A day late, but not a Dobos Torte short

After spending a weekend slaving in the kitchen, dirtying every dish in the house and washing them countless times, running a load of kitchen towels through the laundry, and recovering from a week-long headache, I am finally ready to reveal this month's Daring Baker's challenge. The headache had absolutely nothing to do with the challenge ~ I just thought I'd throw that in there for a little sympathy and to explain why my post is a day late getting published. It's really hard to accurately describe the details of making a 6 layer cake smothered in luscious creamy chocolate buttercream when there are lightening bolts repeatedly firing at your medulla oblongata like a semi-automatic weapon.

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.

After my last experience with sponge cake, I was a bit apprehensive about trying this recipe but a challenge is a challenge and I'm not about to back down from one yet. Worse case scenario, I would end up with yet another set of floor mats for my car but my DB hosts did not disappoint...the cake came together beautifully. I'm still convinced that the F&W people couldn't bake a sponge cake if their life depended on it (because no way could it have been the fault of the cook!)

The chocolate buttercream with the butter and whipped sugar/egg mixture was like no other that I'd ever made before. Very rich and creamy, but I strongly recommend keeping the cake in the refrigerator if you live in a humid area because it's not as stable as other versions of buttercream. The toffee also reportedly works better in a non-humid environment. Mine was a bit sticky but nothing worth getting stressed over.

The cake, as a whole, came together beautifully and I'll have to admit that it was one of the prettier desserts that I've ever made. I carted the Dobos Torte off to work the next morning where soon enough it met its terrible fate in the office break room.

Be sure to visit the Daring Kitchen website here for the recipe and be amazed at the gorgeous creations presented this month. Heck, while you're there, go ahead and sign up to be one of us and we'll look forward to seeing you next month!