12 Days OF CHRISTMAS DESSERTS
Twelve drummers drumming...
MINI DOBOS TORTES
Hungarian dobos torte, or drum torte, is a decadent layered sponge with chocolate buttercream and caramel. Budapest delicatessen owner and chef József C Dobos invented the cake in the late 1800s, adding a hardened caramel top to increase its shelf life. Double the recipe quantities if you wish to make 12 mini dobos tortes
Makes 6 CHALLENGING 2 hrs 40 mins
WHAT YOU NEED SPONGE CAKE
9 room-temperature eggs, separated
450g (2 cups) castor sugar, divided in 2
160g self-raising flour
75g (5 tbsp) salted butter, melted and cooled
CARAMEL
200g white sugar
2 tsp vinegar
60ml (¼ cup) water
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
3 large egg whites (120g in total), at room temperature
225g (1 cup) castor sugar
250g good-quality 70% cocoa dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 tsp canola/sunflower/vegetable oil + extra, to grease
500g unsalted butter, cubed and softened at room temperature
3 tbsp espresso, cooled
3 tbsp whisky/rum (optional)
HOW TO DO IT
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two 30 x 20cm baking sheets with baking paper.
2 For the sponge layers, place the egg yolks and 225g (1 cup) of the castor sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip until the mixture has doubled and is thick and pale, up to 5 minutes. Sift the self-raising flour in and very gently fold into the egg mixture.
3 In a separate, clean bowl, whip the egg whites until soft-peak stage. Spoon in the remaining 225g (1 cup) castor sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the yolk/flour mixture in two batches. Stir 250ml (1 cup) of the batter into the cooled, melted butter until combined, then gently fold it back into the rest of the mixture.
4 Weigh out 130g cake batter. On the lined baking sheets, spread the batter thinly, about 0,5cm high, in a 25 x 20cm rectangle. Bake the cake, 1 sheet at a time, in the preheated oven until springy to the touch, 6 – 8 minutes. Allow to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter so you have 12 thin cake sheets.
5 For the caramel topping, in a small pot placed over medium heat, combine the 200g sugar, vinegar and water. Stir until the sugar crystals dissolve, then leave to caramelise, 5 – 10 minutes. Once the sugar has reached a deep amber colour, pour the caramel in a thin sheet onto a silicone baking mat or greased baking sheet. While the caramel is still pliable, dip an 8cm round metal cookie cutter in oil and press into the caramel to create rounds but do not remove the rounds yet. Allow to cool completely, then gently break the caramel so you have 6 discs.
6 To make the buttercream, fill the bottom of a medium saucepan with water and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Place the egg whites and 225g (1 cup) castor sugar in a heatproof bowl that fits over the saucepan and stir gently with a whisk (don’t aerate the mixture with the whisk). Keep stirring until the mixture reaches 60°C on a sugar thermometer, or until the egg whites are hot to the touch. Remove the
