always refuted this claim, insisting that it is in fact the creator of the iconic cake, Deutsche Welle and the BBC report.
Franz Sacher’s son Edouard had also completed an apprenticeship at Cafe Demel, according to Deutsche Welle, and he tweaked the Sachertorte recipe to what it is today, so it’s a complicated case.
The Viennese take their cakes so seriously that the two establishments fought a nine-year legal battle (from 1954 to 1963) over who could call their Sachertorte “the original.”
Although Hotel Sacher confirmed to Insider that it won in the end, the two companies have a complete duopoly over the Sachertorte market (every bakery, cafe, and restaurant across Austria serves the midnight cake), both in Vienna and when it comes to shipping abroad.
Cafe Demel and Hotel Sacher are still huge rivals, but are their cakes really so different? There was only one way to find out.
First up, I went to Cafe Demel, which is found in a particularly posh area of central Vienna alongside designer stores like Gucci, Tiffany & Co, and Dior.
Insider/Rachel Hosie
It smelled amazing as soon as I walked in, and the interior was opulent and traditional. The main cafe area is upstairs. There was a sign at the entrance to the cafe instructing me to wait to be seated, so I waited. And waited.
After what felt like a very long time of being ignored by staff, I tried to get someone’s attention, but he just pointed to the sign and told me to wait. I wasn’t impressed.
source - https://www.businessinsider.com.au/vienna-sachertorte-battle-cafe-demel-vs-hotel-sacher-chocolate-cake-2019-10
The two establishments have been feuding for nearly two centuries over the famous Austrian chocolate cake, the Sachertorte, Deutsche Welle and the BBC report.
Although Hotel Sacher says it won a nine-year legal battle in 1963 meaning it could call its cake “the original,” the rivalry persists, and the two have a duopoly over the Sachertorte market.
I went to Vienna and ate both cakes on consecutive days to find out which is really the best.
Hotel Sacher stood out because the Sachertorte was more moist, the setting more pleasant, and the service was far more friendly.
Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
There has been a feud simmering away in Vienna for over 200 years. And the subject of such a long-standing disagreement?
Cake. Chocolate cake. And specifically, which of two prestigious establishments created it.
But this isn’t just any cake – this is Austria’s most famous baked good: the Sachertorte.
Read more:
Why the most expensive hotels aren’t always the best, according to a professional traveller who has stayed in over 3,000
Forget freakshakes and six-layer unicorn rainbow sponges filled with candy – Sachertorte couldn’t be less Instagrammable. It’s a simple chocolate cakes online with a layer of apricot jam, covered in a chocolate coating, and yet it sells like, well, hot cakes.
I paid a trip to Vienna to visit both cafes and, hopefully, put an end to the debate.
Our story begins back in the 19th century, when the cake war between Cafe Demel and Hotel Sacher broke out.
Insider/Rachel Hosie
Cafe Demel (l) and Hotel Sacher’s Cafe Eck (r).
Hotel Sacher claims that the cake was invented in 1832 when Prince Metternich of Austria requested a special cake at a time when the chef was ill, so 16-year-old apprentice Franz Sacher filled in and created the Sachertorte (which the hotel has trademarked as the “Original Sacher-Torte,” and that particular spelling), a spokesperson explained to Insider.
However, Cafe Demel has always refuted this claim, insisting that it is in fact the creator of the iconic cake, Deutsche Welle and the BBC report.
Franz Sacher’s son Edouard had also completed an apprenticeship at Cafe Demel, according to Deutsche Welle, and he tweaked the Sachertorte recipe to what it is today, so it’s a complicated case.
The Viennese take their cakes so seriously that the two establishments fought a nine-year legal battle (from 1954 to 1963) over who could call their Sachertorte “the original.”
Although Hotel Sacher confirmed to Insider that it won in the end, the two companies have a complete duopoly over the Sachertorte market (every bakery, cafe, and restaurant across Austria serves the midnight cake), both in Vienna and when it comes to shipping abroad.
Cafe Demel and Hotel Sacher are still huge rivals, but are their cakes really so different? There was only one way to find out.
First up, I went to Cafe Demel, which is found in a particularly posh area of central Vienna alongside designer stores like Gucci, Tiffany & Co, and Dior.
Insider/Rachel Hosie
It smelled amazing as soon as I walked in, and the interior was opulent and traditional. The main cafe area is upstairs. There was a sign at the entrance to the cafe instructing me to wait to be seated, so I waited. And waited.
After what felt like a very long time of being ignored by staff, I tried to get someone’s attention, but he just pointed to the sign and told me to wait. I wasn’t impressed.
source - https://www.businessinsider.com.au/vienna-sachertorte-battle-cafe-demel-vs-hotel-sacher-chocolate-cake-2019-10
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