Dobos Torte

Ingredients

For the caramel butter cream

• 800g granulated sugar
• 100ml water
• 400ml double cream
• 450g butter, softened

For the sponges

• 8 large eggs
• 350g caster sugar
• 300g sifted self-raising flour

For the Almond praline & caramel coated hazelnuts

• 75g flaked almonds
• 16 blanched hazelnuts
• 300g granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp water

For the caramel<

• 100g granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp water

Instructions

1. 1
   To make the caramel buttercream. Put the sugar and water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Once there is no grittiness left, turn up the heat and boil until a golden caramel. Take off the heat and add the double cream and give it a quick stir then leave to cool then chill until set.
2. 2
   Place the softened butter in the bowl of a mixer and whisk until light and fluffy. Add to the cooled caramel mixture a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition. Scrape down the bowl regularly. Chill until ready to use.
3. 3
   Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Mark six 8in circles and six 6in circles on baking parchment and lay on baking trays.
4. 4
   To make the sponge layers, break the eggs into a large bowl and add the sugar. Whisk until the mixture is light and foamy and the whisk just leaves a trail when lifted out of the mixture. Lightly fold in the flour, a little at a time. Divide the mixture between the 12 marked circles, spreading the mixture out evenly.
5. 5
   Bake a few at a time, if you have room, in the pre-heated oven for about 8-10 minutes until pale golden and springy to the touch. With a sharp knife, trim the circles. Peel off the parchment and leave to cool on a wire rack.
6. 6
   To make the almond praline and caramel coated hazelnuts, spread the flaked almonds over a silicon mat or sheet of baking parchment. Stick cocktail sticks into each of the 16 hazelnuts. Dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat, then increase the heat and boil the syrup until it reaches a deep golden color. Allow it to cool slightly then pour three quarters of it over the flaked almonds.
7. 7
   Dip the hazelnuts in the remaining caramel twisting the cocktail sticks so the nuts are completely coated in caramel. Carefully invert the cocktail sticks and press them into an orange or piece of foam and leave to set.
8. 8
   Take one of the 6in sponge circles and place it on a sheet of silicon or baking parchment, ready to be topped with caramel.
9. 9
   To make the caramel, dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat, then increase the heat and boil the syrup until it reaches a deep golden color. Allow it to cool slightly then pour it over the sponge circle.
10. 10
    When the caramel on top of the sponge is just beginning to set, mark it and then cut into 8 portions with an oiled knife.
11. 11
    Sandwich the six circles of 8in sponges together with the caramel buttercream. Spread the sides and top with buttercream.
12. 12
    Sandwich the remaining five circles of 6in sponges together with butter cream. Spread butter cream around the sides and top of the cakes and place on top the 8in cake stack to form a second tier. Spoon the remaining buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a medium size star nozzle.
13. 13
    Break the almond praline into small pieces and press into the sides of both tiers of the cake.
14. 14
    Pipe 16 rosettes of the butter cream around the top edge of the 8in cake and top each rosette with a caramel coated hazelnut. Pipe 8 rosettes on top of the 6in cake and place a caramel-topped wedge of cake at an angle on top of each rosette to form the top layer.