A six-layer sponge cake with chocolate buttercream, topped with a disc of caramelised sugar cracked into shards. Hungarian patisserie's most photographed cake.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
József Dobos created the cake in 1884 at his delicatessen on Kecskeméti utca in Pest and showed it at the 1885 National General Exhibition in Budapest, where Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth were among the first to taste it. He kept the recipe to himself until 1906, when he donated it to the Budapest Confectioners' and Gingerbread Makers' Guild so that every pastry chef could make it. The caramel top, originally a preservation trick that kept the buttercream from drying out during long journeys, became the cake's signature. The paper-thin sponges separated by chocolate buttercream and crowned with a caramel shard remain the city's defining patisserie creation, run at classical cukrászdák and coffee houses from Auguszt to the Centrál.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg
Tip from the editors. The caramel disc must be set on top after assembling, not baked together. Mark the wedges before it sets fully or the caramel shatters when you cut.
Auguszt on Kossuth Lajos has run as a family confectionery since 1870, with a Belle Epoque counter and a hidden Paloma Garden terrace in downtown Budapest.
OrderThe Hantas Flora pastry and a small black coffee at the counter.
TipClosed Sun and Mon; the Paloma Garden terrace opens from May onwards.
The Central Kavehaz on Karolyi utca has poured coffee since 1887 and was the regular meeting room for the Nyugat literary set in the early 20th century.
OrderA filter coffee with the Esterhazy slice and a Sacher torte.
DrinkFilter coffee with a slice of Esterházy
TipQuieter than New York Cafe for working; the upstairs reading room is the calmest seat.
The Muvesz Kavehaz on Andrassy across from the Opera has poured coffee since 1898, a quieter alternative to Gerbeaud with full Hungarian pastry counter.
OrderThe Dobos torta with an espresso and a glass of water.
DrinkEspresso and Dobos torta
TipOpen daily 09:00-20:00; the terrace fills on Opera matinee days.
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