Dobos Torte

Jozsef C. Dobos, a delicatessen owner in Pest, showed his cake at the national exhibition in Budapest in 1885 and within a few years it had spread across Europe. The construction is the whole point: thin layers of sponge with chocolate buttercream between them, and on top a disc of set caramel cut into wedges and propped at an angle around the rim like a fan. The buttercream was a novelty at the time, and the caramel lid kept the cake from drying out in an age before refrigeration, which is why it travelled well. Dobos published the recipe in 1906. Almost every Hungarian confectioner makes a version and they differ a great deal.

What you actually see

• The caramel lid - a hard sheet cut into wedges and set on edge around the top.
• The layers - five thin sponges with chocolate buttercream between them.
• The variations - bitterness of the caramel and weight of the cream vary by maker.
• The setting - old confectioners with marble tables serve it with black coffee.

When to go

Any time of year, though it is better in cool weather because the buttercream softens badly in a hot room. Mid-afternoon is the traditional slot for cake and coffee, and the older confectioners fill up from four onwards at weekends. A slice made that morning is a different thing from one that has sat in a chilled cabinet for two days.

Honest expectations

It is dense and sweet, and one small slice is genuinely enough. The caramel top is hard enough to shatter or slide off under a fork, which is awkward rather than charming. Many cafe versions are bought in and taste faintly of margarine. In the tourist-facing places around the basilica a slice costs several times what a neighbourhood confectioner charges for a better one.

Nearby

Budapest's older confectioners are scattered through the fifth, sixth and second districts.