Dobos Torte, a Hungarian speciality, for The Daring Bakers

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela, A Spoonful of Sugar, and Lorraine, Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook, Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

The Dobos Torte is a five-layer sponge cake, filled with a rich chocolate buttercream and topped with thin wedges of caramel. You may come across recipes which have anywhere between six and 12 layers of cake; there are numerous family variations! It was invented in 1885 by József C. Dobos, a Hungarian baker, and it rapidly became famous throughout Europe for both its extraordinary taste and its keeping properties. The recipe was a secret until Dobos retired in 1906 and gave the recipe to the Budapest Confectioners' and Gingerbread Makers' Chamber of Industry, providing that every member of the chamber can use it freely.

The reveal date for this month's Challenge came rather quick and, as a result, I was kinda scrambling at the end. I would have preferred to spend a leisurely Saturday or Sunday preparing my Dobos, but it didn't work out that way. I made the buttercream frosting one evening, and the cake layers the next. I assembled most of it the second night, but had to get up at 6:00 a.m. this morning to prepare the caramel wedges and take my photographs.

Midstream, I decided to make four, mini Dobos. I intended to follow the recipe and make six, 9" layers, but the batter only yielded five layers. I think the torte looks nicer with the added height of more layers, and I was able to use a 3" cookie cutter and cut my five, 9" rounds, into 28, 3" rounds.

My caramel had issues. It didn't completely harden and began to wilt after a few minutes of standing upright.

Overall, I think these came out better than I expected. I haven't had a chance to taste one, but I did make a pretty good dinner out of licking my fingers of Amaretto Buttercream last night. I also used an eggless buttercream recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen, and added a splash of Amaretto. I highly recommend this quick, luscious, buttercream! It's made in the food processor in a matter of minutes.

Here's the official recipe, as provided by our hostesses. Thank you, Angela & Lorraine, for a fantastic challenge. Thank you also to our Daring Kitchen founders, Lis of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice. Be sure to visit the Daring Bakers' Blogroll to see what this amazing group has come up with this month!

Equipment

2 baking sheets
9” (23cm) springform tin and 8” cake tin, for templates
Mixing bowls (1 medium, 1 large)
Sieve
Double boiler (a large saucepan plus a large heat-proof mixing bowl which fits snugly over the top of the pan)
Small saucepan
Whisk (you could use a balloon whisk for the entire cake, but an electric hand whisk or stand mixer will make life much easier)
Metal offset spatula
Sharp knife
7 1/2” cardboard cake round, or just build cake on the base of a springform tin.
Piping bag and tip, optional

Prep times: Sponge layers: 20 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking total if baking each layer individually. Buttercream: 20 minutes cooking. Cooling time for buttercream: about 1 hour plus 10 minutes after this to beat and divide. Caramel layer: 10-15 minutes. Assembly of whole cake: 20 minutes.

Sponge cake layers

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream

4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping

1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Finishing touches

a 7” cardboard round
12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions for the sponge layers:
(The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight)

Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C). Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter).

Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer).

In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.

Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:
(This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required).

Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this. Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes. Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency. When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Lorraine's note: If you're in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Male sure the butter is of a very soft texture, i.e., running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you'll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Directions for the caramel topping:

Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula. Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel. The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Angela's note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.

Assembling the Dobos:

Divide the buttercream into six equal parts. Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake. Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake. Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

Storage: Store this cake at room temperature under a glass dome, but your mileage may vary. If you do decide to chill it, also use a glass dome if you have one. The cake will cut more cleanly when chilled.

Variations: Shape: The traditional shape of a Dobos Torte is a circular cake, but you can vary the shape and size if you want. Sherry Yard, Desserts By The Yard, makes a skyscraper Dobos by cutting a full-size cake into four wedges and stacking them to create a tall, sail-shaped cake. Mini Dobos are also very cute, and you can perch a little disc of caramel on top. Flavour: Dark chocolate buttercream is traditional, but different flavored buttercreams could be used. You can also brush each layer with a flavoured syrup for a hint of a second flavour. Nuts: Nuts are optional for decoration. If you don't care for hazelnuts, you can substitute for another variety that you like.

Egg concerns: The cooking process for the buttercream will produce lightly cooked eggs. If you fall into a vulnerable health group, you may wish to use an egg-less buttercream.

Happy Birthday, Melinda! This one's for you!