Coffee Sponge with Cafe Latte Frosting

Dec 22, 2008

The office was so quiet today with almost everyone I know have rushed off for their year end vacation and celebration! I decided to call it a day at 3pm, and got back to try out the recipe which I was going to use for Dad's birthday on Jan 1! Yes, Jan 1... it's impossible to ever forget his birthday ugh. (btw you you know I am catching up on the previous bake!)

Recipe is from Jo.


This is the first time I am making a sponge cake... so I made sure I followed the recipe to a T!

Only thing I have changed is the baking soda. The original recipe says baking soda but I check up all the books I have ... almost every sponge recipe states baking powder (instead of baking soda). After some inner reasoning, I use the baking powder :-)

RECIPE
4 eggs
110g castor sugar (I use 90g still sweet)
100g cake flour
½ tsp baking soda (I use baking powder)
2 tsp cake emulsifier (ovalette, I omit this)
40g 3-in-1 instant cappuccino powder (I use 10g instant coffee + 10g milk powder)
50g melted butter (I used canola oil)
1 tsp coffee emulco

Method:
1. Preheat oven at 180 degC. Prepare and grease a loaf pan. (I use muffin pan)
2. Sift flour and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs, flour in (2), castor sugar, emulsifier and cappuccino powder on high speed for 10-15 minutes or until batter turns light and creamy, i.e. thick ribbon state. To test, lift beater. Batter drops from beater should disappear when you count from 1 to 10. (My batter didn't disappear even after counting to 20!)
4. Pour melted butter/oil and emulco. Mix at slow speed until well blended.
5. Pour mixture in to the greased pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes (15 min for cupcake) until skewer inserted into the centre of cake comes out clean.
6. Turn cake on to a wire rack and let cool completely.




Baker's Notes:

• Do not overbeat the batter. I wasn't sure if I had reached the ribbon stage cos I see no difference at 10min mark and 18min, so I went on to beat for a full 20min. In the end, the surface is very wrinkled when cooled.


• The oil must be warmed when added to the batter. I can't remember the reason for this but I know it cos that's what I've jotted it down on my little notebook when I came across previously.


• The cake did not sink after baking but it shrinks considerably (maybe becos of the omission of ovalette). Look at the gaps between the paper liner and the pan:

• Becos of the shrinkage, it is best to use the corrugated paper liner in your cupcake. When it shrinks, it still sticks to the paper instead of pulling away if you use the sturdy paper cup. This is more for asthentic though.


• The texture is soft but compact. Not as fluffy as the chiffon cake but it is certainly more suitable for beginner in making layer cake as it is less likely to tear right before you!


• If you use a good coffee powder, the cake will have a strong coffee aroma. All coffee-holic will love this!

FROSTING
I am using the same recipe as a building block. This buttercream has ZERO trans-fat! Sorry if I seemed to be promoting this recipe so shamelessly... it irks me when I see some feeding their family with buttercream made with vegetable shortening. A friend who attended a culinary class was told never to pour such buttercream into the basin cos it will choke the pipe. If it can choke the 3-inch pipe, imagine what it does to our arteries and the intestines!

6 tbsp AP Flour
2 cups of Milk
2 cups of unsalted butter, softened
2 cups of icing sugar
2 tsp instant coffee powder, dissolved in some hot water

Method:

1. Cook flour + milk in a saucepan until the mixture is thick and smooth. Cover it with cling film so that skin will not form. Leave it to cool to room temperature, about 30min.
2. Beat butter on medium high speed of an electric mixer for ~3min, until smooth and creamy.
3. Gradually add sugar & coffee mixture. Beat continuously for another 3min until fluffy.
4. Add the cooled milk mixture, and beat on medium high speed for 5min, until very smooth and whiter in colour.
5. Cool and refrigerate for 15min exactly. Use immediately. If left in fridge for too long, it hardens and it will be impossible to spread or pipe.

The frosting is creamy and slight coffee... just like the latte!