Reversed Dobos Recipe

Method

Vanilla Diplomat Cream

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch aggressively for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture becomes smooth and runny, with no more chunks.
6 large egg yolks room temperature, 100 grams granulated sugar, 50 grams cornstarch
In a medium saucepan (preferably stainless steel or nonstick – avoid aluminum), heat the milk over medium heat, just until it comes to a simmer.
480 mL whole milk
Temper the eggs by streaming half of the milk into the egg mixture while continuing to whisk.
Dump the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, while whisking continuously. Within 1-3 minutes, the mixture should start to thicken, keep whisking (continuously but not aggressively) .
After another couple minutes, it'll starting to stick to the pan a little more, now whisk aggressively for another 30-60 seconds. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl with the butter and vanilla.
84 grams butter softened, 2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Allow the heat from the pastry cream to melt the butter for a second and then gently whisk it. It may separate at first but it'll come back together as you whisk it.
The pastry cream should be smooth and silky now, if you have any lumps, feel free to push it through a sieve too.
Cover the surface with plastic wrap and allow it to cool completely to room temperature. *I usually make my cakes during this time*.
Once the pastry cream has cooled, place the whipped cream and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with the hand mixer and beat until it's thickened to stiff peaks.
I usually start at medium speed so it doesn't splash and then increase the speed a bit as it thickens. Set aside.
30 grams powdered sugar, 480 mL heavy whipping cream
Bloom the gelatin in a small cup with the cold water. Mix it together, allow it to set for a minute then microwave it for 5 seconds.
2 tsp gelatin powder bloomed in 2 Tbsp cold water
Add a tablespoon amount of the pastry cream to the gelatin and mix until it's smooth (this will prevent the gelatin from seizing).
Add the gelatin mixture and a couple of spoonfuls of whipped cream into the pastry cream and whisk it really well until it's well combined.
Fold in the rest of the whipped cream into the pastry cream in 2-3 increments, until it's all combined and light and fluffy.

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Preheat the oven to 400F (2104C) convection and line a table or countertop with a table cloth.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt and set aside.
120 grams all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, 60 grams Dutch-process cocoa powder spooned and leveled, 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
On medium speed, begin beating the egg whites and slowly add in the sugar, like the start of a meringue. Beat until it is fluffy - about doubled in size. .
8 large eggs separated and room temperature, 150 grams granulated sugar
Add in the egg yolks and beat until fully combined. Then add in the oil and beat until fully combined.
120 mL canola oil
Scrape the edge of the bowl, and sift half of the dry ingredients on top. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the batter. Then repeat with the rest of the dry ingredients.
Grease the bottom side of an 8" cake pan and use just enough batter to cover the surface of the pan. I used roughly 50 grams of batter for each cake layer. Make sure to go all the way to the edge, leaving just a couple of millimeters so it doesn't run off.
Bake for about 3-5 minutes, until it no longer looks wet. Remove from the oven and use a knife to release the cake from the pan and flip it onto the prepared tablecloth.

Assemble

I used a cake ring and acetate to build my cake up. I recommend layering the first few layers before wrapping the acetate around the cake because it's hard to reach to spread the cream on the bottom layers.
Stack the 16 layers of cake alternating with an even layer of cream between each one. Leave the top layer bare.
If you're not using any support, you can layer the cake on its own but I recommend refrigerating or freezing it every couple of layers or so, so it doesn't topple over.
Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour before making the ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

Heat the heavy cream in a sauce pan just until it begins to simmer.
120 mL heavy cream
Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl and pour the hot cream on top. Allow it to rest for a minute and gently stir it starting in the center and working your way to edge of the bowl, until it's silky smooth.
120 grams dark chocolate
Allow the ganache to cool just enough to where it's not hot but still runny. Pour on top of the chilled cake and then refrigerate it again for several hours before removing any support or slicing.

Equipment

Ingredients

Diplomat Cream

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Ganache

Method

Vanilla Diplomat Cream

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Assemble

Chocolate Ganache

Notes

Nutrition