Prinzregent Torte

Directions

In an electric mixer, whip the salted butter.

Add sugar, vanilla and eggs.

Beat smooth.

Mix flour with cornstarch and baking powder and sift a second time (you sift it once before you measured it, right?).

Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly.

Make 8 layers, each less than about ¼ inch thick, by baking each in the bottom of an 8-inch springform layer pan.

Do this by cutting a round of baker's parchment that exactly fits the bottom of the layer pan, then using a spatula to spread the dough evenly over the parchment.

Make sure that it doesn't get too thin at the edges.

Bake each layer for 7 minutes in a preheated 400℉ (200℃) oven. Stack the layers separated by waxed paper.

MAKE THE PUDDING: Use more chocolate in the pudding than you would normally use.

If you want to be lazy and use pudding from a mix, then add about a tablespoon of top-quality cocoa to the pudding mix.

Stir the pudding while it cools so that it does not congeal.

Beat the unsalted butter until it is very smooth.

When the butter and pudding are about the same temperature, add the pudding to the butter to get an even, smooth buttercream.

Use the pudding/butter mixture as mortar, and layer the cake together, spreading the pudding/butter evenly between the layers.

Make sure the layers are even and parallel; if they are not, or if one is not straight, you can mend things with a little extra pudding here and there.

Do not put pudding on top of the topmost layer, and try not to get too much on the outside edges.

MAKE A CHOCOLATE FROSTING: Sift the powdered 10X sugar and cocoa together, add the melted butter while stirring constantly, then add boiling water.

Frost the cake, taking pains to make sure the sides are perfectly smooth and the top is perfectly smooth.

Let the cake sit at cool room temperature for at least an hour before serving.

• If you are not an experienced baker, you should be warned that in recipes like this it is important to measure exactly and to follow the instructions exactly.

People who prefer to cook by testing, tasting, and adding more ingredients should avoid intricate baking.

• These layers are baked in the bottom of a springform pan.

Such a pan bottom is about 8 inches in diameter, and has a raised lip that is about ⅛ inch high.

It resembles a miniature pizza pan. I have never succeeded in making this torte with layers bigger than about 10 inches; about 8 inches is easier. The baker's parchment is crucial and there is no good substitute, though buttered kraft paper (from shopping bags) will work in a pinch. Use a new piece of parchment for each layer. If you don't make the layers straight, then when you pile them up, the cake will be mounded up in the middle or will sag down in the middle or will tilt to one side. * If you are not an experienced cake froster, then make double the recipe of frosting. Unskilled frosters usually use too much frosting, and you don't really want to run out. You can charge money to people who want to lick the spoon if there is any left over. Difficulty: rather difficult; Time: 1 hour; Precision: measure carefully.