In the Austrian lakes region of the Salzkammergut, the town of Bad Ischl has a cake story that's better than most palaces. In the 19th century, Emperor Franz Josef made the town his summer escape whenever Vienna's heat got unbearable, and his regular arrivals became so predictable that locals supposedly greeted them with a catchphrase: "the Kaiser's had his guglhupf!"
The cake in question came from Katharina Schratt, an actress and close companion of the Emperor. Franz Josef bought her a country home in Bad Ischl — Villa Schratt — and, if gossip is to be believed, there was even a discreet path linking it to his own summer residence. Her ritual: a freshly baked guglhupf waiting for him, essentially a bundt cake, served for breakfast. And when her baking failed, she had a backup plan. The town's Konditorei-Kaffee Zauner baked the emergency guglhupfs, and the bakery says it still uses the original recipe — four egg yolks and fresh yeast, none of the dried quick-rise shortcut stuff.
What makes the guglhupf charming is its lack of pretension. Before the Emperor's endorsement elevated it, it was considered a modest cake precisely because it cost little to make: yeast, butter, flour, eggs and milk, unlike its snobbier cousin the Sachertorte with its fancy chocolate, double cream and apricot jam. Variations exist — yellow cake marbled with chocolate, pure chocolate versions, sometimes studded with raisins or berries — and it's usually finished with a dusting of powdered sugar or, on dressy occasions, a chocolate ganache glaze.
The Zauner itself is worth the trip regardless of cake politics. Its Pfarrgasse salon has been operating since 1832, which means it predates the Kaiser's Bad Ischl heyday. Inside it's all chandeliers, potted palms and royal portraits, with staff in crisp white shirts — yet the vibe is anything but stuffy. Hikers in boots and skiers in winter gear rub shoulders with ladies in furs and gents in traditional Austrian dress. A second Zauner location sits on the river esplanade, restored to its original 1940s look, so you can sample both eras in one afternoon.
For travellers, Bad Ischl makes an easy base for exploring the Salzkammergut's lakes and mountains, and a slice of guglhupf with coffee at Zauner is the region's most edible piece of history. You're not just eating cake — you're joining a 150-year-old breakfast tradition involving an emperor, his confidante and a secret garden path. Simple country pleasures, Austrian style, and considerably cheaper than a royal summer residence.