To me, what you describe looks like Dobos Torte. I made it a long time ago. I didn't use a spring form pan as in the linked recipe. I spread the batter on the bottom of greased and floured cake pans. As explained, the layers are separated by chocolate buttercream and the top of the torte is spread with caramel. It's very good.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Dobos Torte

Do you want one for passover or with flour?

If you want one for passover, I make a flourless Sponge cake (there's a good one in Joy of Baking) in sheet pans and keep the layers fairly thin. Bake for less time as well. Then cut, trim, frost with buttercream and apricot jam.

Jim,
That recipe looks good, but it doesn't sound quite right. I know my grandfather didn't put lemon zest in the batter and for sure no caramel. And the outer shell was more of a chocolate ganache. I found another one for the Dobos Torte (see link) that might get me closer.

L2C46,
Although my GF was a baker in a Jewish bakery, it wasn't a flourless cake, I'm sure. When I search online, the references for the cake are all for NY Jewish bakeries. Maybe I'll have to order one and try it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dobos Torte (Epicurious)

BTW, when I said the batter was spread on the bottom of cake pans, I should have explained that the pans were inverted. The effect was to make pancakes, as the cake layers were only about 1/2" thick.

Jim

Hi Spacific - I think tracey made this cake a little while ago...is this close? I guess you can make as many layers as you want...

Here is a link that might be useful: 14 layer cake

I have a recipe that looks like that. It's from my Oma and it's called Kalter Hund (Cold Dog in German... strange name). My mom still makes it every year at Christmas. It's not made with buttercream though. The frosting layers are a mixture of coconut oil, sugar and cocoa. The cake layers are actually social tea biscuits dipped in a weak coffee or rum mixture, to soften. It's put together and placed in the fridge to set. It's really delicious. I can post the recipe if you like. I'll have to dig it up.

I posted a link below to the Dr. Oetker site, where there is a picture. That recipe isn't the same as mine, but it turns out looking exactly the same.

The Dobosh Torte that I know is a round cake with buttercream icing between thin layers of spongecake. The cake is actually baked, not like the no-bake cake I mention above.

Here is a link that might be useful: Picture of Kalter Hund

Stacy,
That 14 layer cake looked really good. I think that batter recipe is pretty close. I'm going to try it. But I'll just experiment with the chocolate filling. I'll start with a basic buttercream recipe.

Susytwo, that picture looks very close to my grandfather's cake. He also put it in the fridge to set and to be able to slice it so thin. But I know he had a batter, because he used to bake the cake in big sheet pans, then cut them into rectangles to assemble. And I remember the frosting between layers was much more creamy. Do you have the recipe for just the outer chocolate shell? Thanks.