BAKING

Baking | DARING BAKERS DO A DOBOSTORTA…

“Continuous effort—not strength or intelligence—is the key to unlocking our potential.”
Winston Churchill5IMG 7076 1The 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. 5IMG 7096 tile

To quote our 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!)runner 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.

IMG 7138 tile

A Dobostorta?  Great. That’s something I’ve always wanted to try (but never really looked at it so closely). Took a look at the forum, Audax was already done. 32 layers…phew! 32 layers? I didn’t even think that many were legal!! LOL!! So, I thought 6 would be a breeze. Ooops I did it again. Forgot the golden rule underlying DB challenges. Never underestimate a challenge.cats

My timeline…
13th August 09
11am Batter ready. Breeze.Once I began cupping the batter onto my precious parchment, I was certainly palpitating. Layer 1 in, top rack, 5 minutes, layer 2 in middle rack, now layer one’s done. Layer 3 should be moving in, but first got to spread the batter for layer 3. But then Madame Octopus, who’s going to peel the parchment off layer 1. I think you get the drift?
I have to admit I had been warned. I did a net search the previous day. Landed up at Cafe Chocolada, where Medena called it ‘simple yet complicated’. Can’t I see the writing on the wall?? Next search sent me to Dobostorta in the ‘challenging recipes’ section. What’s wrong with me? Didn’t it ring a bell… W A S N ‘ T going to be easy.

dobostorte

11.30am By the time the layers were getting done, I was in a frenzy. Peel layer 1 off, but catch 2 before it over browns. strip layer 1 to reuse parchment for layer 3!! Yes that is me. I HAVE to play safe on precious parchment. It’s imported & is more valuable to me than most other things… 13aug

12 noon Ready to scream, but am controlling. After all Daring Bakers have to have fun. Can’t wait to catch Lorraine on twitter…grrrrrrrrr

My excuses if I fail…
  • It’s almost Friday the 13th, well virtually anyway. 13th here, but must be turning Friday on some place on the globe….must be 13th here & Friday elsewhere, must be. Not my fault; it’s in the stars!
  • Hub’s fault. He decides to check the car battery, which had died, the minute layer 2 is being popped in. Now is the time he hollers for help, and I’m ready to burst! Very cool & calm on the outside though…
  • Power outage…well almost. We’ve had pretty many outages every single day, but for some insane reason, today was a breeze. Excuse shoved out of window.
  • Fault of parchment. Spent more time saving parchment & reusing other side, rather than concentrating on layers!5IMG 7096
12.15pm Layers done, peeled with some difficulty as they were very thin, & hurriedly cooled & stuffed into the fridge. I don’t want to even look at them. Hub thinks I’ve made flat breads for lunch. Gimme a break!! I need a breather, and after all tomorrow is a new day. I’m gonna feel better tomorrow! I get back to the forum & am ready to kick myself. Not Quite Nigella’s forum layer picture is a clone of mine! So am not that off the track anyway! Huge relief, & life is worth living after all.1

Filling and caramel layer tomorrow. Hope the layers survive & don’t stick to each other. Big worry, but can wait! Not going to think about it today! Stressed myself out…and then of course, I set off to do the dishes. LOADS of dirty dishes!
14th August…
9am Gingerly took the layers out. A few stuck to the parchment, but by and large managed a good job by salvaging them. Cut each to 8″ circles, & chose one for the top layer.
Caramel can’t be that difficult, I figured. ‘Stupid overconfident me’… saved just one layer for the caramel. Had seven, so should have saved an extra one. Sigh.filling

  • The filling was the best part of course. Decided to give the buttercream a miss. Far too hot & humid weather here these days A butter overload is just not the thing. Thought hard a few days ago, & returned to my recent love,homemade QUARK, a German curd cheese. Quark is as fat free as the milk you use, is thick, is like a delicious cream cheese sans the cream, and was the way I was going. It’s easily made at home too!
  • So I melted some dark chocolate, added some cream to it to loosen it, and then whipped it into the whipped quark with some vanilla sugar. Added a tbsp of dark cocoa which helped thicken the filling further. This was actually the best part of my challenge. I loved the thought of cutting out the ‘buttercream’ calories!

caramel

9.30am The caramel is another story altogether. I’m having a hard time guessing whether this is amber coloured or not, and finally think I’m going colour blind. I think I’ve stopped a little short of the true amber because my caramel is slightly sticky and not set a 100% as I pour it out. Man Friday stares over my shoulder and tut tuts…’Mmmm, no, you’ve taken it off too soon!’ Teeth gnashing. The weather being humid isn’t helping. I have a bit of a time sorting the tops out, as everything sticks to everything. Very YUK! Eventually chill them before using them. Still don’t achieve the look I want, but YAY, challenge completed! 4

The cake was much loved at home, even though my teeth stuck to the caramel. I think this might make a nice winter cake, buttercream and all. Indulgent for cooler weather! Please stop by our hosts, Lorraine @ Not QuiteNigella, and Angela @ A Spoonful of Sugar for the recipe. 5IMG 7069 1

♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥

Do stop by at the other Daring Bakers HERE and check out their delicious tortas! Thank you Lis & Ivonne for keeping this daring group together!

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About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

95 Comments

  • Peggy Bourjaily

    Wow! It sounds like a stressful process with a delicious ending! Wish I could enjoy a slice with you. I love Hungarian pastries of all kinds.

  • glamah16

    Well done my friend. It looks wonderful. Well worth the effort. I have to see Audax. Im going to start calling him Super Audex. 32 layers?

  • ice tea: sugar high

    Deeba, that torte is STUNNING!
    You always outdone yourself. Love that antique jug, gorgeous photo.

  • Divya Kudua

    Wonderful cake Deeba..looks so pretty…I don't think I'll ever be able to create something like that:).Looks ever so pretty..and your photos are getting prettier by the day..photoshop diva..are you??

  • marcellina

    Love your torte – looks delish! I read your post with a smile on my face – I'm glad I wasn't the only one experience baking melt down. You would know looking at the result, though.

  • ♥♥♥Ria♥♥♥

    Deeba, look at that masterpiece of yours! And look at mine! 🙁

    Good job lady! :)You are indeed DARING!

  • Barbara Bakes

    I always enjoy your beautiful posts, but this one cracked me up. I always expect perfection from you and your tort looks perfect to me!

  • shaz

    Oh well done Deeba! Even when having a freak out you manage to sound so calm and collected!! 🙂 The photos are brilliant as usual. The quark/cream sounds very delicious too.

  • RecipeGirl

    Wow, you are truly daring to try this one! It looks so involved. Clearly, you were very patient, and your patience paid off. Everything is gorgeous!

  • shez

    Oh! The calamities! I feel you completely – and love your pictures (especially the mosaic of all of the steps in the process – brilliant that you managed to capture them all without going utterly mad!)

  • Natalie

    This looks fantastic!! I didn't have time to participate this month, so instead I will just drool over yours.

  • Ellie

    Your torte is so nicely done!! I had some of the same problems but it's worth it because the cake taste so good!

  • Jamie

    ROTFLMAO! You are crazy, yet you always seem to turn out perfect, stunningly, achingly gorgeous desserts! This one is no exception! Fantastic job, hon!

  • morgana

    OMG!! Your Dobos is PERFECT.

    I must confess I didn't like this cake at all. Maybe that's the reason why somehow I thought that today is not 27th. I thought the publishing day was tomorrow!!! I was so sure… I started suspecting something was wrong this morning, when I saw so many new posts in almost every DBrs blogs.

    One of this days I will forget my own head somewhere and realize something is wrong when I find difficult to wear my glasses or my hat on.

    I agree, this is better a winter cake. This was not a hit at home because we don't like buttercreams at all but I has been a real challenge, I'll ever remember my "caramel fight".

    Cheers from Spain.

  • fairy_mi

    Hi Deeba
    Your dobos version looks really pretty,
    Great job!
    I read your blog a lot,
    And had to say I really do admire your constant effort in unique and beautiful presentation
    Your pictures look just great and it's always a pleasure to visit your blog

    Inbal
    (also a DB)

  • Hopie

    I'm always stunned by your gorgeous photos! Where does one find such a pretty pitcher?! Good job with the challenge. Looks like it turned out well after all.

  • MeetaK

    you crack me up! this looks stunning and i love all the lovely knick knacks you have. well done my friend!

  • Angela @ A Spoonful of Sugar

    Deeba, despite you wanting to scream and having trouble with the caramel, your Dobos is stunning! I love the sheen on your caramel wedges…

    (And I am running off to find your recipe for quark! It never occurred to me to try making it, yet I eat it almost every day!)

  • Simon

    Wow, I really love this post. From the composition of the photos to the actual contents of the post itself.

    A very interesting read. If you had your way again with this challenge, what would you do different?

  • Julia @ Mélanger

    Deeba, looks fantastic. Love the chocolate sprinkles around the side. I wasn't happy with my caramel. That was the trickiest bit for me!

  • Judy@nofearentertaining

    Beautiful my friend! I'm with you on it being a winter cake. I would love this in January!

  • Laura

    Fantastic job! Beautiful pics, lovely cake (as always!), and great story about soldiering on in the face of adversity.

  • Nags

    oh wow! the top looks lovely. I am seeing different kinds of err… this dessert.. in different blogs! Always fun to follow the DB'ers.

  • oneordinaryday

    You've definitely earned your Daring Bakers badge of honor. This looks wonderful!
    ~Michelle

  • linda

    This is just fantastic! From the looks of things, it seems like all the time and effort invested in this mini project was well worth it. All your photos looks absolutely stunning. I love all the timeline LOL I think mine would be something similar to yours.

  • Anita

    I had similar problems with the caramel/toffee. You sound like you had a few stresses though.. but in the end, you're finished and it looks great!

  • 5 Star Foodie

    I enjoyed reading about the history of this cake and your timeline of the stressful process of making it 🙂 Turned out beautiful!

  • Cheri

    Well, despite all the debacle your torte turned out gorgeous! I love that you used Quark for the frosting instead of butter. Great job on the challenge.

  • Julie (Willow Bird Baking)

    It looks just gorgeous — hard to imagine you had any difficulties at all! Your post was just hilarious; I especially love the "list of excuses if I fail!"

  • Zaara

    The cake looks amazing. I have an ANCIENT cadbury's Chocolate cookbook that I won as a kid, and it had a recipe for Doboz, I remember leafing through the pages and saying "someday"…ha ha, at least you DB's actually did it! The caramel pieces are perfection!

  • Yasmeen

    Love the quark frosting,glad the challenge turned out fantastic in spite of the odds 😀

  • Gloria

    Dear Deeba your Dobostorte look lovely and delicious!! Nice pictures as well, dear deeba Im bloganiverssary and have a giveaway if you want to stopping by if have time of course, xoxoxooGloria

  • Lolah

    Your Dobos Torte and yours pictures are super!
    I don't understand good English, but I like the way you tell about yours problems with the cake…

  • singinghorse

    Needless to say, you made one of the most heavenly looking tortes out there! I always enjoy reading your posts and looking at the photo series. Thanks for sharing again!

  • Sophie

    It looks like the daring bakers are getting more and more challenging. This is beautiful, I like all the textures going on :).

  • Hilda

    You are too funny1 Love your play by play (especially the excuses) and look how well it turned out in the end! With the number of pictures you take throughout the process, could you maybe come over to my house and document my baking too? 😉

  • Rose

    Beautifully done! Sounds like how mine went 🙂 Never underestimate the challenge – I always do, and then have to eat my words 😀

  • Gera @ SweetsFoods

    I love Daring Bakers' challenge because I drool with every post I see!
    Your Dobos Torte is magnificent, elegant and refined 🙂

    Cheers!

    Gera

  • Big Boys Oven

    I notice this cake is not an easy one, lots of work had to be put in, and you had accomplished so slick and awesomely beautiful!

  • Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction

    Your Dobos Torte is absolutely beautiful! Love all of your pretty photos!

  • anna

    I love the classic look of your torte! And it goes so well with that gorgeous little pitcher – great styling. 🙂

  • vibi

    Everything you touch turn into gold… but you must knoe that already, Deeba!

    I'm sure things were not fait though, as I suspect you must have Hungarian genes, to have succeeded so well at this Dobos! Bravo!

  • Lisa

    Beautifully done as always, deeba! I loved your list of excuses, as I had a few myself! I don't know what it is, I was excited to tackle it, but felt so sluggish and left it until the last minute.

    With that said, I'm awed at the perfection you always create..and inspired by your lovely photography! Glad you wrote that article for Food Talk, as the tips were wonderful for a photo novice like myself!

  • Sara @ Our Best Bites

    I've been seeing this all over today, but I have to say your pictures are the most beautiful. Simply stunning!

  • pigpigscorner

    Sounds like a lot of work and very stressful process, but it's all worth it! Well done!

  • Cakelaw

    Your cake is a true work of art Deeba – beautiful! I love the little antique oil can in your pics – it is a perfect foil for the cake.

  • Helene

    Delicious results after that long process. It must have been exhausting but so rewarding. Very well done.

  • Dharm

    Well done on the challenge dear friend! It looks super and i love how you explained your experience with it… Wish I had time to do this challenge…

  • kellypea

    OMG your "play-by" of this challenge is hilarious. Love that Man Friday was tutting over your shoulder. I had the same reaction to my own caramel. You're amazing. Beautiful end product and photos as always! The power failure would have left me bald. Hahahahaha!

  • Hanaâ

    Your cake looks lovely. I'm glad you pulled through and finished it despite the challenges. Dobos Torte is one of those things that is on my todo list simply because it looks fascinating (and delicious of course). I also love love love Rick Rodgers' Kaffeehaus.

  • Zoyah

    Hi Deeba!

    Shab (shabscuisine.blogspot.com) recommended your blog to me and I'm so glad she did! (WOW!!!)

    Your Dobos Torte is amazing!

    Congratulations on pulling that off, you're very talented!

    All the best,

    Zoyah
    honeytopsbyzoyah.blogspot.com (my baking blog)

  • Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

    Deeba, what do you mean yours wasn't uber successful? It looks amazingly gorgeous! Stunning really 😀

  • Arwen from Hoglet K

    I hadn't realised you used quark in your torte until I read your cheese post. It's such a clever idea, and a great way to reduce the calories.

  • Avanika [YumsiliciousBakes]

    Your torte looks amazing! You certainly conquered this challenge!!
    And I can totally relate with you on the parchment issue! I used to save them up like nobody's business! But ever since I've seen them available here, I've been much more free with them, using up my accumulated stock! If you want, I can send you some! I haven't used it yet though!

  • evanescencia

    FANTASTIC and GREAT JOB!!
    Your Dobos Torte looks delicious and the presentation with the step by step is amazing, very very beautiful!!

    Hugs from Spain

  • Katia

    I’m totally impressed by your site/food blog! I never saw so many cakes on one blog, witch look so tasty! It would need all my life to try them all, and not to become fat 🙂 I’m from Serbia, and that because i chose to comment on this recepie. ”Dobosh cake” is from here. My grandmother used to made it all the time. As a kid, i didn’t like it, because has so many sugar in it, ant it was too sweet for my taste. But i must say, that i have never saw that someone made it better than you. I’m so glad cause, you desided to make one our tradicional recepies.

    ps I could also give you some ideas of a couple of our tradicional cakes that you could try to make, cause i expect you’ll make it fantastic 🙂

    Lot of hugs! 🙂

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