Ingredients
Scale
For Sponge
- 190 g All-purpose flour
- 250 g Castor sugar
- Two medium-sized Eggs
- 55 g Natural cocoa powder
- 125 g Melted butter
- 145 g Milk
- 1 tbsp Coffee powder
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Vanilla essence
- 40 g Hot water
For Buttercream
- 450 g Unsalted butter
- 225 g Icing sugar
- 3 tbsp Coffee powder
- 1 tbsp + ½ tbsp Hot water
- 90 g Milk
For Soaking Syrup
- 1 tbsp Coffee powder
- 50 g Warm water
For Garnish
- Coffee beans, as required
- Cocoa powder
Instructions
For Sponge
- Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C (OTG mode: lower rod + upper rod + fan) and prepare two 6-inch cake tins by brushing oil and placing butter paper at the bottom.
- In a bowl, sieve all the dry ingredients that, are all-purpose flour, castor sugar, natural cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Add in eggs, melted butter, and milk and mix to get a smooth lump-free batter.
- Now, in a different bowl, dissolve espresso powder in hot water, then pour this into the batter.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared tins equally and bake at 350°F or 180°C (OTG mode: lower rod mode only) for about 35-40 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes clean.
For Espresso Buttercream
- Mix milk and icing sugar and set aside.
- Mix hot water and coffee and let it infuse.
- In a big bowl, beat unsalted butter until it’s fluffy and light in texture.
- Gradually add in icing sugar-milk mixture and beat again.
- Lastly, add coffee-infused water and beat again until you get a smooth, stiff, peaked buttercream.
- Transfer it to piping bags and set aside for assembly of the cake.
For Soaking Syrup
- Mix both of the ingredients and let it cool down.
For Assembly
- After cooling the sponges down, de-mould the sponges from the tin with the help of a palette knife.
- Divide them equally into two parts using a cake leveler.
- Now, on a cake base, spread some of the buttercream and place one layer of sponge on top.
- Soak the sponge with soaking syrup with the help of a pastry brush.
- Now pipe some of the buttercream on the layer, then smooth out and place another layer of sponge on top.
- Repeat the same process with the rest of the layers until we get four layers of sponges.
- Now, pipe thin layers of buttercream over the cake to crumb coat, smooth out using a palette knife, and remove the excess with a scrapper.
- Place it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to set the frosting.
- After 15 minutes, pipe thick layers of buttercream all over the cake for final coating. Make sure that you have sharp edges on the cake.
- Now, on top, dust cocoa powder with a sieve.
- Now, with the help of ‘V’ nozzle pipe borders on the top edges of the cake.
- Lastly, place coffee beans on top of the borders randomly.
- Prep Time: 15 to 25 minutes
- Freeze Time: 20 to 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 to 45 minutes