Mokka sqaure
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Makes: 25 portions
 
Ingredients
Biscuit layer
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 128 gr white sugar
  • 8 egg whites
  • 72 gr white sugar
  • 160 gr white flour
  • 40 gr corn starch
  • 2 gr salt
Coffee cream
  • 1000 gr milk
  • 25 gr instant coffee
  • 235 gr white sugar
  • 9 egg yolks
  • 125 gr white flour
  • 429 gr soft butter
Chocolate ganache
  • 275 gr double cream
  • 400 gr dark chocolate
  • 125 gr soft butter
Praliné hazelnuts
  • 100 gr water
  • 100 gr white sugar
  • 100 gr hazelnuts
Garnish
  • Chocolate flakes
  • Chocolate-covered coffee beans
Instructions
Biscuit
  1. Separate the eggs. Sift the flour and corn starch. Line the baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Beat the egg whites while gradually adding the sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat in a separate bowl the egg yolks with their sugar until fluffy. Carefully fold first the egg yolks and then the flours into the egg whites until combined.
  3. Spread onto the baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C for 10 min or until done and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down to room temperature on a wire rack.
Coffee cream
  1. Bring the milk, instant coffee to the boil. Mix in a bowl the egg yolks, flours and sugar. Pour in some of the hot milk, mix to combine and pour it back in the pot. Bring to a gentle boil while stirring until the mixture thickens. This is the pastry cream. Take off the heat and add gradually half of the cubed butter. Cover with plastic foil and allow to cool to room temperature.
  2. Mix the reaming soft butter in a bowl and add gradually the pastry cream (at room temperature) until combined and smooth. Store in the fridge until needed but allow it to come back to room temperature before using it or it will to too hard to handle.
Chocolate ganache
  1. Bring the cream to a boil and pour onto the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate had melted into the cream.
  2. Add the soft butter, stir until smooth and allow to cool to room temperature.
Paliné hazelnuts
  1. Cook the sugar and water to a caramel. Add the chopped hazelnuts and pour the hot mixture onto baking paper.
  2. Allow to set and break up.
Assembly
  1. Place the first of the three cake layers on a solid base (cutting board for instance). Cover with half the coffee cream and place the second cake layer on top. Cover with the ganache (that should not be too runny) and the third cake layer.
  2. Spread the top and sides with the remaining coffee cream, reserving some for final decoration.
  3. Decorate the sides with the caramelised hazelnuts and the top with the chocolate flakes, remaining coffee cream and chocolate-covered coffee beans.
Stuff to know
This recipe will make a cake measuring 25 x 30 and yields about 25 portions.
Serve the cake at room temperature.
This coffee cream is less heavy than a traditional butter cream since some of the butter is replaced by the pastry cream.
Allow the chocolate ganache to cool down to room temperature or it will be too runny. Reheat if needed in the microwave to the right consistency.
Be careful when making the caramel: it is extremely hot.
Recipe by Jeroen Valkenier Recipes at https://jpvalkenier.com/mokka-sqaure/