Dobos Torte

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs, separated
• 120g caster sugar
• 120g plain flour
• 30g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 200g dark chocolate, 60 per cent cocoa, chopped
• 4 large eggs, for the buttercream
• 200g caster sugar, for the buttercream
• 300g unsalted butter, softened, for the buttercream
• 150g granulated sugar, for the caramel
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 10g unsalted butter, for the caramel
• 100g toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped

Before you cook

• Draw a 22cm circle on each of six sheets of baking parchment and turn them pencil-side down.
• Separate the six eggs into two large clean bowls, keeping the whites free of any yolk.
• Melt the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, then set it aside to cool to room temperature.
• Take the 300g of butter out of the fridge so it is genuinely soft.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 200C fan-off.
2. Whisk the six egg yolks with half the caster sugar and the vanilla for four minutes, until pale and thick enough to ribbon.
3. Whisk the six egg whites with the salt to soft peaks, then add the remaining caster sugar in three lots and whisk to a firm glossy meringue.
4. Fold a third of the meringue into the yolks to loosen them.
5. Sift the flour over the mixture and fold it in alternately with the rest of the meringue, keeping the batter airy.
6. Fold in the melted butter with a few last strokes.
7. Spread a sixth of the batter thinly and evenly inside one marked circle with a palette knife.
8. Bake the disc for six to seven minutes, until golden at the edges and springy in the middle.
9. Slide it onto a rack, peel off the parchment while warm, and repeat with the remaining five discs.
10. Whisk the four buttercream eggs with the 200g of sugar in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water for eight minutes, until thick, hot to the touch and doubled in volume.
11. Take the bowl off the heat and beat the mixture with an electric whisk until it has cooled completely to room temperature, about ten minutes.
12. Beat in the softened butter a spoonful at a time until the cream is smooth and fluffy.
13. Beat in the cooled melted chocolate until the buttercream is a uniform dark brown.
14. Choose the flattest sponge disc, set it on a sheet of oiled parchment, and put it to one side for the caramel top.
15. Put the granulated sugar, water and lemon juice in a small pan and heat gently without stirring until the sugar dissolves.
16. Boil the syrup until it turns a deep amber, then swirl in the 10g of butter and take it off the heat immediately.
17. Pour the caramel over the reserved sponge disc and spread it quickly to the edge with an oiled palette knife.
18. Wait about ninety seconds, then cut the caramel-topped disc into twelve wedges with a hot oiled knife before the caramel hardens.
19. Stack the five remaining discs on a serving plate, spreading a thin, even layer of buttercream between each.
20. Cover the top and sides of the stack with the rest of the buttercream and smooth them flat.
21. Press the chopped hazelnuts around the sides of the cake.
22. Arrange the twelve caramel wedges on top, propping each one at a slight angle against a small rosette of buttercream.
23. Chill the torte for one hour before serving, and keep it out of the fridge after that so the caramel does not weep.