Mocha Cake

My elder SIL's birthday is just 3 days ahead of mine, both of us are February babies :) I am not sure what type of cake she likes but I ever heard from my younger SIL that she likes chestnut so I had considered to make her a chestnut cake but I was not able to find the chestnut puree and I am not sure if I puree the chestnut myself, will it be tasty so I dropped this idea.
Then I remember that my brother inlaw had ordered a coffee flavour cake for her birthday a few years ago. So I reckon she should like coffee cake if not, my brother inlaw wouldn't ordered right? Thus I decided I shall make her a coffee cake and I decided on this recipe since it looks delicious and the ingredients are simple.


I used this recipe for the sponge cake. This is really a very good and non failure sponge cake recipe for me, which I had baked twice and both were successful.


Although the recipe called to whisk the flour with the mixer but when whisked the flour with the batter, I saw a lot of air bubbles burst, which I have encountered previously and the cake was deflated. Thus I was afraid will have same destiny so I changed to use spectula to fold. While at folding, I saw more and more air bubbles burst, I was dead worried but I still went ahead.


I was so relieved and happy when I saw the cake raised so high in the oven. When the cake was ready, I kept playing with the cake by pressing it, this is really a spongy cake.

This recipe is definitely a keeper for people like me, never good at folding flour into the batter. No matter how long I take to fold the batter and the bubbles in the batter kept bursting, this doesn't affected the cake at the all.:)


I encountered hiccups when assembled the cake. When I pour 1/3 of the mocha mixture onto the 1st layer of sponge, it immediately absorbed by the sponge cake. So I have to pour the balance mocha mixture and managed to reach 3/4 of the cake tin. I was too panic during that time that I quickly put another layer of the sponge cake. That was really a big big mistake, the mocha mixture again immediately absorb by the sponge cake and was not able to cover the 2nd layer of cake. I was at lost during that moment, and worst, because I was using removeable base cake tin, the mixture started to leak out. The whole table top was so messy, I quickly put the cake tin in a big bowl and placed in the frige to set.
After much thinking, I decided to prepare another set of the mocha mixture and pour into the cake when it was slightly set in the frige. Luckily I was able to salvage the cake, it looked quite decent after it was set.


Chocolate Sponge Cake : for 7" cake and 4 cupcakes
eggs 4
caster sugar 115g
glucose 21g
salt 1g
oil 32g
cocoa powder 21g
plain flour 106g
baking powder 1g
chocolate milk 21ml

Method :
1. Put the pot on the fire, pour in the oil immediately to heat up and off the fire when the oil start to warm.
2. Add in the cocoa powder and stir well to dissolve the cocoa powder with oil and set aside.
3. Mix eggs, sugar, salt in the mixing bowl and whisk in high speed till thick and creamy, increase the volume unitl the color turn pale.
4. Add in glucose and whisk in medium speed until ribbon stage.
5. Mix in the sifted flour and baking powder, whisk in low speed for 3 circles to let the flour mix into the egg mixture. Then turn to medium speed and whisk for about 20 circles (about 20 seconds) to mix well.
6. Fold 1/3 to 1/2 of the batter into cocoa mixture and mix well. Pour the mixture back to the remaining batter, add in milk to mix well.
7. Pour the batter in the 7" cake tin till 60-70% full.
8. Bang the cake tin on the table lightly to reduce some air.
9. Bake at 180 degree for 35 mins.
10. Once done, remove from oven and turn the cake tin upside down on wire rack for it to cool down.

Mocha Layer :
600ml condensed milk
600ml water
5 tbsp instant coffee
2.5 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp gelatine

Method :
1. Let gelatine bloom in water for about 10mins
2. Heat up gelatine + water mixture and once gelatine dissolves, add instant coffee and cocoa powder. Stir well till dissolved and no lumps
3. Turn heat off, add condensed milk and stir till well blended

Assemble :
1. Slice the sponge cake into 2 layers
2. Trim 2nd layer of the cake to be smaller than 7".
3. Place 7" layer of sponge cake in a 7" baking tin, pour 1/2 mixture into baking tin
3. Chill in the fridge till slightly set then remove from the fridge
4. Place the trimmed layer of sponge cake and pour the remaining mocha mixture and return to the fridge and chill over night.

Notes:
The mocha mixture is watery, if you are using springform cake tin or removeable base cake tin, you need to wrap the aluminium foil outside the bottom of the cake tin.