The Chocolate Cake More Famous Than The 139-Year-Old Hotel That Created It

When it comes to a delicious indulgence, you can't really top a chocolate cake. Whether that's a classic Devil's food cake, Black Forest cake, a Sachertorte, a Mississippi Mud cake, or something else, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of different ways to bring a chocolate cake together. If you head to the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, you can add their legendary 1886 Cake to the list. One of the hotel's signature dishes, it may not be as old as it sounds, but it's been on the menu for over half a century for good reason.

The cake is based on a recipe from Helen Corbitt, who was hired as Director of Food Service at the Driskill Hotel in the early 1950s. It is, based on the recipe, a fairly simple cake at its heart. It's been described as looking like a grocery store cake, which isn't necessarily an insult, but it certainly doesn't evoke feelings of decadence. Instead, it's a little more homey and welcoming.

Once the cake is baked, however, it begins to shine. The moist, airy cake is covered with a layer of 70% chocolate ganache. That high cocoa percentage serves as a balance to the rest of the sweetness and packs a good punch of chocolate flavor that won't get lost in the sugar. After the ganache, a chocolate mirror glaze is poured over the top. The sides of the cake are then decorated with chocolate shavings, completing the presentation. For the single-serving pieces at the hotel, chocolate icing is used to write 1886 on top, commemorating the date of the hotel's founding.

The Driskill Hotel, named for its original owner, was built in 1886 in Austin, Texas. At the time, it was among the most opulent and expensive hotels in America. Construction cost $400,000, equivalent to over $92 million today.

Helen Corbitt was considered a Julia Child-esque figure at the time and had come from New York to Texas to teach large-scale cooking and tearoom management at the University of Texas. She worked at the Houston Country Club and a department store before the Driskill hired her. Word is that Lyndon B. Johnson, before he became President, put some effort into convincing her to cook for him in Washington. Nevertheless, Corbitt's version of the cake was just the cake itself. Pastry chef Kristen Groth, who came to the Driskill in 2021, added the ganache and mirror glaze to update the recipe and put a personal spin on it.

If you visit the hotel today, you can have breakfast or lunch at the 1886 Cafe. The simple but elegant menu includes dishes like coconut chia pudding or avocado tartine, alongside more homestyle Texas classics like huevos rancheros or a S'mores brownie. The 1886 Cake is on the dessert menu for $9 per slice. For special occasions, you can also order a whole cake and get it topped with some gold leaf or a special message, like a birthday wish.