Dobosh Torta From Hungary Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Have ready two 10-inch cardboard circles. Generously grease a 9-inch springform pan with soft butter, and dust with flour.
• Beat the egg whites until frothy, and gradually add 1 cup sugar. Beat just to soft peaks. In another bowl, beat the yolks with the milk, lemon peel, vanilla, and salt. Fold this into the egg whites. Sift the flour over the egg mixture, and fold in.
• Spread 1 1/3 cups batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 5 to 9 minutes, or until small, brown spots begin to appear on cake. Remove the cake from the oven, and remove layer from pan with a spatula. Dust the cake lightly with flour, and place on a rack to cool. Grease pan again, and repeat this process until all of the batter is used, about 6 times more. Place the layers between wax paper, and cover with a towel. Chill layers for a few hours. Make the Chocolate Buttercream.
• Layer the chilled layers on one of the cardboard rounds with the buttercream. Start with one layer; cover with the buttercream, and then press down with another layer to make a good seal. Repeat this with the remaining layers, but reserve one layer. Wrap the cake in plastic, and chill for at least 6 hours along with the remaining buttercream. Grease the other cardboard round with the shortening, and place the last layer on it.
• Place 1 cup sugar into a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Allow sugar to cook until the edges look melted and brown. Begin stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook until the sugar become an amber color, and is smooth. Carefully pour the caramel over the top of the last layer, and spread to the edges with an oiled knife. Quickly, using an oiled knife, indent the top of the caramel into 16 wedges. Allow to cool slightly, and then retouch the indents with the knife again. Place layer onto a counter top dusted with sugar, and allow the caramel to cool completely.
• Place some more buttercream on top of the chilled torte, and top with the caramel round. Frost the sides with the remaining buttercream. Chill the torte before serving.

Steps:

• 1. Being that this is a 7 layer cake it is to your benefit if you have 7x 20cm (8in)tins of the same size but you can juggle between 2 or 3 cake tins. Preheat oven to 200C or 400F. This is a very sticky batter so do not think I am over doing the prep work on the tins. Grease the tin and line with baking paper, then grease the paper and flour it. It is not over kill and to get nice clean layers you will have to do this to each layer each time.
• 2. LAYERS:- Whisk the egg whites till firm. Add the sugar in and whisk till it falls off the spoon in thick ribbons. Add the lemon zest and gently fold in 1/3 of the flour, and repeat till all the flour is incoprorated. Divide the mixture between the preped tins. (See why 7 times are easier) Pop 2 to 3 of the pans in at a time (depending on how your oven works) It should only take a few mins to cook the layers so keep an eye on them when in the oven. When cooked take them out of the pan as fast as you can and cool on a rack.
• 3. CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM:- Dissolve the sugar and the water in a heavy bottomed pot then bring it to a boil and cook the syrup over a medium heat 102C or 215F or untill the syrup spins a fine thread from the spoon. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks untill thick and creamy. Slowly pour the hot syrup over the egg yolks whilst constantly beating till cool (has to be cool before next step)and fluffy. Best done in a food processor or mixer. In yet Another bowl beat the butter till light and fluffy. Add egg yolk mixture slowly to butter whilst it is still beating. If the egg mixture is too hot it will just melt the butter and make the cream oily. When all mixed together put in fridge to cool slightly, you do not want it hard yet.
• 4. Place 6 of the 7 layers out and devide 2/3s of the butter cream between the 6 layers. Use your best layer as your 7th. Smear each Layer with the butter cream and place one of top of the other. With the remaining 1/3 of butter cream smear the sides of the stack and smooth out. Cool in fridge. Leave a little butter cream so you can angle the 7th layer up in flutes.
• 5. CARAMEL GLAZE:- To make the glaze put the sugar into a pot with just enough drops of lemon juice to aid in dissolving. Cook over low heat, stiring constantly till glaze changes colouor. Pour this glaze over the 7th layer straight away and allow to set. When Glaze is set cut into 8 wedges and with a small amount of butter cream place the wedges in a fan like pattern.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Whip the egg whites with 1 tablespoon ice water and a pinch of salt until stiff.
• Add the yolk, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg.
• Add 1/2 cup sugar, spoon by spoon, whipping all the time.
• Add flour, little by little making sure that is is completely blended into the egg mix.
• Line a baking sheet with wax paper and lightly spread it with 1 tablespoon butter or (spread the butter directly onto cookies sheet and dust with flour making sure to shake off excess).Pour the batter on the baking sheet. Tap sides few times to even out.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown.
• Remove from oven and while still warm, cut the cake into 6 even pieces about 8 x 4 inches. Pull of the wax paper (if using). Cover the pieces with paper towel while cooling - this will help it retain some moisture and stay soft. Make chocolate filling. Recipe to follow:.
• CHOCOLATE FILLING:.
• Mix vanilla extract, sugar and butter. Add instant espresso to water and combine then add to sugar mix along with the egg and beat into a creamy mixture.
• Soften the chocolate in double boiler over hot water and mix into the filling.
• Cool the filling in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before using.
• PUTTING THIS ALL TOGETHER:.
• Set aside the best piece of the 6 pieces of cake for the top of the cake. For now you'll be working with 5 pieces.Spread alittle butter on a big enough piece of wax paper and place this best piece directly on it and set aside for now.
• Now, take one layer and place it on a serving dish and spread about 4 tblsp filling (eyeball your filling it should be about 1/8 of an inch thick for all layer) and put the next layer on top and continue to fifth one. DO NOT USE YOUR "BEST" PIECE YET. Frost the sides of your cake. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE LEFT OVER FROSTING.
• Melt the 1/3 cup sugar in a heavy sauce pan on low heat and watch it very carefully: stir it constantly with a buttered spoon (just coat the spoon in butter) as it cooks. The sugar will look like dirty snow (yeah really) but the sugar will dissolve and look like shiny walnut color.
• Immediately remove it from the heat and spoon it directly from the pan to the top of the "Best" layer that you set on the buttered wax paper earlier. This caramel layer should cover the entire piece (use it all up) Score it to intended portion sizes with a well buttered knife. Then cut it all the way through with the buttered knife. YOU MUST WORK FAST because the caramel hardens in less than a minute. Be careful the sugar is very hot and can burn your fingers.
• When the caramel is cool, put the top layer on top of the filled layers. the shiny glaze is the crown jewel of this wonderful cake.
• The left over filling is placed in a pastry bag fitted with No. 6 nozzle and pipe a decorative border of filling around the top edge of cake.
• Cool the cake in the refrigerator until the filling is firm 3 - 4 hours. Slice the cake with a knife dipped into HOT water. Cake will keep as long a 10 - 12 days. SO IS A GREAT MAKE AHEAD CAKE.
• When you walk into the room and place your masterpiece onto the table. Be humble and accept the applause and appraises of your guests and TAKE A BOW!

Steps:

• To prepare for baking seven layers (the usual number): Tear off seven piece of aluminum foil, or baking pan liner paper (NOTE 1), each about 11-inches long.
• Spread softened butter lightly over a 10-inch square area in the center of each piece of foil or paper.
• Sprinkle with flour.
• Shake and tilt the foil or paper to make sure the buttered area is thoroughly floured and shake off any excess.
• On the floured area trace a 9-inch circle.
• (Use any 9-inch circular object as a pattern: the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, an inverted 9-inch cake tin, or a 9-inch pot cover.) Repeat with remaining pieces of foil or paper.
• Set aside.
• Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
• In the large bowl of an electric mixer at high speed, beat the 10 egg yolks for a few minutes til they are pale and lemon-colored.
• Reduce speed and gradually add sugar.
• Increase speed to high again and beat for 5 minutes or until very thick.
• Reduce speed and gradually add the flour, then again increase it to high and beat for 5 minutes more (mixture will be almost stiff), scraping the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula.
• Mix in the lemon juice and remove from the mixer.
• (The mixture will be very thick-use your fingers to get it all off the beaters.) Beat the seven whites with the salt until they hold a point- stiff, but not dry.
• Since the yolk mixture is very thick, actually stir a few spoonfuls of the whites in to lighten it a bit.
• Then fold in a few large spoonfuls three or four times til the mixture lightens.
• Gently fold in the remaining whites.
• With a large serving spoon, place two or three large spoonfuls of the batter on one of the pieces of prepared foil or paper.
• Using the back of the spoon, spread the batter thin, slowly rotaing the paper with your left hand as you spread the batter with your right hand.
• Make it thin, but do not leave any holes in it.
• A 1/4- inch thickness should give you seven layers.
• Do not make the edges too thin.
• Follow the lines closely, but don't worry, the edges can be trimmed later.
• Slide a cookie sheet under the foil or paper and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until the top is golden brown with dark brown spots.
• If the layers are thicker than mine are, they will take longer to bake.
• If they are not baked long enough they will stick to the foil or paper.
• Repeat with remaining layers.
• If you bake more than one layer at a time, rotate the positions of the pans during baking to insure even browning.
• When a layer is baked and out of the oven, lift the corners of the foil or paper and invert onto a rack.
• Peel off the paper and immediately invert the layer onto another rack to cool, right side up.
• (Letting the layer cool upside down will make it stick to the rack.) When you run out of racks, layers may cool on smooth toweling that has been dusted with confectioner's sugar.
• When you run out of room, cooled layers may be stacked if you sprinkle the tops lightly with confectioner's sugar and place wax paper between them.
• Cooled layers may be trimmed to even the edges.
• Working on a board, place an 8-1/2 inch or 9-inch pot cover or cake pan on the layer.
• Cut around with a small sharp knife and then cut with scissors.
• FILLING AND ICING: Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water on moderate heat.
• Remove from heat, stir until smooth, and set aside to cool completely.
• In small bowl of electric mixer cream the butter.
• Add vanilla and egg yolks and beat well.
• Add sugar and cooled chocolate.
• Beat until thoroughly mixed, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Place four strips of wax paper around the outer edges of a cake plate.
• Place one cake layer on the plate and with a long, narrow metal spatula spread with a thin layer of the chocolate filling.
• If you have made more than seven layers, the filling must be spread very thin, in order to have enough for all.
• Place another layer on top, adjusting it carefully so that the edges are lined up evenly.
• Continue icing the layers, stacking them as evenly as possible.
• Spread the remaining chocolate smoothly around the sides first and then over the top.
• Remove wax paper strips by pulling each one out by a narrow end and refrigerate cake for at least several hours to set the icing.
• Store in refrigerator and serve cold.
• NOTES:If you use baking pan liner paper it must be buttered and flourd for this recipe or the layers will stick to it.
• This is a very firm cake; use a sharp heavy knife for serving.
• Dobosh Torte may be made a day ahead, or it may be frozen.
• For a variation you can put cherry, raspberry or strawberry jam or preserves between one or two layers instead of the chocolate filling.