Coffee Doorstop Cake
Gorgeous Coffee Doorstop Cake - three distinct layers of rich coffee sponge, chocolate caramel pecans & pistachios topped with luxurious creamy caramel coffee mousse. Nutty, creamy, caffeine ... a perfect coffee fix in cake.
Ingredients
Coffee Sponge Cake
- 95 g egg white ~ 3 egg whites
- 45 g egg yolks ~ 3 eggs
- 85 g sugar
- 90 g cake flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 30 g milk
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 25 g oil
Chocolate Caramel Nuts
- 1 cup pistachios (shelled)
- 1 cup pecans
- 2-3 tbsp caramel sauce for the nuts
- 2 tbsp caramel sauce for the cake (For caramel recipe, check links above)
Chocolate Ganache
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (35% fat)
Caramel Coffee Mousse
- 400 ml heavy cream (using 100ml for the coffee cream)
- 1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 3 tbsp soft caramel (For caramel recipe, check links above)
Instructions
Coffee sponge
- Double sift the cake flour. Mix in 1/4 tsp salt and set aside.
- Separate the whites and yolks when the egg is cold and set aside to come to room temperature.
- Whisk the whites on Low until foamy. Add the granulated sugar in 3 parts. Switch to medium and whisk until the meringue is smooth and shiny. Stop at soft peaks.
- Switching to a hand whisk, add in the yolks and gently combine. Add in the flour mixture in two parts. Gently incorporate the flour with the whisk until just combined (do not overmix).
- Dissolve the coffee granules in the hot milk and combine with the oil. Add the coffee mixture to the batter and gently mix in with a spatula until just combined. Again do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into a 6 inch cake tin lined with parchment. Run a skewer through the batter several times to remove any large air bubbles. Alternatively gently tap the cake tin on the work table which should also help eliminate air bubbles
- Bake at 150C for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely and level off any unevenness at the top . Set aside and make the nut and mousse layers.
Nut layer
- Combine the dark chocolate and heavy cream and microwave in 30 second bursts to melt the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the ganache is smooth and shiny.
- In a medium bowl, mix in the caramel and 1/2 of the chocolate ganache with the pistachios and pecans until the nuts are well coated with the chocolate caramel.
Assembling the cake and nut layer
- Assemble the coffee sponge on a cake board. Using the end of a chopstick, poke holes (about 3/4 way down) evenly all over the top of the sponge.
- Pour on the remaining chocolate ganache and drizzle on another 2-3 tbsp of caramel sauce. Using a pastry brush, spread out the chocolate and caramel evenly over the sponge.
- Wrap the sponge cake around with bubble wrap (thoroughly washed and cleaned) and put through a 6 inch spring form ring to hold the bubble wrap in place.
- Layer in the chocolate caramel nuts, making sure the nuts (especially at the sides) are well filled and compacted.
- Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes to set and start on the coffee mousse
Caramel Coffee Mousse
- Combine 100ml heavy cream with the coffee granules and microwave in 5 second bursts to dissolve. Stir well until all the coffee granules are dissolved. Place this coffee cream in the freezer for ~20 minutes to cool.
- Microwave the soft caramel for 10 second to melt it. Gently stir the caramel till there are no lumps and set aside to cool.
- In a large cool mixing bowl, whisk the remaining 300ml heavy cream until soft peaks. Add in the cooled coffee cream. Switch to medium speed and whisk to combine until stiff peaks.
- Add in the cooled caramel sauce and whisk for 30 seconds just to combine. Caramel coffee mousse is ready.
Assembling the coffee mousse & decor
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator. The nut layer should have set nicely by now.
- Optional: Place the cake scraps unto the nut layer. Then gently layer in the coffee mousse making sure to cover the scraps and fill down well. Switch to a pastry brush to sweep the mousse to the edges and fill it well. Level the mousse as much as possible and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours until the mousse is frozen.
- Once the mousse is nicely frozen, carefully remove the springform ring and slowly unravel the bubble wrap. You will see the three beautiful layers of cake, nut and mousse coming together like a gorgeous fault line cake.
- Decorate with ferrero rochers and a final dust of cocoa powder. Enjoy.
Video
Notes
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#1 Instant coffee choice
To be frank, this Coffee Doorstop Cake could just as easily be a Dalgona Coffee Cake given the coffee flavour comes from instant coffee and cream. One can of course substitute with espresso but I like the Dalgona taste and particularly because we love our Alta Rica Nescafe Gold instant coffee.
Made from Arabica coffee beans from Latin America, it has a bold nutty rich flavour which never fails to give our Dalgona coffee that extra caffeine oomph. Likewise, it again dazzled beautifully in this Coffee Doorstop Cake.
Therefore remember, whilst all instant coffee are equal, some are more equal than others - choose one which has an unapologetically deep, intense and smooth flavour and you will get a complex and nuanced but oh so delicious Coffee Doorstop Cake.
#2 Nuts
I chose pistachios and pecans for the nut layer as we are big fans of these 2 types of nut. Whilst the pecans remained crisp and crunchy, I found that the pistachios tend to soften after the 1st day when it has absorbed the moisture from the chocolate caramel and been exposed to air.
If you are making this, I would recommend replacing the pistachios with walnuts or toasted almonds for a crisper and more crunchy nut layer. Check out my Stay Soft Caramel recipe for a beautiful toffee caramel sauce.
#3 Coffee mousse
It is important to chill the coffee cream well before adding to the whipped cream. Likewise for the caramel sauce, which should be at room temperature and of drizzling viscosity. If the coffee cream is warm, the heat may soften the fat in the heavy cream and cause it to turn grainy as it is whisked. So remember to cool and chill these ingredients well before combining it with the whipped cream.
#4 Bubble wrap vs parchment
Some may ask why do we need to use bubble wrap? That’s an absolutely valid question and the answer - there is no need if the cake rose straight up and did not contract after cooling.
My coffee sponge shrunk slightly from the sides after it cooled leaving a small gap with the cake pan. Using the bubble wrap provided the thickness that allowed the springform ring to hold the cake base in place whilst the layers of nuts and mousse are placed in.
#5 Make ahead and storage
I baked the coffee sponge 3 days ahead and chilled in the fridge wrapped in cling wrap to keep it moist. I assembled the nuts and mousse layers the day before serving to give the mousse sufficient time to set in the freezer before un-moulding. Once decorated, leave it in the chiller to thaw for 2-3 hours or until serving day. Enjoy.
This Coffee Doorstop Cake can keep for 3-4 days well sealed and chilled in the refrigerator.