Not Your Normal Cup of Coffee...

 

Working in a cafe, it seems almost inevitable that I would develop a love of coffee. 

Its like that saying about not trusting a skinny chef, right? 

In my last post I made the magical leap from beverage to dessert with a deliciously light Tiramisu Cake and I enjoyed "testing" (a.k.a "eating my body weight in")  the coffee cream filling so  much I wanted to recreate the experience, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. 

And so the Individual Coffee Cake was born!

Designed to look like a cup of cream-topped coffee, these cakes feature a patterned joconde imprime sponge, coffee and mascarpone creamy filling, layers of coffee syrup soaked sponge and topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate. Not only do they taste delicious, but the use of a joconde imprime gives these cakes a more impressive finish and takes them from being a simple tiramisu sponge to an eye catching dessert to "wow" those at your next morning tea!

You can keep your traditional, skinny long macchiato and your double shot soy latte - just give me these cakes any day! 

A quick note before you begin!     

Previously I have posted a joconde tuille cake with a mousse filling (see here) and while this recipe worked well, this recipe I used here is slightly different and I have to say I think it is my new favourite! I have used it a number of time now and am yet to have any issues or baking fails with it. I also think that the sponge is a little more flexible than previous recipes I've used which makes bending and lifting it into your mold just that much easier. 

Individual Coffee Cakes

 Makes 5 x 10cm cakes

For the Chocolate Joconde-Decor Paste

100g unsalted butter, softened

100g icing sugar

4 egg whites

85g cake flour (to see how to make your own see here)

30g cocoa powder

Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and pale in colour then, whilst continuously beating, gradually add the egg whites and continue to beat until totally incorporated. Don't worry if your mix looks like it's splitting as you add the whites, it will come together when you add the dry ingredients. 

Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and beat the whole mixture until the mixture is smooth and totally combined. 

Using a piping bag or a stencil, pipe or stencil the decor paste onto a  non-stick Silomat (or non-stick baking paper if you don't have a mat). You want the design to be about 1/2 cm thick as any thinner and it may soften and result in a distorted pattern and any thicker and it may affect the flexibility of the final sponge cake. Place the mat on a baking tray and stick it in the freezer, making sure it is lying flat. 

For the Joconde Sponge

85g almond meal 

75 icing sugar

25g cake flour 

3 eggs

3 egg whites 

10g caster sugar

30g unsalted butter, melted

Sift the almond meal, icing sugar and flour into a mixing bowl and add the eggs, whisking to combine.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites with the caster sugar until soft peaks form. Fold one third of the egg whites into the flour mixture, making sure not too knock the air from the mixture. Fold in the remaining whites and then the melted butter.

Remove your chilled decor paste from the freezer (it should feel firm to touch) and pour 3/4 of the sponge mixture over the top, making sure to cover all of the paste. Pour the remaining 1/4 of mixture into a small square cake tin lined with non-stick paper.

Bake the sponges in an oven preheated to 230 degrees Celsius for 5-10 minutes or until the sponge has started to brown and springs back when lightly touched. It can burn very easily and very quickly so keep a close eye on it!

When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes then turn upside onto some baking paper dusted with icing sugar (this will stop the sponge from sticking to the paper). Remove the Silomat (or baking paper) from the top (the pattern should be exposed and facing upwards) and allow to finish cooling.

Now it's time to cut your patterned sponge into strips to line your cake moulds.

Measure how high you want the cakes to be and use this height to determine how wide you will cut your strips of sponge. Use the circumference of your moulds to determine how long your strips need to be. To measure the circumference I simply cut a strip of baking paper and wrap it around the inside of my mould then cut the sponge to the same length.

Cut your strips using a sharp knife (or a pizza cutter like I did) and carefully pick them up and use them to line your moulds, making sure the patterned side is facing outwards.

If you find the sponge is sticking to the baking paper use a palette knife (or a normal knife) and carefully run it under the sponge to help lift it away from the paper. Don't worry to much if your strips break, you can use the offcuts to make little filler pieces, just try to match up the patterns with the pieces you are filling so that the gap isn't too noticeable (you can see in the picture below where I had to do a couple of fill jobs!)

Where the ends of the sponge meet press them firmly together to seal them.

Now grab the second, smaller square of sponge that you made (the one without any pattern) and use a dough, cookie or some other cutter to cut out small circles to fit snugly into the bottom of your moulds to form the base of your cakes. It needs to be a fairly snug fit or your filling may start to seep out the bottom of your cakes and no one likes a soggy bottom!

Cut out another 5 circles (one for each cake) and set them aside.

 

For the Coffee Syrup

90g caster sugar

75 ml strong coffee
50ml rum (you could instead use Frangelico, Kahlua, Marsala etc.)


Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to make sure the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.  

For the Coffee Cream Filling

500g mascarpone

1/4 cup icing sugar 

1/4 cup coffee syrup 

1/4 cup whipping cream 

Whisk the cream in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form and set aside.

In a separate bowl whist the remaining ingredients until smooth and well combined and then fold in the whipped cream.   

To Assemble

300ml whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp icing sugar

Cocoa powder  
Chocolate decorations 



Using a piping bag (or a simple spoon), half-fill your sponge-lined cake moulds with coffee cream.

Take the extra circles of sponge you cut out earlier, dip them into the remaining coffee syrup and place inside the cake moulds. Use the remaining coffee cream to fill the moulds to the top. Then wrap in clingwrap (to prevent them from drying out) and refrigerate for at least two hours or until well chilled and firm.

Take some melted chocolate and pipe it onto a sheet of baking paper, some into long thin stick shapes and some into U-shapes (these will be the 'handle' of your coffee cup). Refrigerate until well chilled and solid.

Whisk your cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until firm peaks form and pipe on top of each cake using a star tipped piping nozzle. Dust with cocoa powder and add your chocolate decorations, sticking your chocolate sticks into the cream and gently pressing your U-shaped handles into the sides of the cake.

And voila!

Five delicious coffee cup cakes are now yours to share with your nearest and dearest or to simply scoff yourself in a blaze of indulgent bliss.   


Sound off in the comments and let me know your thoughts xx

 

Every now and then you just get the craving for something rich, decadent and possibly swimming in alcohol or chocolate.

Then there are those other times when you simply want something light and sweet which won't leave you feeling like an elephant has taken refuge in your stomach cavity!

This cake is perfect for such instances and hence I decided to artfully name it the "Almond Cloud Cake". Incredibly cryptic name right?!

Almond: 

Well, you may notice the bunch of nuts stuck around the outside....

Cloud:  

Just like those pillows of the sky, everything about this cake screams light and fluffy, from the delicate sponge to the aerated cream coating!

Cake: 

Umm... yeah that one is just too self-explanatory.

Almond Cloud Cake

 

 

 

For the Sponge:

 

2 tsp plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
Cornflour
4 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

For the Custard Filling:

4 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
25 plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
350ml milk (whole fat)

300ml whipping cream

3 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract 

230g flaked almonds 

To Make the Sponge

 

Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced) and grease two 20cm round cake tins with spray oil. Line the bottom and sides of each tin with baking paper. 

In a one cup measuring cup place the flour, bicarb soda and cream of tartar. Fill the remainder of the cup with cornflour (so you have a total of 1 cup of dry ingredients!)

In an electric mixer whisk the eggs and sugar for 10min. It will become incredibly aerated,creamy looking and at least doubled in volume. Add the vanilla and beat for a further minute.

Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, being careful not to knock the air from the mixture, until smooth.

Divide the mixture between the two prepared cake tins and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until sponge springs back when touched.

 Place baking paper on wire cake racks to cover and turn the sponges onto the wire racks but don't  lift off the cake tin!  (this will allow the resulting trapped steam to keep the cake moist!). Leave the  sponges to cool completely. 

To Make the Filling

 

Whisk the yolks and sugar until light in colour and thick then add the flour, whisking to incorporate.

Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan (or microwave) and then slowly pour into the egg/sugar mix, whisking continually to make sure the eggs don't scramble. 

Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over med-low heat, whisking constantly to prevent the mixture sticking to the bottom until the mixture starts to boil. Continue cooking and whisking for a further two minutes until the mixture is thick and remove from the heat.

Stir in the vanilla and pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl and cover with clingfilm (so it is actually in contact with the custard) to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate until completely cool. 

 

To Assemble

Spread the almonds evenly over a baking tray and toast under an oven grill until lightly browned. Set aside to cool completely.

Whisk the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until firm peaks start to form and then set aside.

Place one of the cakes on your serving plate and, if necessary, trim the top with a serrated knife to ensure it is flat and level. Spread the the top with the chilled custard filling and place your remaining cake on top and press down gently to sandwich the cakes and filling together. 

Use a spatula to spread the whipped cream all around the cake, both top and sides, and use your hands to press the cooled almonds around the sides of the cake. 

You can leave the cake as it is or decorate the top with your choice of chocolate, fresh fruits or wherever your imagination takes you!  

 

 

The Queen of Victoria (Sponges!)

A couple of weeks ago it was my Nanna's birthday (Happy birthday Nanna!) and naturally the role of cake-maker was fell to yours truly!

I decided to have a(nother!) try at a classic vanilla sponge cake, partly because I am a sucker for punishment and also because I had some strawberries and cream in the fridge... sometimes my own logic baffles me!

I have made sponge cakes in the past but have never been truly happy with the results, they have never seemed quite light enough or haven't risen to my liking. However, as luck would have it I stumbled across a recipe from Women's Weekly Online of all places and it was an absolute winner! Other recipes I had found called for almost a dozen eggs, were time consuming and very fiddly. Not this one! It was quick, simple and turned out the most delicious light and fluffy cake! Add some jam, strawberries and cream to the mix and you have a recipe for the perfect afternoon tea treat or birthday surprise!

Classic Victoria Sponge Cake

Recipe adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly


2 tsp plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
Cornflour
4 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence


Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced) and grease two 20cm round cake tins with spray oil. Line the bottom and sides of each tin with baking paper. 

In a one cup measuring cup place the flour, bicarb soda and cream of tartar. Fill the remainder of the cup with cornflour (so you have a total of 1 cup of dry ingredients!) 

In an electric mixer whisk the eggs and sugar for 10min. It will become incredibly aerated,creamy looking and at least doubled in volume. Add the vanilla and beat for a further minute.

Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, being careful not to knock the air from the mixture, until smooth.

Divide the mixture between the two prepared cake tins and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until sponge springs back when touched. 

 Place baking paper on wire cake racks to cover and turn the sponges onto the wire racks but don't  lift off the cake tin!  (this will allow the resulting trapped steam to keep the cake moist!). Leave the  sponges to cool completely.   


Once cooled, decorate the sponges as desired with cream, jam, fruit, whatever tickles your fancy!