I recently visited Ho Chi Min city and fell in love with their Salt Coffee. It’s simply caffeine with a kick of salt but it immediately lit up my taste buds when I tried it. 

Salt coffee mousse cake, anyone?

The Sugar Crumble has been missing her salt coffee since then and re-imagination birthed this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake, her No Bake dessert version pumped full of her fave coffee and filled with nut, sponge and biscuit layers. I made this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake as a celebration cake for April birthday daughter and it turned out super gorgeous! Tasted quite amazing too!  

Happy birthday cake!

Are you a coffee lover?  Check out this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake recipe tutorial below and hope you will try and enjoy it as much as we did ☺️

WATCH HOW TO MAKE THIS!

If you like this recipe tutorial and like to see more, subscribe to my YouTube channel here 😊

If you like my Salt Coffee Mousse Cake, you may also like these other No Bake recipes:

• Green Apple Mousse Cheesecake
• No Bake Brownies (No Butter, No Sugar & Gluten Free!)
• Strawberry Jelly Heart Cheesecake
• Christmas Wreath Jelly Cheesecake
• No Bake Nutella Cheesecake
• Sweet Valentine Sakura Cheesecake
• Cloud Jelly Cheesecake
• Rosette Tiramisu
• Matcha Mochi
• Easy Lemon Ice Cream Cake

Notes

• Toffee sauce – unlike caramel, toffee sauce although much easier to prepare is also softer in texture and therefore takes more time to harden in the freezer. It is best to prepare the toffee nut layer ahead and freeze overnight or at least for 3-4 hours for easy handling. 

• Nut substitutes: I used macadamia chunks which stayed crisp and crunchy in the mousse. You can substitute with other types of nut but be aware, some like pistachios or almonds may become soft and lose its crunch once layered into the coffee mousse. 

• Level of caffeine: we like our coffee strong and less sweet which is how I made this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake. I pumped it up with my favorite Japanese UCC 117 instant coffee and it is strong! If you’d like a milder and sweeter coffee mousse, reduce the amount of coffee to 1 1/2 tbsp (as proposed in the recipe) and level up the sweetness as preferred. You can even substitute with decaf coffee powder for those who may be caffeine intolerant. Taste and make the coffee mousse the way you prefer your cuppa except don’t forget to add the salt.

• Filling the mould: take time to fill the mould well, especially where there are visible crevices. I like to fill in the coffee mousse layer by layer, knocking the mould gently on the table top regularly so that the mousse fills down into the mould fully with minimal air bubbles. Be patient to do this well and you will get a lovely well defined coffee mousse cake that is perfect for glazing. I used a 7 inch silicon eclipse mould for this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake. If you are looking for a similar silicon mould, check the link here.

• Make ahead: this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake freezes well and can be made a couple of days or even a week ahead. I like to make it ahead as that allows proper time for freezing plus it breaks up the numerous steps in assembling the cake. This makes the whole process more enjoyable and less stressful especially if one is also busy cooking up other gastronomic delights on the day of the party/celebration! The glazing should ideally be done one day before serving or on the day itself and then chilled in the refrigerator to set/thaw until ready to serve. If glazing is done on the day of the party, do cater some time for the mousse cake to chill and thaw in the fridge (2-3 hours should be sufficient) before serving.

• Glazing: it’s important to remember to freeze well & un-mould and glaze the mousse cake only when it is frozen solid. Otherwise if the mousse is soft, the weight of the glaze could dimple the cake and it will not hold its shape well. Always glaze slowly/steadily and evenly from the middle in order to have sufficient glaze to cover the entire cake. Resist the urge and only glaze exuberantly towards the end when the mousse cake is generally well covered! Otherwise a 2nd glaze if required will mean complication and double work i.e. reheating the thickened glaze and cooling it .. not to mention, having to make sure the mousse cake is still frozen solid for glazing. So be measured and steady in your glazing and get it done at the first go. 

• Storage: this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake tastes best, served the next day after it has set in the fridge. It stores well for 3 to 4 days, chilled and kept airtight in the refrigerator. 

Gorgeous top view ❤️

Did you make this? I would love to know how it turned out. Tell me more! 😊  Please leave me a comment or tag me on Instagram, FB hashtag #thesugarcrumble 

Print Recipe

Salt Coffee Mousse Cake

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Freezing & chilling time6 hours hrs

Total Time7 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Mousse cake, Salt coffee

Servings: 6 inch round disc cake

Author: Kai

Ingredients

Toffee nut layer

• 40 g butter
• 100 ml cream
• 50 g brown sugar
• 70 g crushed macadamia nut

Coffee sponge layer

• 2 g instant coffee granules
• 120 ml hot water
• 7-8 lady finger biscuit

Oreo cookie base

• 60 g black Oreo without cream
• 60 g dark chocolate chip melted

Salt coffee mousse

• 500 ml heavy cream
• 2 1/2 tbsp instant coffee granules or 1 1/2 tbsp for a milder version
• 5-6 tbsp of toffee sauce
• 1.5 g sea salt

Chocolate glaze

• 3 tsp gelatine bloomed in 3 tbsp cold water
• 100 ml water
• 170 ml heavy cream
• 180 g granulated sugar
• 20 g Dutch cocoa powder
• 50 g dark cocoa powder
• *Optional: 2g instant coffee

Decor

• A sprinkle of edible silver and rose gold dust
• Some edible gold leaf

Instructions

Toffee nut layer

• Combine 40g butter, 100ml heavy cream and 50g brown sugar in a pan, dissolve the sugar completely and bring to a brisk boil for 1 min. Take off heat and set aside to cool.
• Line a 6-inch springform tin with parchment. Add in 70g crushed macadamia and half of the cooled toffee sauce. Mix well and compact the nuts tightly into an even layer. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight to set.

Coffee sponge layer

• Dissolve 2g strong instant coffee powder in 120ml hot water. Soak the lady finger biscuits in the coffee and line a 6-inch springform tin. Break the lady finger biscuit if needed to line the tin well. Compact the sponge layer with a spoon and freeze for 2 hours or overnight to set.

Oreo cookie base

• Line the base of a 6-inch pan with removable bottom with cling wrap. Add in 60g roughly crushed Oreo biscuits (without cream). Add in 60g melted dark chocolate and mix well. Wear a glove and compact the biscuit base well. Freeze for 2 hours or overnight to set.

Salted coffee mousse

• Add 2 1/2 tbsp instant coffee powder (or 1 1/2 tbsp for a milder coffee) to 100ml cream. Microwave the mixture in 30 sec bursts until completely combined into a thick coffee cream. Set aside to cool till room temperature.
• Whisk 400ml heavy cream on medium speed until firm peaks. Add in the cooled coffee cream, the remaining toffee sauce and 1.5g sea salt. Whisk just to incorporate *do not over-mix*. Switch to a spatula and mix by hand. Transfer mousse into piping bags and store chilled until assembly.

Assembly (*I’m using a 7-inch silicon eclipse mould for assembly)

• First, un-mould the frozen nut, sponge and oreo biscuit layers. Work briskly to fill the silicon mould as the layers are easiest to assemble when they are frozen hard.
• Place the bottom half of the silicon mould on a plate (for easy handling) and fill the base with a first layer of coffee mousse. Use a pastry brush to even out the mousse and fill the base well. Place in the coffee sponge layer and repeat with the 2nd layer of coffee mousse. Next place in the toffee nut layer.
• At this point, fit on the upper half of the silicon mould and repeat with the 3rd layer of coffee mousse. Make sure to fill in the crevices well so that the coffee mousse cake is well formed. If there are visible air bubbles in the mousse, lift the plate and gently tap the mould a few times on the work table to release the air bubbles.
• Once the silicon mould is completely filled, level the top with an off set spatula. Lastly, place on the Oreo cookie base, *smooth side up*. Gently press in the cookie base into the mousse so that the base layer is gently compacted with the mousse. Cover the top with parchment and freeze the mousse cake overnight.

Glazing

• Add 3 tsp of gelatin powder to 3 tbsp of cold water. Mix well and set aside to bloom.
• Combine 100ml water, 170ml heavy cream, 180g sugar, 20g Dutch cocoa powder, 50g dark cocoa powder and *optional* 2g instant coffee in a heavy bottom pan and whisk until well mixed.
• Put the glaze mixture on medium heat and bring to a brisk boil for 2 min. Take off heat and and add in the bloomed gelatin. Sieve to remove any lumps. Set the glaze aside to cool until about 38C - 40C
• Once the glaze is almost cooled to 38C un-mould the frozen mousse cake (note: the mousse cake must be glazed frozen) Transfer the frozen cake to a baking rack placed over a lined tray. Glaze the cake evenly from the middle. Rotate the rack if necessary and glaze the sides well.
• Have a wooden skewer on hand to prick any visible air bubbles and gently glaze over. Work briskly as the glaze will start to thicken and set. Once the cake is glazed, let it drip for a minute. Then using two off-set spatulas to hold the base, carefully transfer the cake onto a plate.
• I decorated with a sprinkle of silver and rose gold dust and a final touch of gold leaf for a cosmic effect. Chill the mousse cake in the fridge and let it thaw until ready to serve. Enjoy.

Video

Notes

If you like this recipe tutorial and like to see more, subscribe to my YouTube channel here 

 

• Toffee sauce - unlike caramel, toffee sauce although much easier to prepare is also softer in texture and therefore takes more time to harden in the freezer. It is best to prepare the toffee nut layer ahead and freeze overnight or at least for 3-4 hours for easy handling.

 

• Nut substitutes: I used macadamia chunks which stayed crisp and crunchy in the mousse. You can substitute with other types of nut but be aware, some like pistachios or almonds may become soft and lose its crunch once layered into the coffee mousse.

 

• Level of caffeine: we like our coffee strong and less sweet which is how I made this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake. I pumped it up with my favorite Japanese UCC 117 instant coffee and it is strong! If you’d like a milder and sweeter coffee mousse, reduce the amount of coffee to 1 1/2 tbsp (as proposed in the recipe) and level up the sweetness as preferred. You can even substitute with decaf coffee powder for those who may be caffeine intolerant. Taste and make the coffee mousse the way you prefer your cuppa except don’t forget to add the salt.

 

• Filling the mould: take time to fill the mould well, especially where there are visible crevices. I like to fill in the coffee mousse layer by layer, knocking the mould gently on the table top regularly so that the mousse fills down into the mould fully with minimal air bubbles. Be patient to do this well and you will get a lovely well defined coffee mousse cake that is perfect for glazing. I used a 7 inch silicon eclipse mould for this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake. If you are looking for a similar silicon mould, check the link here.

 

• Make ahead: this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake freezes well and can be made a couple of days or even a week ahead. I like to make it ahead as that allows proper time for freezing plus it breaks up the numerous steps in assembling the cake. This makes the whole process more enjoyable and less stressful especially if one is also busy cooking up other gastronomic delights on the day of the party/celebration! The glazing should ideally be done one day before serving or on the day itself and then chilled in the refrigerator to set/thaw until ready to serve. If glazing is done on the day of the party, do cater some time for the mousse cake to chill and thaw in the fridge (2-3 hours should be sufficient) before serving.

 

• Glazing: it’s important to remember to freeze well & un-mould and glaze the mousse cake only when it is frozen solid. Otherwise if the mousse is soft, the weight of the glaze could dimple the cake and it will not hold its shape well. Always glaze slowly/steadily and evenly from the middle in order to have sufficient glaze to cover the entire cake. Resist the urge and only glaze exuberantly towards the end when the mousse cake is generally well covered! Otherwise a 2nd glaze if required will mean complication and double work i.e. reheating the thickened glaze and cooling it .. not to mention, having to make sure the mousse cake is still frozen solid for glazing. So be measured and steady in your glazing and get it done at the first go.

 

• Storage: this Salt Coffee Mousse Cake tastes best, served the next day after it has set in the fridge. It stores well for 3 to 4 days, chilled and kept airtight in the refrigerator.