A Very Fancy Sort of Torte

Once a year I channel Martha Stewart and make a seven-layer Hungarian dobos torte, my one and only culinary endeavor with a true "wow" factor. Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook has an elaborate dobos torte recipe, but I prefer the recipe from my Hungarian friend Laura, a partner at my former law firm in D.C. If you can stand one more reference to my vintage 1930s regional cookbook, I'll tell you that an almost identical recipe appears in the "Wisconsin Dutch" section. So, you might say that this recipe has withstood the test of time--or at least 70 years.

Frosting:

1. Melt 9 oz. of chocolate (I use a 2 and 1/4 giant Hershey's bars). Cool to room temp.

2. Whisk 9 egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar over a low burner for 15 minutes until the mixture becomes a thick custard. Stir constantly, and make the sure the mixture is smooth (if you cook too long or don't stir enough, the eggs can get chunky). Cool to room temp.

3. Blend 3/4 pound of butter until light and creamy.

4. Add the cooled custard mixture into the butter, then add the cooled chocolate. Beat well.

Cake layers:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat 6 eggs and 3/4 cup sugar until very thick, almost like beaten egg whites.

3. Fold in 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. flour and a pinch of salt.

4. Turn two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans upside down and butter and flour the outside bottoms. Using a small gravy ladle, spread a thin layer of batter on the outside bottoms of the pans. The layers should be thin; not like pancakes. (I put both cake pans on a cookie sheet to catch any batter that runs over.)

5. Bake about 7 minutes or until firm to touch.

6. Loosen and remove the layers from the pans and cool on a wire rack. Make 7 layers.

Assembly:

Place a cake layer on a plate and spread frosting (not too thickly) on the layer. Cover with another layer and repeat. Spread the remaining frosting on the tops and sides of the torte.