Last Updated on 06/05/2025 by Adina
This is one of the best cakes ever: traditional Hungarian Dobos Torte with several pastry layers, chocolate buttercream, and a sinfully delicious caramel topping.
This Dobos torte recipe is amazing! It's not the quickest cake to make, but it's so worth it!
Dobos torte isn’t too difficult to make, but it does take some patience - baking all the layers and preparing the buttercream and caramel takes time. Still, the result is one of the best cakes you’ll ever taste.
Featured comment
Joolz: Fantastic recipe! Worked absolutely perfectly. It was a lot of effort, but definitely worth it. Took me back to my Hungarian childhood. I wish I could show a pic here of how beautifully it turned out. Thank you for this recipe. ❤? xx
For more delicious and quicker chocolate cakes, check out Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Cheesecake or this Chocolate Gateau.
Jump to recipe
What is Dobos Torte?
Dobos Torte was created in 1884 by Hungarian confectioner Jozsef C. Dobos, who wanted a cake that would keep well without refrigeration. It became famous across Europe and was transported in ice-packed wooden boxes.
He kept the recipe secret until 1906, leading to many versions. The original calls for six layers, a caramel top, and real buttercream made with 53% Belgian chocolate.
Recipe ingredients
Ingredients for the batter
Ingredients for the buttercream
Ingredients for the caramel layer: Granulated sugar, vinegar, and butter.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Dobos Torte?
The most important tip!!!
I would not attempt to bake this cake without a digital kitchen scale; the recipe is fairly difficult, and using cups won't help at all (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
Make the batter
Step #1: Beat the whites until stiff, add half of the confectioner's sugar, and beat until stiff and glossy.
Step #2: Melt 2 tablespoon of butter and let it cool while you beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar.
Step #3: Carefully fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Add the melted and cooled butter to the mixture.
Step #4: Carefully fold in the flour.
How to bake the cake layers
Step #5: Draw circles on parchment paper using a metal ring.
Step #6: Do that on six pieces of parchment paper.
Tip: Weigh the batter into another bowl and divide it into 6 equal portions. You can estimate by eye, but I’ve found that leads to uneven layers - one always ends up thicker or thinner. Using a scale is more accurate, and washing one extra bowl is worth it for even layers.
Step #7: Place a prepared paper on a baking sheet. Spread one portion of batter evenly within the circle using a long spatula.
Step #8: Bake for 10-11 minutes or until golden. Repeat with the remaining 5 batter portions. Let them all cool completely.
Make the chocolate buttercream
Tips before starting: Make the egg mixture for the buttercream in a double boiler over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. The water should be hot but never boiling - if it starts to simmer, take the pot off the heat and let it cool slightly, stirring the mixture the whole time. Use the same care when melting the chocolate.
Use European-style butter with 82% fat; lower-fat butter may not work well.
Ensure both the butter and egg-chocolate mixture are at room temperature before combining. Add the chocolate mixture to the butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Step #9: Beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt in a double boiler for about 13 minutes, or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
Step #10: Remove the mixture from the heat and keep beating until it cools slightly. Set it aside to cool further, stirring occasionally.
Tips: Take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature - this is very important. Never let the water boil; it will cause the eggs to curdle.
Step #11: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (bain-marie) as well.
Step #12: Let it cool slightly, then add it to the egg mixture and mix well. Leave the mixture to reach room temperature.
Step #13: Beat the room-temperature butter until creamy, then add the unsweetened cocoa powder and mix until well incorporated.
Step #14: Add the chocolate mixture to the butter one tablespoon at a time and mix thoroughly in between so that it doesn't curdle.
Tip: If the buttercream curdles, you can fix it by beating it at high speed or gently heating it in a double boiler while mixing until smooth. Just don’t let it get too warm or melt. My buttercream didn’t curdle, so it should work fine for you, too.
Make the caramel wedges
Tips before starting: Adding vinegar and butter helps the caramel stay elastic a bit longer, giving you a short window to cut the wedges. Work quickly with a sharp knife.
Before making the caramel, prepare everything to spread and cut. Choose the best cake layer for the caramel, lightly butter the spatula, and ensure your knife is long, sturdy, and sharp.
Step #15: Make the caramel. Don't burn the sugar; it will taste bitter, and you'll have to start over. It should be a deep amber or reddish-brown.
Step #16: Remove the caramel from the heat, spread it quickly over the chosen cake layer with the buttered spatula, and immediately cut it into 12, 14, or 16 slices - your choice, depending on portion size.
Tip: Work very quickly, the caramel hardens fast!
Assemble the Dobos Torte
Keep some buttercream for covering the sides of the cake and for decorating it with rosettes. Divide the rest into 5 equal portions.
Step #17: Spread each portion of buttercream evenly on 5 cake layers. Stack the layers one by one to build the Dobos cake.
Step #18: Use some of the leftover buttercream to coat the sides of the Dobos cake, then press toasted almond flakes or hazelnut brittle onto them.
Step #19: Transfer the rest of the buttercream to a piping bag and pipe as many rosettes along the top edge as you have caramel wedges.
Step #20: Arrange the wedges at an angle on top of the piped rosettes, like in the pictures.
Recipe source: Savori Urbane (in Romanian).
Dobos Torte Recipe
Equipment
- Double broiler Note 1
- 2-3 Baking sheets
- Bowls
- Pan
- Piping bag and nozzle
- Spatula
Ingredients
Batter (Note 2):
- 6 large eggs
- 100 g confectioners sugar divided
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 100 g all-purpose flour
Chocolate buttercream:
- 270 g unsalted butter 82% fat content, at room temperature
- 4 large eggs
- 200 g confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 200 g bittersweet chocolate at least 45% cocoa content
- 35 g unsweetened cocoa powder
Caramel:
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 20 g unsalted butter
- toasted almond flakes or hazelnut brittle to decorate the sides of the cake
Instructions
Batter:
- Preparations: Preheat the oven to 160°C/ 320°F. Draw 6 circles of 22 cm/ 8.5 inches diameter on 6 sheets of baking paper.
- Beat egg whites: Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff, add half of the confectioner's sugar (50 g/1.8 oz) , and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.6 large eggs
- Melt the butter in a small pan and let it cool until you beat the egg yolks.30 g unsalted butter
- Beat the egg yolks and the remaining confectioner's sugar (50 g/1.8 oz) in another bowl.
- Mix batter: Add the egg whites to the egg yolks and incorporate them carefully. Add the melted and cooled butter to the mixture and incorporate. Fold in the flour.100 g all-purpose flour
Cake layers:
- Weigh the batter into another bowl. Divide the quantity into 6 equal portions. Precise weighing is better than estimating in this case.
- Spread batter: Place one piece of baking paper with the circle on it on a baking tray. Spread one portion of the batter on the circle you drew on baking paper. Use a long batter spatula to do that and make sure that the batter layer is even.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes or until golden. Repeat with the remaining 5 batter portions. Let them all cool completely.
Buttercream:
- Soften butter: Take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.270 g unsalted butter
- Bain-marie: Beat the eggs, the icing sugar, the vanilla sugar, and the salt in a double boiler (bain-marie) until it thickens slightly. It took me about 13 minutes to reach that stadium, but I stood by and beat the mixture continuously until it thickened slightly. Do not let the water come to a boil at any time; that will make the eggs curdle.4 large eggs + 200 g confectioners sugar + 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar + a pinch of salt
- Cool: Take the mixture off the heat and continue beating it until it cools slightly. Set aside and leave it to cool a bit more. Stir from time to time.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (bain-marie) as well. Let it cool slightly and add it to the egg mixture. Incorporate well. Leave the mixture to come to room temperature.200 g bittersweet chocolate
- Beat butter: Place the butter (at room temperature) in a bowl and beat it until creamy. Add the unsweetened cocoa powder and incorporate.35 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- Add the chocolate mixture to the butter one tablespoon at a time and mix thoroughly in between so that it doesn't curdle. Having both the chocolate mixture and the butter at room temperature is very important as well. If their temperature is different, the buttercream will curdle (Note 3).
Caramel glaze:
- Preparations: Before making the caramel, prepare the things needed to spread the caramel on the cake and cut the caramel layer. The caramel hardens quickly; you have to be very quick.Choose the nicest-looking cake layer for the caramel and lightly butter the spatula you will use to spread the caramel and the knife you will use to cut the caramel cake layer. The knife should be a long, sturdy, and sharp one.
- Make the caramel: Place sugar, vinegar, and butter in a pan. Let it start to caramelize, and then start stirring gently. Be careful not to burn the sugar; it will taste bitter, and you will have to start again. The right color should be a nice reddish-brown, like amber.100 g granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon vinegar + 20 g unsalted butter
- Spread: Take the caramel off the heat and quickly spread it on the chosen cake layer using the long buttered spatula. Work very quickly!
- Cut: Immediately start cutting the caramel cake layer into 12, 14, or 16 slices, depending on how large the cake portions should be. Work quickly. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the Dobos cake.
Assemble the Dobos Torte:
- Keep some buttercream for covering the side of the cake and for decorating it with rosettes.
- Divide the rest into 5 equal portions and spread each portion evenly on each of the remaining 5 cake layers.
- Assemble the cake: Place the first cake layer on a cake platter and arrange the following cake layers on top of each other to form the torte.
- Cover the sides: Use a little of the remaining buttercream to cover the sides of the cake nicely.
- Sprinkle the sides with toasted almond flakes or hazelnut brittle.
- Pipe: Place the remaining buttercream into a piping bag and pipe rosettes of buttercream around the top edge of the cake. Pipe as many rosettes as you have caramel wedges.
- Top: Arrange the caramel wedges at an angle on top of the piped rosettes, like in the pictures above.
- Chill the cake before serving.
Notes
- Measurements: I would not attempt to bake this cake without a digital kitchen scale; the recipe is fairly difficult, and using cups won't help (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
- Double broiler: Use a pot filled halfway with water and place a heatproof bowl on top, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add the ingredients to the bowl.
- If the buttercream curdles, you can fix it by beating it at high speed or gently heating it in a double boiler while mixing until smooth. Just don’t let it get too warm or melt.
Judith Major says
My Dobos is a bit easier—my base is rectangular! The rest is the same, except I doubled the chocolate cream.
KB says
This recipe looks delicious, thanks for sharing such detailed instructions. I'd like to try this for a special occasion but I wonder if it can be made a day ahead? Would you store the cake overnight in the fridge? Or would the caramel layer soften too much in the fridge?
Adina says
The fridge is ok, it will not soften, but get rather stiff. Leave it at room temperature for a short while before serving.
Tibor says
Looks yummy. I hope my attempt will be as good as yours looks in the picture.
Adina says
Happy baking!
Joolz says
Fantastic recipe! Worked absolutely perfectly. It was a lot of effort, but definitely worth it. Took me back to my Hungarian childhood. I wish I could show a pic here of how beautifully it turned out. Thank you for this recipe. ❤? xx
Vivien says
The batter did not nearly fill the 8.5-inch circles of parchment paper--that was a waste. The buttercream isn't; it is a syrup and the cake layers slide off. Forget about piping rosettes. The caramel layer did not turn that attractive amber color although I cooked it for several minutes, and I could taste the vinegar, necessitating the addition of more sugar.
I'll be trying another recipe for Dobos torta.
Adina says
Sorry it didn't work for you, it's not an easy cake to make. It always works for me.
Andrea says
I have never made this or any Dobos recipe. You explained so well how to bake 7 layers. I studied many recipes and watched different tutorials. My mom and grandma used to make it. I try to keep up the family Hungarian traditions. Will let you know how my attempt goes!
Adina says
Thank you, Andrea. This is such a good cake, I hope you will like it.
Jill says
Im going to try this cake. Do I use unsalted or salted butter? I'm assuming that icing sugar is the same as the US confectioners or powdered sugar. Right? Also, is there a substitute for vanilla sugar?
Adina says
Hi Jill. Always use unsalted butter for cakes. Icing, confectioners, powdered sugar is the same thing. Add a little vanilla extract instead of vanilla sugar.
Kath says
I’m Hungarian living in Australia since I was 4 & have been very keen on baking traditional Hungarian foods & cakes for my family for many years
Have made this cake several times but this recipe has the best caramel topping I gave ever done Thanks wonderful!! ???
Adina says
Thank you for your feedback, Kath. I am very happy to hear you liked it.
Anca says
It looks amazing. I didn't have this cake often in Romania, but now I would love it.
Adina says
I have never had it in Romania, I saw it often but it was not something I would eat back then. Now I love it and I am not sure that is such a good thing, I was thinner back then... 🙂 🙂
grace says
caramel wedges! what a yummy topper! this is truly a fancy and decadent dessert--bravo!
anna says
Absolutely amazing! ❤️
Oana Igretiu says
Wow! Congratulations!! You're Dobos cake looks amazing! I'm glad that you chose our recipe 🙂 Felicitari!
Adina says
Multumesc pentru reteta, Oana. Un tort minunat! 🙂