Part 2/8:
While navigating the streets of Vienna, the author stumbled upon a rare treasure at an antique bookstore: the 19th-century cookbook Südeutsche Küche by Katharina Prato. First published in 1857, the cookbook contained one of the earliest recipes for Sachertorte. Despite modern versions of the dessert being readily available online, many are adaptations from the 1950s, lacking the authenticity of earlier recipes. This discovery prompted a translation and a test of the original cake's lineage, encapsulating the essence of 19th-century Austrian baking.