daring bakers: dobos torte

Dear dobos torte,

I must admit when I first looked up the August challenged I was terrified of you. I read the recipe and immediately closed the window, debating whether or not to throw in the towel on Daring Bakers on only my second challenge. You looked scary. Your recipe was miles long. You required a lot of eggs. You caused me a little anxiety. So I went home. I made muffins, scones, and ice cream to avoid thinking about you. But then, while separating all those yolks from whites for my ice cream(cookie no-dough, make it right now) I realized why I started to participate in the Daring Bakers. To be daring, to challenge myself to make something new, to get out of my baking rut. So thank you, dobos torte, for getting me to try something new and a little complicated.

Love,
Julia

ps. You were delicious. Even with my editing, leaving off that wierdo caramel layer and using Martha Stewart's chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream recipe instead(I will write you a love note soon), you were just right.

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of 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.

From the hosts...

"The Dobos Torta 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."


find the recipe here: Daring Bakers August Challenge