Caramel Cafe Noix

Well, I made this cake 2 weeks ago & I should have updated the blog last week.

But I just couldn't get in the mood to write.

I get overwhelmed with my thoughts lately, mainly because I'm stress about my work.

A lot of tasks to be completed, experiments to be carried out, parties to attend, cakes to be baked…

Back to my obsession with cake & caramel.

Yes, another caramel entremets.

This cake has coffee genoise as a base, caramel coffee mousse & crunchy caramel hazelnuts.

The bitterness of coffee blended well with the sweet & rich caramel flavour, finally with the nutty crunchy hazelnuts.

A lovely combination of different textures & flavours.

Recipe (6" square):

Coffee genoise (8" square)

260 g eggs

135 g sugar

100 g plain flour

20 g corn flour

7 g instant coffee

30 g whipping cream

40 g unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 180C & line a parchment paper on a 8" baking pan.

Bring whipping cream to boil & dissolve the coffee, set aside for latter.

Combine eggs & sugar in a large mixing bowl & sit over a pan of simmering water, beat with electric beater at high speed until hot then remove from heating.

Continue beating for another 3 min or until pale & fluffy.

Mix & sieve in the flours, gently fold until combine.

Melt the butter until it goldens (beurre noisette), add the butter & fold gently until combine.

Add in coffee milk & fold gently until combine.

Pour into the prepared pan & bake for 25-30 min.

Caramel hazelnuts

100 g hazelnuts

60 g granulated sugar

Roast the nuts at 140C for 15 min & line a tray with a parchment paper.

When cool, remove the skins.

In a clean pan, heat sugar until it caramelises.

Add the nuts & mix gently until most nuts are coated in caramel,

Pour the nuts on the tray & leave to set.

Once set, chop roughly & use for decoration.

Cake syrup

2 tbsp Tia Miara

2 tbsp hot water

2 tsp sugar

Mix all ingredients & set aside.

Caramel coffee mousse

Caramel sauce

60 g sugar

60 g whipping cream

Mousse

6 g instant coffee

50 g milk

2 egg yolks

60 g sugar

6 g sheet gelatine, bloomed

240 g whipping cream, whipped

In the saucepan, caramelise the sugar & carefully pour the warm whipping cream, stir until smooth.

In a small saucepan, bring milk to boil & dissolve the coffee.

In another saucepan, combine egg yolks & sugar, pour in the coffee milk with stirring to 82C.

Stir in the bloomed gelatine.

Pour in the caramel sauce & stir until smooth.

Fold in the whipped cream.

Decoration

Caramel-dipped hazelnuts

Toffee tuiles

Please go here for recipe & method

Assembling

Slice the coffee cake in halves & cut into 6" square.

Place the cake at the bottom of 6" square cake ring, brush generous amount of cake syrup on the cake.

Pour half of the caramel coffee mousse & sprinkle caramelised hazelnuts on top.

Place another cake on top & gently press top, brush cake syrup on the cake.

Pour the remaining coffee mousse & refrigerate to set.

Remove carefully from the ring & decorate with caramel-dipped hazelnuts & toffee tuiles.