Sachertorte their cakes have become an integral part of Viennese culture. Bookstore/coffee houses often provide the same type of environment, a place to relax, meet friends or family and talk about important issues in peoples lives. A number of new franchises being established shows a sign that America has embraced part of this exported Viennese culture. Sachertorte Sachertorte () is a specific type of chocolate cake, or torte, invented by Austrian Franz Sacher in 1832 for Prince Wenzel von Metternich in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the most famous Viennese culinary specialties. December 5th is National Sachertorte Day in the
Chocolate cake mixes in the mid-1930s, but introduction was put on hold during World War II. Duncan Hines introduced a "Three Star Special" (so called because a white, yellow or chocolate cake could be made from the same mix) was introduced three years after cake mixes from General Mills and Duncan Hines, and took over 48 percent of the market. In the U.S., "chocolate decadence" cakes were popular in the 1980s; in the 1990s, single-serving molten chocolate cakes with liquid chocolate centers and infused chocolates with exotic flavors such as tea, curry, red pepper, passion fruit, and champagne were popular. Chocolate lounges