Pardon my long absence… ☺️ Since starting Katta’s macarons & more, I have been more than a bit pre-occupied 😅

Anyway, I’m sharing here my favourite and what is, thus far, my best-selling cake—Mocha-chocolate cake topped with macarons 😋🎂

 

 

 

Mocha Chocolate cake with macarons

 

Chocolate cake

(Adapted from Live for Cake)

210 g all-purpose flour

300 g granulated sugar

75 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp (10 g) baking soda

1 tsp (4 g) baking powder

1 tsp (8 g) salt

60 ml (1/4 c) vegetable oil

180 ml (3/4 c) buttermilk or yoghurt

180 ml (3/4 c) strong brewed coffee, hot but not boiling

2 large eggs

2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract

• Pre-heat oven to 175°C (350°F).
• Grease two 20 cm (8-inch) round baking pans,* dust with cocoa powder, and line the bottoms with parchment/baking paper.
• Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients except the coffee. Continue whisking while slowly pouring the hot coffee into the wet mixture (this is to prevent the eggs from curdling).
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then mix at medium speed until just blended (about 2-3 minutes). Batter will be thin and runny.
• Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted at the center comes out mostly clean. Cool on a wire rack.

* Alternatively: use three 18 cm (7-inch) round baking pans.

 

Coffee French buttercream

Yields about 1 cup

2 large egg yolks

18 ml water

40 g granulated sugar

180 g unsalted butter, cut into 1 tbsp cubes and softened (room temperature)

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder/granules

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

• Dissolve the coffee with the vanilla extract. Set aside.
• Place the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
• In a very small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Place a candy thermometer in the saucepan, then heat the syrup to 116°C. When the thermometer reaches 110°C, start beating the egg yolks at high speed.
• As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 116°C, remove from heat and pour slowly in a steady stream into the egg yolks while still beating at high speed. Continue beating until the bottom of the bowl is almost cool to the touch.
• Reduce mixing speed to «low». Gradually add the butter one cube at a time. Make sure the first cube has been fully incorporated before adding the next one.
• After all the butter has been added, add the coffee mixture. Beat at high speed until mixture becomes smooth and creamy.** Set aside.

** If the mixture looks curdled, don’t panic—just continue beating at high speed, it will eventually turn smooth and creamy 😉

 

Mocha Italian meringue buttercream

Yields about 1-2 cups

2 large egg whites

25 ml water

70 g granulated sugar

150 g unsalted butter, cut into 1 tbsp cubes and softened (room temperature)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder/granules

40 g dark/semi-sweet chocolate, melted

• Dissolve the coffee with the vanilla extract. Set aside.
• Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
• In a very small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Place a candy thermometer in the saucepan, then heat the syrup to 116°C. When the thermometer reaches 110°C, start beating the egg whites at high speed.
• As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 116°C, remove from heat and pour slowly in a steady stream into the egg whites while still beating at high speed. Continue beating until the bottom of the bowl is almost cool to the touch.
• Reduce mixing speed to «low». Gradually add the butter one cube at a time. Make sure the first cube has been fully incorporated before adding the next one.
• After all the butter has been added, add the coffee mixture and melted chocolate. Beat at high speed until mixture becomes smooth and creamy.** Set aside.

 

Chocolate ganache

40 g dark/semi-sweet chocolate

40 g pouring/double cream

• Chop or grate the chocolate into small pieces.
• Heat the cream over medium heat. When it starts to simmer, remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Cover and leave for about a minute.
• Stir the mixture until evenly blended and smooth. Set aside. (Cover with cling film directly on the surface and refrigerate until needed.)

 

 

Assembly

1. Level the cakes if needed.
2. Place one cake on a cake plate. Spread the coffee French buttercream on top. Carefully place the second cake on top. Using a bench scraper, remove any excess buttercream oozing out from the sides. Refrigerate for about half an hour.
3. Set aside about 1/3 cup of the mocha IMB for the final decorations.
4. Using about half of the remaining mocha IMB, ice the top of the chilled cake and crumb-coat the sides. Refrigerate again for about half an hour.
5. Finish coating the sides (and top, if needed) of the chilled cake. Chill again for half an hour.
6. With a palette knife dipped in warm water and dried with a clean cloth, smooth the sides and top of the chilled cake. Chill again for at least half an hour.
7. Take out the ganache, remove the cling film cover, then microwave at half power at 10 second intervals until a «dripping» consistency is achieved. [NOTE: The ganache should not be too runny; test it. It should drip slowly down a vertical surface.]
8. Take out the cake, then pour the ganache on top of it. Spread the ganache with a palette knife, allowing some of it to drip down the sides. Chill for about half an hour to allow the ganache to set.
9. Decorate the (chilled) cake with the remaining buttercream and top with some macarons if desired 😉