Home

Coffee Cake with Creamy Heart

17/11/2023

Here is the recipe for a delicious coffee cake with a creamy heart that could win over the palates of coffee lovers.

Ingredients

For the coffee sponge cake:

  • 4 eggs
  • 120 g of sugar
  • 120 g of type 00 flour
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons of instant coffee or concentrated cold espresso coffee

For the coffee cream:

  • 250 ml of milk
  • 1 sachet of instant coffee or 2 shots of strong espresso coffee
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 70 g of sugar
  • 30 g of type 00 flour or cornstarch for a finer version
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract or the seeds of a vanilla bean

For the coffee soak:

  • 100 ml of water
  • 50 g of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of instant coffee
  • Coffee liqueur (optional)

For the topping:

  • 200 ml of whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder or coffee nibs for decoration

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the coffee sponge cake. Whip the eggs with the sugar until you have a light and fluffy mixture. Add the chosen coffee and mix well.
  2. Gradually fold in the sifted flour and a pinch of salt, mixing gently from the bottom up so as not to deflate the mixture.
  3. Pour the batter into a buttered and floured pan or lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  4. While the sponge cake is cooking, prepare the coffee cream. Heat the milk with the chosen coffee and bring almost to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks with the sugar until frothy, then incorporate the flour or starch.
  5. Pour the hot milk over the yolks, stirring constantly, then put everything back on the heat. Cook on low heat, stirring until the cream thickens. Transfer the cream to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface, and let it cool.
  6. Prepare the coffee soak by dissolving the sugar in water with the instant coffee over low heat, and if you wish, add a little coffee liqueur after removing from heat.
  7. When the sponge cake is cool, cut it horizontally to obtain two disks. Lightly moisten them with the coffee soak.
  8. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and use some of it to fill the cake along with the coffee cream, creating the creamy heart, and the rest to cover the cake.
  9. Dust with unsweetened cocoa powder or coffee nibs before serving.

Remember, for an extra touch, you can enrich the coffee cream with chocolate chips or some chocolate-coated coffee beans if you want a creamy heart with a crunchy surprise inside.

Curiosity

Coffee is one of the most loved beverages all over Italy and, in addition to being appreciated as a drink, it is used in various sweet preparations for its intense and robust flavor that can give character to cakes, creams, and biscuits.

Coffee Cake with Creamy Heart