Mocha Trifle

If you love coffee, this is your recipe. And this time I’m giving a twist to a classic recipe, the mocha cake, creating a trifle (that beautiful layered British dessert... )

It takes some time to make this recipe (either the classic mocha cake and my Trifle) while the results are absolutely worth it. You all know what a trifle is (and if not, let me tell you that it’s a desserts build up on layers, jelly, fruit, pastry cream, whipped cream... But nowadays anyone has it’s “signature trifle”) This mocha ones it’s made up with layers of a basic sponge cake, soaked with a strong coffee syrup, and mocha buttercream (It’s not exactly a buttercream, we call it “mocha butter” (or flavored butter) and topped with caramelized chopped almonds.

For the cake, as I made my basic cake (eggs, sugar and flour) and as  it could be “tricky” for you if you’re not used to make cakes without baking powder, I’ll give you also a link where you could find a nice and perfect recipe, or just make your own basic sponge cake recipe.

Mocha trifle recipe: 

Basic sponge cake

130 grams sugar

145 grams flour (sifted)

225 grams eggs (around 4-5 eggs)

Method:

• In the bowl of the stand mixer: eggs and sugar. Whisk until pale and fluffy (and it tripled volume)
• Now add carefully the sifted flour, little by little, and each time you add it, mix it gently until all well combined. You must do this with care as we don’t want the volume to go down.
• Preheat oven to 180ºC and bake until de cake is done (around 35 min. Or until you press the cake and comes back to its shape)
• Take it out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.
• Then cut with a circular cutter (or the shape you want. You can see how my trifles are. I made 4 glasses)

The “easy-Non problematic” recipe is from the BBCfood. Really nice recipe: click here 

Coffee syrup

300 ml strong coffee

100 grams sugar

Method:

• In a pan, coffee and sugar. Take it to a boil. Low down the heat and let it simmer  for 10 min (or so)
• Allow to cool (I also add a shot of a Galician spirit made with coffee and liquor)
• Brush each circular layer with the syrup (soak them)
• Reserve.

Mocha butter

400 grams butter (softened)

100 grams eggs (room temperature)
60 grams egg yolks
340 grams sugar
100 ml water
1 tbsp instant espresso powder/ coffee extract

Method:

• Whisk eggs and egg yolks until light and fluffy.
• In a saucepan: water and sugar. Bring it to 112ºC and take it out. Allow to cool just for minutes.
• Increase speed (to the top) and add  the syrup it into the eggs carefully. 
• Keep whisking until the temperature goes down to 40ºC (I used a caramel thermometer)
• Slow down the speed, and add the butter, little by little until all well incorporated. 
• Finally add the espresso powder(dissolved in some melted butter) or coffee extract.Keep whisking until all mixed.
• Into the refrigerator to get a thicker texture (If you leave the mocha butter in the fridge too long it’s going  to be very thick to work  with, so, if you made it ahead, take it our of the refrigerator 20 min before using it)

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