Hungarian Dobos Torta (cake!)

My Dobos Torta

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sisters! I am going to post two variations on a style of uniquely Hungarian cake - first the traditional Dobos Torta, and then on my next sister's birthday.... (this month on the 12th) the similar-looking nut-based Eszterházy Torta. These are both Victorian Era cakes of high class and high quality.

First of all - DO NOT DESPAIR!!!! While I was learning to bake this cake a couple years back, I found that many people found it frustrating. The reason for this is that there are seven layers to this luxurious legend, and yes, if you won't properly cool and actually WATCH your cake then it will indeed collapse. This is not a pop-in-oven-and-leave recipe. However, it is a very fast recipe, because from the time you pull out your ingredients to the time it is complete, the cake takes less than 45 minutes to complete.

Ingredients (three-parts): Try to be as accurate as possible (this is why they are in grams)

For the sponge cake:
* 6 egg yolks, 6 egg whites (separated)
* 105 grams of sugar
* 53 grams powdered sugar
* 105 grams flour
* 35 grams melted butter

For the filling cream:

* 4 eggs
* 210 grams powdered sugar
* 17 grams vanilla sugar
* 12 1/2 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)
* 30 grams cocoa butter
* 35 grams melted baking chocolate (black)

For the top: 150 grams of sugar cubes

Directions:

1) Mix the sugar and yolks.
2) In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the powdered sugar until they peak stiffly.
3) Mix the two carefully without damaging the egg whites, then gently add the flour and melted butter.
4) Pour 1/5 of the batter into a properly floured 21 cm round baking pan and bake at 180 degrees Celcius for 4-5 minutes. Watch it carefully so that is does not burn - it should be golden brown. When it is done, quickly remove it and place it on a pastry sheet to cool.
REPEAT THE ABOVE STEP SIX TIMES.

5) Next we make the cream (while the six layers are cooling). Warm up the eggs a little above room temperature, and beat with the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar until they cool down.
6) In a separate bowl, mix the butter, cocoa butter and melted black chocolate.
7) Mix the two together and then, smear the chocolate on the top of four of the sponge cake layers you had cooling. Layer one on top of the other while you do this, and allow the chocolate to evenly smear down the sides of the cake as well.
8) When you have the four layers done,  dust the sides gently with powdered sugar and place the cake in the fridge right away.

9) Finally, we make the infamous top layer. My version above has a different version of this, but...

Traditional recipe: 
First, we caramelize the sugar cubes. To do this we add about 3 tablespoons of water to the sugar cubes in a saucepan, and gradually melt the sugar over low heat. After the sugar has melted, we STOP STIRRING and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes until the sugar turns a deep golden brown.
10) Take the caramel of the heat and spread it over the final sheet of sponge cake. Let the caramel set for about 3 minutes until it holds its shape (but do NOT let it cool yet), then cut the layer into the desired number of slices (traditionally 16 pieces).
11) Place the pieces on the top of the cake, and once it has cooled, cut along the lines and serve.

or 10)  Take the caramel off the heat and drip it onto baking sheets, then wait for it to cool. Peel the hardened caramel chips off the paper and use to decorate the cake with the remaining frosting.
(pictured above)

Tips:
That wasn't so bad, was it? Practice makes perfect, however, and if you don't get it right, try, try again. I used to practice by making mini cakes until I felt confident enough to make a big one.

Gerbeaud Dobos Torta

* The traditional Gerbeaud design has squirts of chocolate buttercream holding the caramelized top on an angle. You can try that if you like (see right).
* Also, the traditional Gerbeaud has six layers, not five. Only use the six-layer recipe (which is the same except for dividing the batter) if you intend to cut REALLY BIG slices.
* Do NOT allow the caramel top to harden before you cut - for obvious reasons. You will not be able to cut it once it cools.
* Do not spread, smear, or stack while creams and cakes are piping hot. This seems to be the reason why these cakes collapse - this cake, aside from the baking itself, is meant to be dealt with at room temperature and served chilled.