Coffee and Cream Sponge Cake

Layers of coffee infused sponge cake wrapped in a fluffy mocha whipped cream, this cake is a coffee lover's dream come true! Coffee and cream sponge cake is a grown up dessert that is sure to impress. 

        This cake is the perfect way to end a dinner party.  It might become your birthday dessert request as well.  The sponge is laced with coffee perfection and frosted with a mocha whipped cream frosting that is going to make you want to take that next bite.  It is like enjoying your coffeehouse favorite in cake form and it really doesn't get much better than that!

     I originally posted this cake back in February of 2016 as part of a group I was in, the Cake Slice Bakers.  We were baking our way through Maida Heatter's Cakes.

      To tell you the truth, when I got the book I wasn't quite sure how I was going to like it.  There were no pictures for one and pictures are usually one of my favorite parts about cookbooks. I guess I am a bit of a kid when it comes to that.

      In addition to the lack of visuals, some of the recipes were multiple pages long.  The whole thing seemed a little overly complicated.

       Then I started baking and fell in love.  Some of my all time favorite bakes ended up coming from that book and I began to appreciate the lack of pictures.

        Without having a picture to imitate, I was left to my own devices to finish the cakes.  That meant I got to do it my way without feeling bad about it.  Plus then I didn't have to compare my finished results to those of a professional food stylist.

        The length of the recipes turned out to be just super detailed instructions.  While some of the detail might have been overkill, it was nice to be really walked through the recipe with nothing left out.

      So that is how I found this beauty of a cake.  I made it to take to my mother-in-law's house for a dinner and we all had a love at first bite experience.

      This cake feels grown up, it is not overly sweet or frilly.  There is the right amount of coffee in it and the soft whipped cream frosting really brings it all together.  We were all ooh-ing and ah-ing as we ate our slice.

      So I thought it was high time to give those old pictures an upgrade and share this beauty with you again.  It is definitely worth the revisit.

Making the Sponge Cake

      This was my first attempt at an actual sponge cake.  It seems fiddly, but it really isn't that hard to put together.  It does take an extra dirty bowl to whip up the egg whites, but the results are certainly worth that effort.

      Once your batter base is put together, whip the egg whites to a stiff peak. Then fold them into the rest of the batter.

     Be sure to be gentle at this stage. You just spent the time and effort to get all of that air into the egg whites, you don't want to knock it all out.

      Just gently fold the batter over the egg whites, working your way around the bowl.  As soon as it is mostly mixed in, stop.

Making the Mocha Whipped Cream Frosting

     The soft fluffy whipped cream frosting really brings this beauty together.  Luckily it is easy to make too. 

      It has melted chocolate and coffee to add flavor.  I think the chocolate also helps add a little stability, but that may just be me.

     The result is flavorful and not too sweet.  It is the perfect thing to wrap up those coffee sponge layers.

     Don't stop there though.  Once you give this a taste you are going to want to dream up a million more things to put this mocha cloud on!

Decorating the Cake

     A cake like this doesn't need a crazy amount of decoration (or skill) to make it look nice.  You spread the frosting on smooth like in these pictures or make swoops with the whipped cream, whatever you prefer.

     It really would be fine just as is, but I like to put either chocolate shavings or some mini chocolate chips on top.  It adds just a little interest (and more chocolate!!!)

     So you don't have to have a lot of frosting skills to make this look like the showstopper dessert it is.  Just a knife or spatula to spread the goodness on and let it speak for itself!

More great layer cake recipes from Maida:

• Layers of tender white cake, lots of pineapple filling and clouds of meringue frosting come together to make Maida's Haleakala Cake.  It is another showstopper that will have everyone talking about how good it is. 
• Take banana cake to knew heights with this star spangled banana cake. There is almost a gallon of meringue goodness on the outside of four layers of banana cake! Just imagine! 
• Maida's carrot cake has several layers of goodness as well and a surprise ingredient or two.  My grandma said it was the best carrot cake she's ever had and she's had a few! 

Below is my review of the cake after the first time I made this coffee and cream sponge cake.  I stand by it still!

    The cake had a nice coffee flavor and the spongy texture that gives it the name.  The icing was a light and airy delicious pile of slightly sweet, slightly coffee, slightly chocolate whipped cream. YUM!

    The whole thing worked so well together.  I shaved some chocolate to sprinkle on top and it was met with rave reviews.   I will definitely be making this again!

coffee layer cake, mocha layer cake, coffee and cream cake

cake, desserts

American

Yield: 12 servings

Author: Cooking With Carlee

Coffee and Cream Sponge Cake

Layers of coffee infused sponge cake wrapped in a fluffy mocha whipped cream, this cake is a coffee lover's dream come true! Coffee and cream sponge cake is a grown up dessert that is sure to impress.

prep time: 35 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 60 M

ingredients:

Coffee Sponge Cake

• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 T instant coffee
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 tsp salt

Mocha Whipped Cream Frosting

• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate
• 1 T instant coffee
• 1 T boiling water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 T granulated sugar
• Optional but encouraged: Chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips

instructions:

How to cook Coffee and Cream Sponge Cake

Coffee Sponge Cake

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Prepare 2 9-inch pans. I sprayed mine with baking spray (the kind with the flour in it), but you can do whatever works best for you.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
3. Dissolve coffee granules in the hot water and set aside.
4. In you mixer bowl, beat the egg yolks, 3/4 cup of sugar until pale and thick. Turn mixer to low and stir in a couple of tablespoons of the flour mixture. Add the vanilla and coffee mixture, beating until smooth. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
5. In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until foamy. Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until they form soft peaks.
6. Spoon a small amount of the egg whites into the yolk mixture and fold in to lighten it. Fold in the rest of the egg whites until blended, but not any more than you have to.
7. Spread into prepared pans.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched.
9. Cool for 2 minutes, then turn out. Continue to cool, right side up on a wire rack until completely cooled.

Mocha Whipped Cream Frosting

1. Place your mixer bowl and beater in the refrigerator.
2. Chop the chocolate and melt in the microwave. Start with a thirty second burst, then go in fifteen second increments stirring between each one until the chocolate is smooth.
3. Stir the coffee granules into the water until dissolved. Pour over chocolate and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool. 
4. Once the chocolate mixture is close to room temperature, add a couple of tablespoons of the cream to it and stir until smooth.
5. In the chilled bowl, whip the remaining cream, vanilla and sugar until soft peaks form. While the beater is running, add the chocolate mixture and beat until the cream is stiff enough to work as an icing. 
6. Layer the cake and frosting, smoothing the whipped cream as you go. It is soft and billowy, so you can make it look nice as is, but chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips add a little fun. 

Recommended Products:

Green Cake Stand

Hand Mixer

Maida Heatter's Cakes

Calories
335.79

Fat (grams)
20.13

Sat. Fat (grams)
12.23

Carbs (grams)
37.16

Fiber (grams)
1.16

Net carbs
36.00

Sugar (grams)
27.71

Protein (grams)
4.43

Sodium (milligrams)
71.94

Cholesterol (grams)
91.46

https://www.cookingwithcarlee.com/2016/02/coffee-and-cream-sponge-cake.html

Copyright: Cooking With Carlee 2019

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Shared at The Weekend Potluck and Meal Plan Monday