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Coffee Caramel Cake

I couldn’t resist ordering this new “Vinile” silicone mold—although it had been a while since my last purchase. Eventually, one must admit that enough is enough—much like clothing: despite countless pieces in the wardrobe, you tend to reach for the same items. The same goes for silicone forms: you only have to look at the pictures to recognize my favorite shape. But from the moment I read the accompanying recipe, I was doubly delighted: the combination of white chocolate mousse, salted caramel, and coffee sounded irresistible. I began with the caramel, which turned out perfectly, but later struggled to unmold it from the frozen form. After some trial and error, I reversed the layering—placing the caramel between the cream and the sponge—and that solved all issues. Paired with an intensively flavored coffee cream, it’s simply divine. Although I toyed with adding pistachios for a color contrast in the crunchy layer, I ultimately chose almonds—and kept the salt level just right for balance.
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 12 people

Ingredients
  

Coffee Cream

  • 33 g whole milk
  • 1 level tsp instant coffee powder
  • 2 g glucose syrup or substitute: acacia honey
  • ½ gelatine sheet
  • 57 g milk chocolate or milk couverture callets
  • 65 g heavy cream

Salted Caramel

  • 27 g milk chocolate or milk couverture callets
  • 89 g heavy cream
  • 12 g glucose syrup
  • 42 g granulated sugar
  • 23 g unsalted butter
  • 1 gelatine sheet
  • Pinch of fleur de sel

Chocolate Sponge

  • 73 g marzipan grated
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 whole egg
  • 27 g granulated sugar
  • 20 g all-purpose flour
  • 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 67 g egg whites
  • 27 g granulated sugar
  • 20 g unsalted butter

Almond Crunch Layer

  • 60 g milk chocolate or milk couverture callets
  • 7 g neutral-flavored oil
  • 66 g feuilletine crispy wafer flakes
  • 15 g chopped almonds

White Chocolate Mousse

  • 160 g whole milk
  • Pinch of vanilla powder
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 164 g white couverture or white chocolate callets
  • 19 g granulated sugar
  • 3 gelatine sheets
  • 250 g heavy cream

Instructions
 

Coffee Cream

  • Soak gelatin in cold water.
  • Heat milk with instant coffee and glucose syrup to ~80 °C.
  • Place chopped chocolate in a tall container; pour hot coffee-milk over it.
  • Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
  • Slowly stream in the cold cream while mixing.
  • Pour into the Tortaflex mold; freeze overnight.

Salted Caramel

  • Soak gelatin in cold water.
  • Caramelize sugar in a small saucepan until golden.
  • In a separate pan, heat cream with glucose syrup and salt.
  • Carefully add the hot cream to the caramelized sugar (warning: it will bubble vigorously).
  • Remove from heat, dissolve gelatin, then pour over chopped chocolate in a tall container.
  • Emulsify with an immersion blender, then stir in butter until smooth.
  • Spoon over the frozen coffee cream; refreeze.

Chocolate Sponge

  • Preheat oven to 170 °C (top/bottom heat).
  • Grate marzipan and beat with yolk, whole egg, and 27 g sugar until smooth.
  • Melt butter in a pan; set aside.
  • Whip egg whites with remaining sugar to stiff peaks.
  • Sift flour and cocoa into the marzipan mixture; fold in meringue gently.
  • Stir a spoonful of batter into the melted butter, then fold back into the batter.
  • Pour into an 18 cm springform pan; bake ~30 minutes.
  • Cool overnight (or at least several hours), then level and trim to fit the Tortaflex mold.

Almond Crunch Layer

  • Melt chocolate in a microwave or over a bain-marie; stir in oil.
  • Fold in chopped almonds and feuilletine.
  • Line an 18 cm pan with parchment; spread the crunch mixture and press gently.
  • While still pliable, place trimmed sponge (cream-side down) on top; chill until set.
  • Unmold and press into the frozen caramel–coffee assembly; refreeze.

White Chocolate Mousse

  • Soak gelatin in cold water.
  • Heat milk with vanilla until just simmering.
  • Whisk yolks with sugar; stir in dissolved gelatin.
  • Return to saucepan; cook over medium heat to 83 °C, stirring constantly.
  • Strain over chopped white chocolate; let sit 1 minute, then stir until melted.
  • Cool to ~30 °C, stirring occasionally.
  • Whip cream to soft peaks; fold into the chocolate mixture.
  • Fill the silicone mold with mousse, ensuring all ridges are filled.
  • Unmold the frozen caramel–coffee–crunch insert; press into mousse so edges align.
  • Freeze overnight.

Finishing & Decoration

  • (Optional) Prepare a tempered dark-chocolate ring and spray the cake with brown velvet spray.
  • Thaw in the refrigerator just until soft½ to set.
  • Decorate with a chocolate ring, a few drops of mirror glaze, and small chocolate eggs as desired.