Half Baked or Baked Half? The Dobo Challenge!

This months Daring Baker challenge was the Dobo Torte.

First, let’s get the required verbiage out of the way,

Here it is!

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.

The Dobos Torte is a six-layer sponge cake, filled with a rich chocolate buttercream and topped with thin wedges of caramel. Depending on family recipe, this cake can be anywhere from six to twelve layers.

This is where my problems begin.

I made this cake just like the directions said. I was trying to mark parchment paper, fill in the circle with batter and get it into the oven. You see, this not an ordinary layer cake. Oh no! You don’t use cake pans. You make your layers on parchment paper. Thin like crepes. It was bit overwhelming to say the least. But I was going for it, filling circles, baking them for a few minutes while trying to fill more circles and getting cake layers off the paper to cool just to turn around and put more batter on parchment. You see what I mean? Overwhelming! And I knew at the end of my layer making , I was a layer short. I was suppose to have six layers.

BUT… when all was finished and done (with the layer making and baking) I turned around, and I only had 4 layers. I was two layers short.

How did that happen???

I still don’t know. I guess we’ll have to rack that one up to a brain fart. I hate when that happens.

So I figured I had two choices. I could

A. make another batter and go through the torture they call layer making, or …

B. I could make half a cake!

Well… that was a no brainer. Considering I only have three in my family, I didn’t need more batter and I didn’t need a WHOLE HUGE CAKE! (I really don’t even need half a cake!)

So I cut my four layers in half and got an eight layer cake half! I avoided problems there!

Delighted I was, with the fast thinking I did on my feet, (Yea, right!)

I started my frosting.

Problems?

Ugh, yeah!

I was making my frosting, doing great, had a all this volume going with the egg mixture. Then when it was time to add the chocolate, everything went flat and runny. I don’t think that was quite right (duh) but I just continued and then put it in the refer and let it chill. It worked out in the end and it was really tasty. (Thank the frosting Gods!)

My caramel turned out ok but it was a little intimidating.

It’s the grand finale of the Dobo Torte! No pressure there.

All in all, I’m glad we got the chance to make this cake.

Would I make it again?

Probably not.

My daughter liked the cake part but not the topping.

The Hubby liked the topping the best.

Me?

I didn’t think it was worth the time or calories. But it was a great challenge and a wonderful learning experience.

And isn’t that what the Daring Bakers is all about?

If you would like to try this torte and would like the recipe, you can go here!

To check out the other Daring Bakers Dobo Torte, go here!

I would also like to thank Barbara from Barbra Bakes for baking this challenge with me via Twitter. It’s nice to have a sounding board and it also helps to chase away the procrastination. Thank you Barb! I enjoyed our baking and your friendship!