Coffee Cake with Caramel

A Detailed Guide to Making the Coffee Cake with Caramel

This is a luxurious dessert for coffee lovers, featuring no less than five layers of coffee and caramel elements. From a fudgy brownie base to gravity-defying chocolate spires, this cake achieves a “five out of five” rating for texture and flavor.

Serves: 8

Part 1: Caramel Coffee Brownie

A fudgy, dense base enriched with blond chocolate and coffee.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Melt Fats: Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl over a bain-marie (simmering water). Remove from heat.
2. Beat Eggs: In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs and sugar together (do not whip too much air into it; you want it fudgy, not cakey).
3. Combine: Stir the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
4. Add Dry Ingredients: Fold in the almond flour, finely ground coffee, and salt until well combined.
5. Bake: Pour the batter into a 15 cm pastry ring lined with parchment paper. Bake at 175°C for approximately 30 minutes until golden and fully baked.
6. Freeze: Let the brownie cool completely, then place it in the freezer.

Part 2: Coffee Caramel

A soft, gooey layer that sits on top of the brownie.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Infuse Cream: In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream and whole coffee beans to a boil. Remove from heat, cover with a lid, and let infuse for 10 minutes. Sieve to remove the beans.
2. Heat Cream Mixture: Add the butter, salt, and glucose syrup to the infused cream. Bring this mixture to a boil.
3. Make Caramel: In a separate saucepan, carefully melt the caster sugar until it turns golden. Immediately remove from heat.
4. Combine: Carefully and gradually pour the hot cream mixture into the melted sugar while whisking vigorously (be careful of hot steam).
5. Finish: Transfer the caramel to a bowl and let it cool slightly. Stir in the finely ground coffee.
6. Assemble: Pour the caramel directly on top of the frozen brownie (inside the ring).
7. Freeze: Return the ring to the freezer for at least 3 hours until frozen solid.

Part 3: Caramel Coffee Mousse & Assembly

The main body of the cake, offering a light and creamy texture.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Prep: Soak gelatine sheets in cold water.
2. Infuse Milk: Bring milk and coffee beans to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, cover, and infuse for 10 minutes. Sieve to remove beans.
3. Melt Chocolate: Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a bain-marie. Remove from heat.
4. Combine: Bring the infused milk back to a boil. Remove from heat. Squeeze excess water from the gelatine and dissolve it in the hot milk.
5. Emulsify: Pour the hot milk over the melted chocolate while stirring in the center to create an emulsion. Continue until smooth and glossy. Blend with a hand blender.
6. Whip Cream: Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks.
7. Fold: Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
8. Assembly:
   • Fill an Eclipse silicone mould (18 cm diameter) (or a standard round silicone mold) with the mousse.
   • Take the frozen brownie/caramel insert and gently press it into the mousse.
   • Important: The caramel side must face downwards (into the mousse).
   • Freeze the cake overnight.

Part 4: Coffee Caramel Glaze

A shiny mirror glaze to finish the cake.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Prep: Soak gelatine in cold water. Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a tall plastic pitcher.
2. Boil Syrup: In a saucepan, bring cream, water, sugar, and glucose syrup to a boil. Remove from heat.
3. Combine: Squeeze water from gelatine and stir into the hot liquid. Pour this over the chocolate and stir until combined.
4. Blend: Add the ground coffee and blend with a hand blender to remove air bubbles.
5. Cool: Cover the surface with cling film and let cool to 35°C.
6. Glaze: Place the frozen cake on a ring or stand. Pour the glaze over it. Let it set, then trim any drips with a small knife.
7. Thaw: Move the cake to a serving platter and let it thaw in the refrigerator.

Part 5: Coffee Caramel Spires

A gravity-defying decoration technique.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Setup: Tape a large sheet of acetate plastic (chocolate plast) to the underside of a shelf or a suspended tray. (You will be pressing chocolate up against it).
2. Temper: Melt and temper the chocolate. Stir in the ground coffee.
3. Create Spire: Spread a small amount of tempered chocolate onto the bottom of a saucepan (or a flat tool). Press this up against the suspended acetate sheet, then slowly pull the pan away downward. The chocolate will stick to the plastic and hang down, creating a natural “stalactite” or spire shape.
4. Set: Let the chocolate hang and set completely.
5. Cut: Carefully peel the acetate (with the chocolate attached) off the shelf. Use a warm 12 cm cookie cutter/ring to cut a circle out of the spiky chocolate sheet.

Part 6: Decoration

Ingredients:

• Dulcey chocolate pearls
• Edible gold leaf

Method:

1. Place a few Dulcey pearls on top of the glazed cake.
2. Balance the chocolate spire circle on top of the pearls (so it hovers slightly above the cake).
3. Finish with touches of edible gold leaf.

Tip

• Coffee Selection: I recommend using lightly roasted coffee beans with tangy/fruity notes from a local micro-roastery, but feel free to use your favorite beans. The quality of the coffee significantly impacts the final flavor.