FOOD NEWS
1886 Chocolate Cake Is More Famous Than The Hotel That Invented It
By Jessica Fleming-Montoya
In 1886, the Driskill Hotel opened in Austin, Texas, and Helen Corbitt took over managing the culinary aspects of the hotel. As part of her menu, she created the 1886 Chocolate Cake.
Austin Monthly cites the Driskill Hotel as being famous thanks to its numerous rumored hauntings, but its decadent chocolate cake may be more well-known than the hotel itself.
The cake and other popular dishes were a hit among the hotel's guests, leading the Heritage Society to create a restaurant in the hotel called the 1886 Lunchroom.
There, they sold several of the hotel's staples so that locals and non-guests could also enjoy their meals. The 1886 Lunchroom is now called the 1886 Café & Bakery.
Since 2002, the 1886 Cafe & Bakery has continued to serve locals tasty treats that date back to the hotel's opening, including the famous 1886 cake.