Hotel Imperial · Since 1873
The Imperial Torte
The Imperial Torte is the Hotel Imperial’s answer to the Sacher: five thin layers of almond wafer and chocolate cream under a sheet of marzipan and a dark chocolate glaze, made to a recipe from the hotel’s founding year and sold in a wooden box of its own.
Taste profile
Pair it with
A Kleiner Brauner, a small espresso with milk, or a glass of Tokaji.
Legend has an apprentice named Xaver Loibner creating the torte for the opening of the hotel by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1873; the hotel has made it ever since in its pastry kitchen, square rather than round, layered rather than sponged. The almond wafers give it a texture the Sacher does not have, the marzipan a sweetness, the chocolate cream a richness; it is the connoisseur’s Viennese torte.
The Café Imperial serves it with coffee under stucco; the shop sells it in three sizes, the smallest for hand luggage. It keeps two weeks.
The home version · serves 6
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites, 100 g sugar, 100 g ground almonds, 20 g flour for the wafers
- 200 g dark chocolate, 150 g butter, 2 yolks, 50 g icing sugar for the cream
- 150 g marzipan
- Glaze: 150 g dark chocolate, 100 ml cream, 20 g glucose
- Cocoa powder
Method
- Whisk whites and sugar to peaks, fold in almonds and flour; spread five thin 15 cm squares on paper and bake at 180 °C for 8 minutes each. Cool.
- Melt chocolate and butter, cool, beat in the yolks and icing sugar for a smooth cream.
- Layer wafers and cream, ending with cream; press lightly and chill one hour.
- Roll the marzipan thin, lay it over the top and sides.
- Warm cream and glucose over chopped chocolate, glaze the torte, set and cut with a hot knife.
Where to taste it
