Traditional Austrian Desserts
What are Linzetorte, Sachertorte, Apfelstrudel, Knoedel & Lebkuchen?
Whether you're sitting down for some cake at a posh place like Cafe Demel in Vienna or Cafe Tomaselli in Salzburg, perusing a Christmas market looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, or wondering what your Austrian friend will be baking for you the next time you visit, here are just a few Austrian specialties and their ingredients.
Linzertorte
A heavy torte made up of a thick almond crust and raspberry filling, this unbelievably delicious dessert is available in many bakeries, often as a whole cake or as Linzerschnitte, smaller pieces of Linzertorte. If you're going to be sampling this dish, make sure you've saved room for it.
Sachertorte
Both Vienna's Hotel Sacher and the elegant Cafe Demel claimed the "original" recipe for this extremely chocolate-y, slightly dry cake laced with fruity flavoring. Though the cakes appear to be identical, the recipes are slightly different, but both are, of course, delicious.
Apfelstrudel
A well-known classic, Apfelstrudel, or apple strudel, sounds like it would be similar to apple pie. Taste-wise, it is similar, but apple strudel has its own distinct features. For one thing, this sweet treat is normally made with filo dough, and the pastry itself is flat, thin, and filled usually with almonds in addition to baked apples.
Knoedel
Though this dish can be made as a non-sweet meal, for instance, as the delicious Semmelknoedel (bread dumplings), sweet dumplings are incredibly popular. Varieties favored by Austrians include Topfenknoedel (dumplings filled with a creamy yogurt-like substance), Erdbeerknoedel (strawberry-filled dumplings) and Marillenknoedel (apricot-filled dumplings; in Austrian German, Marille, as opposed to Aprikose, means "apricot"). Knoedel are often served with a flavored sauce, such as vanilla.
Schaumrollen
These incredibly sweet, very messy pastries are a favorite at Christmas markets and other open-air events in Austria. Think of a much lighter, less dense version of a cannoli; basically a Schaumrolle is an airy, cylindrical pastry filled with a sugary cream not unlike whipped cream.
Lebkuchen
Gingerbread. Lebkuchen are popular at Christmas markets, especially in the shape of large hearts complete with messages like "Ich liebe dich" ("I love you") scrawled in frosting among sugary flowers and other decorative shapes and symbols.
Kaiserschmarrn
Like the sweet versions of Knoedel, Kaiserschmarrn is a very popular dish for meals, not just for dessert. Served with Preiselbeergelee (cranberry jelly, more or less) and powdered sugar, this dish is made from the same ingredients as pancakes, but the method to cooking it is different. Rather than one piece of flat grilled dough, Kaiserschmarrn is sautéed in butter on the stove and divided into smaller pieces of varying shapes and sizes.
So after the main course of Schnitzel or whichever Austrian specialty you've selected on the menu, consider sampling one of the desserts. Or, stop by a cafe sometime between lunch and dinner for some coffee and cake (Kaffee und Kuchen). And if there's an open holiday market somewhere in town, it's a guarantee that you'll find at least one of the specialties listed above. It's also possible to learn how to make these Austrian desserts at home; just check out a recipe website and type in "Austrian" or the name of the dish into the search engine. That way, you won't need to go all the way to Austria to taste these wonderful desserts.
Vienna's Hotel Sacher
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