Gilded Mocha Walnut Layer Cake Food

WALNUT MOCHA TORTE

Steps:

• Separate the eggs: Separate the eggs, into yolks and whites (see How to Separate Eggs ). Take care to make sure there are no pieces of shell or egg yolk in the whites, and that the bowl you are using to contain them is completely clean with no residue of fat. Any fat from yolks or oil will make it difficult to beat the egg whites.
• Prepare cake pans: Prepare two 9-inch cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper or wax paper. Lightly butter the sides of the pans (not the paper).
• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
• Mix ground walnuts and breadcrumbs: Mix together the ground walnuts and the bread crumbs in a small bowl and set aside.

FLUFFY COFFEE AND WALNUT CAKE WITH MOCHA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Lightly butter three 8"-diameter cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Toast 2 cups (250 g) raw walnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 12-14 minutes. Let cool. Set aside 1 cup walnuts for serving.
• Meanwhile, cook ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil or refined coconut oil, melted. Set brown butter mixture aside.
• Pulse remaining 1 cup toasted walnuts in a food processor until coarsely ground (it should be the texture of panko). Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 2¼ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. baking soda.
• Process 4 large eggs, 1¼ cups (250 g) sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. instant espresso powder in food processor (no need to clean bowl) until mixture is lightened in color and thickened, about 30 seconds. Stir 2 Tbsp. whole milk into reserved brown butter mixture. With motor running, gradually stream brown butter mixture into egg mixture and process until combined. Add dry ingredients and process just until a smooth batter forms. Divide batter among prepared pans.
• Bake cakes, rotating pans front to back after 15 minutes, until puffed and just starting to pull away from the sides of pans and a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks and let cakes cool 15 minutes. Run a small knife around edges of each cake to release from pan if needed. Turn out cakes onto racks and remove parchment paper; discard. Turn cakes right side up and let cool completely.
• Combine 8 large egg whites, 2¼ cups (450 g) sugar, ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set over a medium saucepan filled with 1½" of simmering water (bowl should not touch water). Heat, stirring and scraping often with a heatproof rubber spatula, until sugar is dissolved and an instant-read thermometer registers 185°, 10-15 minutes.
• Fit bowl onto stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment and beat, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, until meringue is shiny and stiff, 8-10 minutes. Beat in 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
• With mixer on medium speed, add 3 cups (6 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, a piece at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding more. Once all the butter has been added, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute. Transfer buttercream in bowl to refrigerator and chill 30 minutes.
• Fit bowl with buttercream back onto stand mixer and add ¼ cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if needed, and 2 tsp. instant espresso powder. Beat on medium-low speed, scraping down sides as needed, until combined.
• Using a large serrated knife and long sawing strokes, remove tops of cakes to level if needed. Place a cake layer, right side up, on a cake stand or large plate. Using an offset spatula, spread ¼ cup buttercream over cake, working all the way to the edges. Place second cake layer, right side up, on top; spread another ¼ cup buttercream over cake, working all the way to the edges. Place third cake layer, cut side down, on top, and press lightly to adhere. Spread top and sides of cake with ½ cup buttercream in a thin, even layer. Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. (If chilling cake longer than 1 hour, cover remaining buttercream in bowl and chill. Bring to room temperature and beat again before using.)

MOCHA WALNUT CAKE WITH MOCHA GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour one 8-inch square pan or two 8-inch cake layers. Heat the milk and add coffee granules, stirring until they dissolve. Stir in vanilla and let cool.
• Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then the coffee mixture. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and add to the butter mixture. Stir in walnuts. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes for a square pan, or 30 minutes for round layers. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then either glaze while still warm, or turn out and cool completely to fill and frost.
• For glaze, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk and beat until smooth.

MOCHA LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, coffee, oil and eggs; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 8-in. round baking pans. , Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes; invert onto a wire rack. Sprinkle each cake with 1/4 cup chocolate chips; when melted, gently spread chocolate over cakes. Place cakes in the freezer. , Meanwhile, for frosting, in a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cocoa and extract. Beat in 5 tablespoons coffee, 1 tablespoon at a time until light and fluffy. Spread between layers and over the top and sides of cake. , In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and remaining coffee; stir until smooth. Pour over cake; carefully spread over the top, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.

MOCHA-WALNUT MARBLED BUNDT CAKE (DORIE GREENSPAN)

Steps:

• GETTING READY: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F Butter a 9- to 10-inch (12-cup) Bundt pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. (If you've got a silicone Bundt pan, there's no need to butter or flour it.) Don't place the pan on a baking sheet - you want the oven's heat to circulate through the Bundt's inner tube.
• Whisk together the flour, ground walnuts, baking powder, and salt.
• Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Put 2 tbsp of the butter, cut into 4 pieces, into the bowl, along with the chocolate, coffee and instant coffee. Heat the mixture, stirring often, until the butter and chocolate are melted and everything is smooth and creamy - keep the heat low so that the butter and chocolate don't separate. Remove the bowl from the heat.
• Working with a stand mixer, preferably with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the remaining 2 sticks of butter and the sugar at medium speed for about 3 minutes - you'll have a thick paste; this won't be light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. The mixture should look smooth and satiny. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients and the milk alternately, adding the dry mixture in 3 portions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients).
• Scrape a little less than half of the batter into the bowl with the melted chocolate and, using a rubber spatula, stir to blend thoroughly.
• If you want to go for the gingko pattern, scrape all of the white batter into the pan and top with the chocolate. If you want a more marbled pattern, alternate spoonfuls of light and dark batter in the pan. When all the batter is in the pan, swirl a table knife sparingly through the batters to marble them.
• Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the Bundt pan to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, then cool the cake completely on the rack.

TWELVE-LAYER MOCHA CAKE

Steps:

• Filling:.
• Bring 1 3/4 cups sugar and water to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, until it registers 220 to 225°F, 15 to 20 minutes.
• At this point, while continuing to boil syrup, beat whites with espresso powder, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt in mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating, and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks.
• When syrup reaches soft-ball stage (238 to 242°F), immediately pour syrup in a slow stream down side of bowl into whites (avoid beaters) while beating at high speed. Beat until completely cool, 25 to 30 minutes. With mixer at medium speed, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition (see cooks' note, below) and until buttercream is smooth. (Mixture may look curdled before all butter is added but will come together at end.)
• Transfer 2 cups buttercream to a small bowl and stir in chocolate. If buttercreams are too soft to spread, chill, stirring occasionally.
• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter 1 sheet pan and line bottom with parchment paper, then butter parchment. Dust with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together yolks, milk, vanilla, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until combined well, then whisk in flour and salt until smooth. (Batter will be thick.)
• Beat whites with an electric mixer until they just hold soft peaks. Beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks.
• Fold one third of whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remainder gently but thoroughly.
• Spread batter evenly in pan and rap against counter to release any air bubbles. Bake until cake is dry to the touch and pale golden, 10 to 11 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Cool completely in pan on a rack.
• Halve cake crosswise, cutting through parchment, to form 2 (10-by 7 1/2-inch) layers.
• Prepare soufflé layers while cake bakes:.
• Line second sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Melt chocolate with water, then cool to lukewarm.
• Beat yolks, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes with a stand mixer or 8 minutes with a handheld. Fold in melted chocolate.
• Beat whites with cleaned beaters until they hold soft peaks. Beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.
• Fold one third of whites into chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remainder gently but thoroughly. Spread batter evenly in lined sheet pan.
• Bake soufflé layers:
• Bake until puffed and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs adhering, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack, then cover top of soufflé with 2 layers of damp paper towels. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove towels and cool soufflé completely in pan (soufflé will deflate as it cools). Sift cocoa over soufflé, then loosen edges with a sharp knife.
• Halve soufflécrosswise, cutting through parchment, to form 2 (10-by 7 1/2-inch) layers.
• Make meringue layers:
• Toast hazelnuts, then cool, wrapped in a kitchen towel, and rub off any loose skins.
• Reduce oven to 250°F
• Finely chop nuts.
• Beat whites with salt and cream of tartar using electric mixer until they just hold soft peaks. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until meringue is stiff but still glossy.
• Line bottom of third sheet pan with parchment. Put small dabs of meringue under corners of parchment to secure to baking sheets.
• Fold nuts into meringue and spread evenly in pan. Bake until set and pale golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Halve meringue crosswise, cutting through parchment, to form 2 (10-by 7 1/2-inch) layers. Return to oven and bake until crisp, 45 minutes to 1 hour more. Cool in pan, then peel off parchment.
• Make syrup and assemble cake:
• Bring water, sugar, and espresso powder to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Cool.
• Loosen edges of 1 cake layer with a knife and invert onto a flat platter. Carefully peel parchment from cake and brush with some of syrup. Spread with 1 1/4 cups mocha buttercream.
• Top with 1 meringue layer and spread with 1 1/4 cups coffee buttercream.
• Carefully invert 1 soufflé layer onto buttercream and peel off parchment, then gently spread with 1 1/4 cups coffee buttercream.
• Repeat layering, ending with coffee buttercream (there will be some left over). Chill at least 1 hour (after that, wrap in plastic wrap). Trim all around cake with a long sharp knife to neaten edges. Bring to room temperature (about 1 hour) before serving.