Some historians credit a Sicilian baker with its invention, while others contend it was first produced by Egyptian hands. Admittedly, its genealogical tree lacks both parent and birthplace, but its history still holds many fascinating accounts about its evolution.

Originally cake resembled today’s pancakes more than today’s desserts and in all likelihood was nowhere near as sweet and flavorful as what we enjoy today. Written accounts of cake can be traced as far back as biblical times. According to the American King James Bible, in Genesis 18:6 it is written, “And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes on the hearth.”

These first cakes called ashcakes, were prepared with dough formed from mixing ground corn with some water and salt. The dough was then shaped into flat cakes and baked on ash-covered stones heated by a fire. After baking, the cakes were either eaten as is, or eaten with a layer of honey on top.

By mixing oil, honey or cream into the ashcake dough, the Israelites added flavor and volume to these unleavened pancakes, which had up until that time been dry and bland. Like the Israelites did, the Egyptians also experimented with new ingredients. An ancient Egyptian papyrus believed to be about 6,000 years old depicts Egyptian bakers sprinkling seeds over their cakes as they removed them from the oven. These seed cakes were not the only varieties of cake to come out of Egypt. The Egyptians also experimented with adding sun-dried apricots, dates and figs to their dough, creating the first known recipe for fruitcake.

While the Egyptians managed to change the face of cake dramatically with these new ingredients, it was the Crusaders’ discovery of sugar for the western world that sent the cake baking industry into a frenzy. Medieval bakers found that cakes baked with sugar were more tender and sweeter than those baked without it. However, it wasn’t until the 19th century, with the arrival of baking powder, compressed yeast and chocolate, that our biblical ancestors’ cakes were transformed into elegant desserts like the Viennese classic Sacher Torte.

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Considered by many to be the ultimate chocolate cake ever baked, the Sacher Torte has delighted our taste buds since 1832 when 16-year old apprentice, Franz Sacher, was given the task to create a new and scrumptious dessert for Prince Clemens Lothar Wensel Metternich and his prestigious dinner guests. Using ingredients available in the kitchen on that day, Sacher created the now infamous cake bearing his name. The cake served to the Prince and his guests that night, a chocolate sponge cake made from two layers of cake having the finest apricot jam spread between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake which was then iced with a velvet-like chocolate, was received with much fanfare from those at the dinner.

The original recipe, which was a well-kept secret passed down within the family, became entangled in a long and bitter feud between the Sacher Hotel and its competitor Demel Patisserie when the later, after purchasing the original recipe from Sacher’s grandson, Franz Sacher, Jr., began serving what they claimed to be the “original” Sacher Torte.

After a long and bitter legal battle between the two families, the court decided in favor of the Sacher Hotel giving them the sole right to using the name “Original Sacher Torte.” As for Demel’s cake, a chocolate sponge cake having the jam spread across the top and not in the middle before the chocolate icing is added, the court ruled that their cake would be known from that day forward as the “Original Eduard Sacher Torte.” 

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Needless to say Demel’s is not the only variation to have been created over the years. I myself have spread a thin layer of apricot jam between two layers of chocolate cake and topped it off with a chocolate icing. But what if your heart is truly intent on tasting the original recipe? What to do? Hoping on the next plane departing for Vienna isn’t a very realistic option for most of us.

Fortunately, if your heart is set on tasting Sacher’s “original” decadent dessert first-hand, it is possible. A trip to Vienna is not your only option. You can order Sacher’s dessert for your next elegant dinner party or romantic rendevous for two online from the Hotel Sacher.

photo courtesy of Hotel Sacher Wein, Austria

The cake, which comes shipped in an attractive wooden box, can be purchased in four sizes meant to serve 4, 6, 9 or 12 persons. The cost of the cakes, before adding shipping and handling, ranges from approximately $25 to $52 USD. And what’s more, the Hotel will handle special orders as well. Put simply, if you want to taste the Original Sacher Torte, you can! So if you want to treat yourself, a special loved one or a group of friends to a piece of culinary history go to the Sacher Hotel’s website at www.sacher.com and place your order.

Tourists are creating many problems for this village – they keep stealing the traffic signs.For such a tiny village, the expenditure on replacing the signs makes up a large portion of their budget.

In 2004, because of the problem of the stolen signs and embarrassment over the name, a vote was held to change the village’s name, but most of the residents voted against this. Instead, the mayor has now decided to combat the problem in another way – by securing the signs in concrete.

The picture shows another sign in this village with a hilarious double meaning. “Bitte – nicht so schnell” is German for “Please – not so fast”. Its intention is to remind drivers to slow down for the children’s safety, but in this case, it has another unintended meaning.