Dobos Torte

• servings: 10 servings
• total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup potato starch (or cornstarch)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

6 eggs (separated and at room temperature)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

16 oz. semisweet chocolate (chopped)

2 cups unsalted butter (at room temperature)

6 large egg yolks

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup sliced almonds

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

Sponge layers

Sift together the flour and potato starch. Set aside.

Set aside two thirds of the granulated sugar. Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until light and pale. When the beater is lifted the batter should leave a trail in the bowl (this is called ribbon stage). Stir in the zest.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites into soft peaks. Gradually whisk in the reserved sugar to form stiff, glossy peaks. Stir two big spoonfuls of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to loosen the texture. Gently fold in the flour. This will take a bit of careful mixing and the texture will seem strange and thick, but keep going. When no streaks of flour remain gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Do all of these steps as gently as possible so that you don’t knock out all of the air.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with flour-based baking spray, or grease the pans and line them with parchment rounds.

Using a scale divide the batter into six bowls evenly (mine were about 3.30 oz. per pan, but yours may vary). This ensures each sponge layer will be the same thickness upon slicing. Alternatively, divide 1/3 of the batter between the two prepared pans. Spread an even layer in the bottom of each one using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon.

Bake for 5-6 minutes or until golden. Invert cakes onto wire racks and remove parchment, if using. Wash pans and re-grease. Repeat the process twice more with the remaining mixture to make another four layers of sponge, making six in total.

Simple syrup

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil.

Cook until the sugar is melted; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and let cool completely.

Chocolate buttercream

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate until melted and smooth, in 30 second increments, about 2 minutes total. Cool to room temperature but still liquid and pourable.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium-high. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well before adding the next. Add in the cooled chocolate and sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate any hidden streaks of butter or chocolate. Mix in the salt and vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy.

Place about 1 1/4 cups of the chocolate buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a large closed star piping tip; set aside. Brush a sponge layer lightly with the simple syrup using a pastry brush. Sandwich each of the six sponge layers together, brushing as you stack, with 1/4-inch-thick layer of the chocolate buttercream, then spread more buttercream evenly over the top and sides of the cake. To garnish the sides of the cake, press the sliced almonds into the sides while the buttercream is still tacky. Pipe 8 large rosettes of chocolate buttercream, evenly spaced, on the top edge of the cake using the piping bag of frosting. Chill for one hour before adding the caramel garnish.

Caramel garnish

Draw an 8” circle on a piece of parchment paper using the same pan you baked he sponge cakes in; set aside on a flat heat-proof work surface.

Place the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and mix together until the sugar looks like wet sand. Cook over medium high heat, watching constantly, and stirring/prodding the mixture occasionally until an amber caramel is formed.

Immediately pour the caramel into the center of the marked circle and quickly spread out using a hot stainless-steel spatula (to heat the spatula, let it rest on a hot stove eye, or heat it with a chef’s torch). Leave it for a few seconds until it starts to set. Grease a large chef’s knife then score the caramel into 8 wedges. Let set completely then gently break apart at the score marks.

Rest a caramel wedge at an angle on each rosette on the cake.

Store the cake covered at room temperature. This cake keeps well for a week and seems to improve upon standing.