Dobos cake is a Hungarian dessert made with thin layers of cake and chocolate buttercream frosting, topped with a triangle-shaped piece of caramel. It was created by pastry chef Jozsef C. Dobos in 1885 and became popular across Europe. The recipe includes a secret buttercream filling and cake batter, and variations can include different flavors and toppings.
Dobos or drum torte is a Hungarian desert named for its creator and pastry chef Jozsef C. Dobos, who is believed to have created the confection for the National General Exposition in Budapest in 1885. A classic Dobos is a dessert made with five to eight layers thin layers of cookie or sponge cake and chocolate buttercream frosting topped with a triangle-shaped piece of caramel that helps prevent the pastry from drying out. Other recipes call for the cake to be covered with peanuts such as chestnuts, walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts, but the classic version is without this addition.
Dobos strove to make pasta that would last a long time without the sophisticated refrigeration that is common today. After the National General Exhibition, the Dobos cake was an instant hit across Europe and many attempted to imitate the Dobos recipe with varying degrees of success once the royal family began ordering the cake for banquets and other celebrations.
Although buttercream frosting is common today, it was one of the Dobos cake innovations in the late 19th century when whipped cream and custard were more typical. The lack of proper cooling technology meant that the usual spreads and fillings didn’t last long after assembling a pastry or cake. Dobos created both the fine buttercream filling used in his cake and the cake batter, but the recipe remained a secret until his retirement in 1906, when he gave up his techniques to the Budapest Chamber of Confectioners and Gingerbread Makers .
The classic Dobos cake is a simple yet elegant cake that can be difficult to make. Cake batter is usually made with eggs, flour, vanilla extract, sugar, and butter that are combined and baked in 5 to 8 pans to form the thin cake layers of torte. Buttercream frosting ingredients include semi-sweet, unsweetened chocolate, butter, sugar which is melted together and then mixed with beaten eggs until stiff. Finally, the caramel is made from the sugar cooked until it turns an amber color, then poured over the top layer of the cake, allowed to cool and cut into a triangular shape and arranged on top of the cake.
There are many variations of the Dobos cake and the cake is commonly available throughout the Balkans. Instead of chocolate buttercream, chefs can experiment with vanilla, citrus or rum fillings or top the cake with a chocolate ganache or chopped nuts. Additionally, the cake can be made round or square and topped with a smooth caramel coating instead of the solid triangular pieces of the original recipe or decorated on the sides with extra buttercream frosting.
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