Cake Shop Owner Filming Documentary in Budapest

The owner of is overseas chasing down the legend behind the grandfather of all layer cakes.

said she's been fascinated by Jozsef C. Dobos, the creator of the Dobos torta cake, since she learned her own layer cakes were similar. Reutter has received national acclaim for her seven-layer caramel cake, which has been featured in culinary magazines and the 2011 film The Help.

Reutter's search for more information on Dobos led her to piece together disparate parts of a larger story—Dobos' life and the story of the cake itself. In a new documentary tentatively titled A Cakewalk in Budapest, Reutter said she hopes to finally tell that story.

"I had to do something with the facts I was uncovering in order for them to come to life again," Reutter said. "This would bring back the legacy to Jozsef Dobos that he deserves, for he was one of the most renowned men on the continent in the culinary scene of his day."

The genius behind Dobos' layered cake design, Reutter said, is that in the days of no refrigeration, the layers served a function—it could be shelf-stable for up to 10 days.

Reutter is working with a documentary filmmaker and a writer who has helped her with research on the project. They're currently filming in Budapest, visiting museums and interviewing authors of books dealing with the life of Dobos.

"It has all been an experience of pure serendipity," Reutter said. "All of us involved just can not believe what we are pulling together, and that we actually are producing a documentary of this extraordinary man and his extraordinary cake."

Reutter said she doesn't want this documentary to be about Caroline's Cakes. It tells the story of Dobos and his cake, but also the story of Hungary and Budapest. 

You can follow Reutter's adventures in Budapest via Caroline's Cakes Facebook page, Twitter feed, and Pinterest page.