The funniest thing happened this morning! Last Thursday, I got my camera and lens back, all fixed, just like new!! YAY, right? Well, guess what happened as I was setting up photos for my second and third takes on the Dobos Torte this morning? My cats decided on a game of cat and mouse, and before I could reach for the camera, which was on the table to my right, they came dashing by, knocking both to the hard, wood floor. Lens and camera broken again, but even worse this time.
Was I being sarcastic when I used the word funniest? You betcha! I must have used every 4-letter-word and every combination of 4-letter-words known to man in a span of about 4 seconds, and then I cried like a baby. UGH, NOT AGAIN! I just paid almost half of what the camera was worth, and now the lens was no longer under warranty!
Failure! I was pulling some of the leftover sugar and decided to give my half- eaten Dobos a tail..or whatever you want to call it. Kind of phallic..and weird! Ugly and weird. “Why did I leave it on?” weird.
Now I had to use the old point and shoot camera of yore, so please excuse the photos. In any event, this is why my post is later than usual, but I’ll stop here as I don’t want to waste anymore time bitching about my dumb luck.
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.
I was pretty excited when I saw it was the Dobos Torte. Layer upon layer of thin genoise (sponge cake), a rich, buttery, chocolate frosting, crispy caramel coated cake and nut toppers, and a gazillion possibilities when it came to flavors and decor. However, I hit THE BLOCK again. Cake Block – similar to my earlier Cheesecake Block, with the addition of flour.
I contacted Audax Artifex (I just found out that was his real name, how cool), and he unblocked me like no one has before (that sounds perverted, doesn’t it?). Well matched palate combos, written out in perfect detail, covering every corner of the flavor spectrum. I already knew I was going to take the fusion route again, but now I knew for sure where I was going to take Hungary to; Asia and Mexico!
I actually made the last two cakes the night before and day of the challenge. I was rushing, so frankly, I wasn’t happy with the outcome of any of the three cakes in the looks department. I’m going through one of those ruts where my creative juices and execution are sluggish. and my kitchen endeavors aren’t endeavoring. I think it’s the dog days of August, and the fact that I’m worn out physically from all the knee PT, among other situations that have kept me super busy. I need a good shot of motivation and time!
Before I get into my fused Dobos Torte creations, I’ll start with the original Dobos Torte recipe, which I made last week, before getting my camera back. Naturally, I strayed from the norm a little and baked the sponge in sheet pans, except, it wasn’t a sponge. After 2 hours of intense Physical Therapy, plus working out (Yes, I still owe you all the ‘gym’ story. Next entry, I promise!) and a VERY bizarre/disturbing phone call, I was exhausted and completely distracted.
In a semi-asleep stupor, using the ingredients given to us, I executed the cake as if it were a basic yellow cake. I didn’t separate the eggs, didn’t fold in the flour..just beat everything together in a haste, then divided the batter into two 10 by 15 sheet pans and slid them into the oven haphazardly. I cut each sheet cake into into 4 rectangles and stacked away. Naturally, I ended up with 7 thick layers with a tight crumb, instead of 10 to 12 layers of thin, light and airy sponge, which pretty much defines a Dobos Torte.
SO, I knew I wasn’t making a sponge, yet didn’t care at the time as long as it was tasty and looked good. It did taste good, (I grew up on those bakery seven-layer cakes, and this tasted similar, so I’m not regretting my lazy snafu) but, again, the cake part was not what you would categorize as a Dobos Torte.
BUT, I did execute the caramel coated cake slices (each one ‘torted’ for a thinner slice) properly since I made them the next day with a clearer head and a little more patience. I didn’t add any lemon juice, and instead made more of a toffee coating with butter and almonds.
According to some DB’ers, most people left the caramel cake triangles on the side of their plates because the caramel was sticky and hard to bite into, chunks of it getting stuck in their teeth. My wedges were ‘heath bar’ crisp and well received. Glad I read about their results before making those toppers. At least one facet of the first Dobos Torte worked in my favor! Actually, the buttercream was a hit too; lush, silky, creamy, and all that good stuff.
I didn’t get my camera and lens back until the next day, so half the cake was eaten before I was able to take photos, as you can plainly see in the top photo. I pieced it back together as best I could, and snapped away. So much for half-assed attempts and a short stint with my camera before it broke again!
UGH, back to the very old point and shoot camera. Green Tea-Black Sesame Dobos Torte with Red Bean Paste Filling and Ginger infused White Chocolate Buttercream with two brittles – black sesame-white honey and black sesame with a little 5-spice powder.
Now to the good parts. I was definitely going to take the Dobos Torte in an Asian direction; green tea-black sesame sponge, some kind of red bean paste filling, and a light buttercream infused with a little ginger. Of course I used the recipe given to us, adding matcha powder and black sesame to the sponge and using white chocolate and ginger in the buttercream (I added a chunk of fresh ginger to the the egg mixture while whisking and heating it over the double boiler, then removed it before adding the chocolate and butter), then lightening it up with a little unsweetened whipped cream. I split up the batter and baked it on 12 x 17 sheet pans to insure nice, thin layers this time.
On a more shapely note; I’m feeling rather ‘rectangular’ this month, so a typical round Dobos Torte wasn’t even a crumb on my brain plate. So all hail the rectangular Dobos Torte!
Since red bean paste was a definite go, I wanted to make it from scratch, so I did! I went light on the sugar and left it slightly chunky, then incorporated it into some of the white chocolate buttercream for easier spreading. I was never one to salivate over any desserts containing red beans or red bean paste, but I have to admit, it was pretty tasty.
Red bean seems to be as ubiquitous to many Asian desserts as chocolate is to American desserts. If you’ve never tried it, please give it a shot!
Finally, the creme de la creme, literally. Miniature Mojito Dobos Tortes cut into whimsical hearts, each layer brushed with white rum simple syrup, filled with dark chocolate-creme de menthe ganache, and piped with white chocolate-lime buttercream. At first I was going to go for 6 to 8 layers, but once I cut into them, I decided 4 was enough since they’re so small and might come apart when cutting due to the heart shape.
Finally, I’d like to thank Anula, from Anula’s Kitchen for my second Lovely Blog award, and Laura from Tiramisu for the Kreative Blogger Award. I’ll pass them on and list the ‘7 things about me’ in my next entry!
Dobos Torte Recipe
Since the recipe for the Dobos Torte is really, really long, I’m going to send you HERE to get it.
Red Bean Paste Filling
2 cups red adzuki beans
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1. Cover beans in cold water and soak uncovered, overnight.
2. Drain, transfer back to the pot and cover in 5 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
3. Drain and puree with a hand blender or in a food processor.
4. Press through a metal sieve. This is a very time consuming process, but if you want a super smooth paste, it’s worth it. I just mashed/pureed them with the skins on because I wanted a slight bite to it. The pureed beans become a thick paste and it takes some time to press through the fine mesh strainer. Clean off the underside as you press, and continue pressing until most of the bean puree passes through and the skins are left behind.
5. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pureed beans and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon for about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to cool.
6. After it has cooled, mix in enough of the ‘white chocolate’ buttercream from the recipe in the links above, until it reaches a spreadable consistency. I doubled the buttercream recipe to insure I would have enough for the last two torte preparations.
Dry Rub
