Part 1 of this blog was a Russian recipe for a cold soup. Part 2 featured a recipe for a Latvian stew. A sinfully delicious Hungarian dessert is the recipe today. For ambitious cooks, when these three blogs are combined, a three course European meal can be served to your family and friends. For the not so ambitious, make one dish at a time. If you have a large family, have two people assigned to prepare each of the dishes. The younger family members can research Russia, Latvia, and Hungary. Find a map on the internet that shows the three countries and print it out.
This dessert, the Dobos torte, was invented in 1884 by Jozsef C. Dobos, a Hungarian confectioner who kept the ingredients secret until he retired in 1906. His goal was to create a cake that would last longer than other pastries so it could be transported safely with little refrigeration. Many variations of his Dobos torte can be found online. The torte is named after the creator of the recipe, but it is interesting that in Hungarian the word dobos means “like a drum” which this 6-layer cake somewhat resembles.
There are three separate recipes to prepare to create this torte, the cake layers, the buttercream, and the caramel. Don’t be intimidated by this fact because between recipes you can take a break as the torte is chilling.
CAKE LAYERS
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Assemble all ingredients (keeping each recipe ingredients separate)
Generously grease a 9-inch springform pan with soft butter and dust with flour
Two 10-inch cardboard circles
Cooling rack
Spatula
INGREDIENTS
9 egg whites
8 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup 2 percent milk
1 Tablespoon lemon peel
1 pinch salt
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cup white, all-purpose, enriched flour
½ Tablespoon household shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
STEPS
Beat the egg whites until frothy
Gradually add 1-cup of sugar
Beat to form soft peaks and set bowl aside
Using another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the milk, lemon peel, vanilla, and salt
Fold into the egg whites
Sift the flour into the bowl with the egg mixture and fold to mix
Spread 1 1/3 cups butter into the prepared springform pan
Bake for 5 to 9 minutes (when small, brown spots appear, take the cake out of the oven)
Using a spatula, remove the layer from the pan
Dust the cake lightly with flour and place on a cooling rack
Repeat the last 4 steps five more times using all the remaining batter (remember to grease the pan each time)
After the 6 layers have cooled separately, place wax paper between each layer, stacking them one on top of the other and cover the tower with a towel
Chill in the refrigerator for several hours
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
PREPARATION
Double boiler
Electric mixer
INGREDIENTS
2 one-ounce unsweetened squares baking chocolate
¾ cup salted butter
¾ cup shortening
¾ cup granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons water
3 egg yokes
2 teaspoons 80 proof rum (optional but highly recommended to include)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
STEPS
Using a double boiler, heat the chocolate, stirring occasionally
When chocolate is melted and smooth, remove from heat and set aside to cool to lukewarm
In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening until light and fluffy
In a saucepan, cook sugar and water until sugar is dissolved
In another bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and lemon colored
With the electric mixer on high speed, slowly pour egg yolks into the pan of sugar liquid until soft
Combine the yolk mixture with the butter mixture and beat for 5 minutes
Beat in the rum and vanilla
Pour in the melted chocolate and beat until well mixed
ASSEMBLE THE LAYERS
Place a chilled layer on one of the cardboard rounds and cover it with the buttercream
Place a second layer over the buttercream layer and press down on the layer to make a seal
Cover the second layer with buttercream and press down to seal
Repeat these steps until 5 layers have been covered and stacked on top of each other creating one cake tower
Wrap the cake in plastic and chill for a minimum of 6 hours
Cover the remaining buttercream and chill for 6 hours or more
CARAMEL
PREPARATION
Second 10-inch cardboard round
Large nonstick skillet
Candy thermometer
Large cooking pot
Very sharp, long, sturdy knife
Buttered spatula
INGREDIENTS
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup high-fructose corn syrup
1 cup canned evaporated milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 cup salted butter
1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
STEPS
Do not prepare the caramel until after the torte has been in the refrigerator a minimum of 6 hours
Grease the second cardboard round with shortening and place the sixth layer on it
Using a large size pot, combine sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, whipping cream, and butter
Insert a candy thermometer and stir continuously
When the thermometer reaches 250 degrees (about 30 to 40 minutes), remove the pot from the heat
Stir in the vanilla
Quickly, using the buttered spatula, spread the caramel on the cake layer
Immediately, using the sharp knife, cut the caramel cake layer into 12 slices (work quickly)
Keeping the caramel slices on the cardboard round, set aside to cool
DOBOS TORTE COMPLETION
Put additional buttercream on top of the chilled torte tower or cover the top layer of the torte with buttercream rosettes made with a pastry bag
Place the caramel slices on top of the torte at a vertical angle as if they are falling dominos
Frost the sides of the torte with the rest of the buttercream
Chill the torte before serving
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7650/dobos-torte/
https://whereismyspoon.co/dobos-torte-hungarian-cake-with-chocolate-buttercream-and-caramel
