The crème-de-la-crème of cake wizardry here is the iconic Sachertorte, available at the renowned Hotel Sacher. Rich dark chocolate, apricot jam and utter deliciousness to send your taste buds spiraling into sensory overload. Always served with a side-dollop of schlag, aka whipped cream, this cake promises to indulge your most delightful champagne wishes and decadent dreams.

Celebrating its own national holiday on December 5th, the Sachertorte had its not so-humble beginnings in 1832 when Franz Sacher first created the dessert for Prince Wenzel von Metternich and his very important guests. Just sixteen years old at the time, the young chef-in-training received this lucky break when his boss, the Prince’s actual chef, fell ill. It’s been said that the older man cautioned his apprentice with ‘Let there be no shame on me tonight!” -- and the rest, as they say, is the chocolate history dreams are made of.

Fueled by the cake’s immense popularity, Sacher’s son Eduard ultimately built the Hotel Sacher, a luxury hotel which has hosted such notable guests as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, JFK, Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Leonard Bernstein over the years. Some of these guests’ famous signatures can even be found on one of four tablecloths the hotel keeps on display. There is also a stunning art gallery with works from the 19th century so stop by here for an extra slice of culture. Of course, you can find variations of the Sachertorte throughout the city (most notably at the Demel Bakery who waged a legal war for decades for the right to the name), but many consider the Hotel’s to be the most authentic.