Thursday, August 27, 2009

cake therapy for those who dare

when i tell people what i do, often they get excited and say "oh that sounds like so much fun!" honestly, working in a busy restaurant is not that exciting. we call it work for a reason, and there isn't much about it that is truly fun. while many of us enjoy what we do, for many, it is all they are qualified to do and that is a whole story on it's own. yesterday was a bad day; egos clashed, tempers flared and the stress meter was on high. so what's an angry, frustrated and trying hard not to scream and cry pastry chef to do? especially if the trip to the gym didn't fix it? if she is me, and she was, it is time to settle down in the kitchen at home and bake something. go figure, the one thing that pissed me off earlier in the day was now going to be my salvation. somebody help me, i'm baking again and i can't get up...

luckily for me, the posting deadline for this months dare was looming large and less than 24 hours away. i hadn't decided if i would even make this month's challenge but...stress levels demanded that i do something productive and i didn't want to relieve the stress by doing something negative or by eating it away. so of course baking a cake seemed like a smart thing to do...

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.


and so it starts...eggs yolks, sugar and vanilla in the mixer bowl

egg whites and sugar whipped to a soft peak

after folding in the flour, the batter is spread in circles on paper and baked

i wanted lots of layers so i made 7" circles and ended up with 9 layers

the finished cake with the caramel topping and my pretty red cake stand. another great thrift shop find!

the top view

i think this week calls for cake, anyone care to join me? i should be back from the gym in a bit...

thanks ladies for a satisfying challenge and lower blood pressure!

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