Sweet things from Vienna's hotels

The most famous Viennese coffee houses owe their reputation not only to their unique ambience but also to the cakes named after them. Hotel cakes also have a long tradition in Vienna. Many fancy hotels serve their own creations; the recipes for all of them are a strictly guarded secret.

The most famous cake in the world

As far as familiarity goes, the Sacher Torte is the undisputed Number 1. The most famous cake in the world tastes best where the original version is served: at the elegant Hotel Sacher in Vienna. Every year, 360,000 original Sacher Torte are produced by hand. One third of them are munched on in the hotel and its Café Sacher. The cake was invented in 1832 by the kitchen assistant Franz Sacher, who was just 16 years old at the time. He jumped in at short notice for the chef de cuisine, who had fallen sick and was supposed to create a dessert for Prince Metternich. Today, the Sacher Torte is one of the most famous cakes in the world and tastes best with a portion of whipped cream. It is also sent around the world.

Cake or candy? That is the question!

The elegant Hotel Imperial also offers a house cake. As the legend goes, the Imperial cake was invented in honor of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1873 to mark the hotel's opening. Strictly speaking, the Imperial cake is actually a candy – albeit a pretty big one. Lightly whipped chocolate cream is layered with delicate almond flakes, the finest marzipan encases the Imperial cake, and finally the whole thing is given a glaze of chocolate. Befitting its status, the cake is devoured in the Café Imperial on Vienna's Ringstrasse boulevard. The cake is also available in the flavors Black Orange and Fine Raspberry. As you would expect, the cake can also be sent around the world.

The Emperor's favorite breakfast

In turn, the Grand Hotel Wien is famous for its guglhupf. The guglhupf is a typical piece of Viennese baking tradition and was very popular with Emperor Franz Joseph, especially for breakfast. At the Grand Hotel, the guglhupf is baked to an old original recipe: a marble guglhupf refined with cinnamon, with almond flakes in the shell. The Grand Guglhupf is a popular souvenir from the hotel and is also delivered around the world in its pretty packaging.

The latest hotel creations

A more recent tradition is the Otto cake of Hotel Altstadt. The hotel's own cake was named after the hotel's founder Otto E. Wiesenthal. The Otto cake, which can be enjoyed in the hotel and purchased to go, comes from the manufactory of Veronika Fischer and is a heavenly dark chocolate cake made without flour. Each hotel guest who is celebrating their birthday is surprised with an Otto cake.

The Domspitz is the signature dessert at the Do&Co Hotel in the Haas Haus and also a more recent invention. The hotel stands right opposite Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral, hence the name of the sweet treat. The triangular shape of the Domspitz symbolizes a roof shingle of St. Stephen's Cathedral. Poppy seeds, plum jam, walnuts, a dash of rum, and the finest chocolate glaze are the secret. The Domspitz was created for the hotel's opening in 1990.