Romanian Coffee Cake with Coffee Buttercream Frosting

It’s been a long while since the last time I made it home to Romania for Christmas.  And the funny thing – I was really impressed with how things improved; the city was lively and joyous during the holiday season dotted with bright lights, ornate Christmas trees and open markets where vendors were eager to entertain and sell their goodies to the hungry and curious crowds.  Without a doubt, there was a delicious excess of options – everything from hot mulled wine, traditional offal concoctions and deep fried flatbreads slathered with fat dollops of sour cream, cheese and garlic, to a wide assortment of cookies, candies, homemade fudge and other Christmas breads and cakes we simply can’t live without.  Overabundance is an understatement and I welcomed it with open arms because we, Romanians, never shy away from a big feast whether at home or on the city streets!  

The same can be said about the bonanza of extravagant options on my grandmother’s dessert Christmas table.  But among the usual suspects of cookies and homemade pretzels, buttercream-covered cakes stood front and center.  And one of them was this grand Coffee Cake with Coffee Buttercream Frosting.

This is not your regular coffee cake to be enjoyed with a nice cup of coffee or tea.  This cake is the coffee.  It’s so intense and loaded with coffee that paired with coffee would feel redundant and overdone.  This Coffee Cake with Coffee Buttercream Frosting will overshadow all the coffee cakes you’ve ever made; because this is a cake of layers of coffee upon layers of more coffee, upon layers of cocoa and more chocolate.  I can easily say this coffee cake is in a league of its own and a single bite will give you that invigorating boost of espresso that you didn’t know you wanted but so desperately needed. 

The cake is refined, moist, laced with coffee and spiked with rum.  The frosting is firstly cooked into submission until it becomes pleasantly thick and velvety with a cafe au lait hue and deep coffee aroma; then it’s gently whipped with my favorite ingredient – butter – and speckled with toasted walnuts that only add a charming texture to the already assertive flavor.  And you can never have too much chocolate because the rich chocolate ganache drizzled on top completes this spectacle of a cake.  Enjoy!  

Romanian Coffee Cake with Coffee Buttercream Frosting

By Simply Romanesco inspired by my Grandma Vicki

Makes: 24 squares

Ingredients for the batter:

·         8 large eggs, at room temperature, separated

·         240 grams sugar

·         120 grams all-purpose flour

·         2 teaspoons baking powder

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         25 grams ground coffee

·         25 grams unsweetened cocoa powder

Ingredients for the Rum Syrup:

·         ½ cup sugar

·         ½ cup water

·         ¼ cup rum

Ingredients for the coffee buttercream frosting:

·         4 large eggs, at room temperature

·         240 grams sugar

·         14 grams instant coffee crystals

·         300 grams butter, at room temperature

·         50 grams roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

Ingredients for the chocolate ganache:

·         170 grams (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

·         2/3 cups heavy cream

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions for the batter:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Coat the bottom and sides of a 14 x10 x 2-inch baking pan with butter and flour.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, coffee grounds and cocoa powder.  Set aside. 

Separate the egg yolks and egg whites. 

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar using an electric hand mixer.  Gradually, add the flour mixture. 

In a large bowl, beat the egg white until medium-firm peaks form.  In batches, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.  Continue to fold and gently stir until the batter thins out. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  Cool completely in the pan on a rack.  

Instructions for the Rum Syrup:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water and whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Off heat, add the rum, whisk well and set aside to cool completely.  Once the cake has cooled, pierce the surface with a fork.  Using a spoon, drizzle the syrup all over the top of the cake.  You will use more than half of the syrup.  However, you want the cake to be moist but not overly damp.  Just discard the remaining of the syrup.  Allow the cake to sit and absorb the syrup, about 1 hour.    

Instructions for the coffee buttercream frosting:

In a medium heat-proof bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar for 2-3 minutes.  Put the bowl on top of a pan of simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl doesn’t come in contact with the water.  Gently beat the eggs and sugar mixture with a whisk until it thickens and looks like a thick cream, about 25-30 minutes.  Add the instant coffee crystals, mix well and cook the cream for 2-3 minutes longer.  Set aside to cool completely, stirring occasionally. 

In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Slowly and in batches, add the coffee cream and beat on medium-low speed, scrapping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy.  Don’t whip!  Gently fold in the walnut pieces.  

With a knife or offset spatula, evenly spread the frosting over the cake.  

Instructions for the Chocolate Ganache:

Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and set aside.  Combine the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Cook until small bubbles appear on the outside edge of the cream.  Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate chips.  Using a fork or a spoon, gently stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  

Drizzle the chocolate ganache all over the cake.  Allow the ganache to harden.  Cut the cake into squares and serve. 

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Chocolate Cake with Walnut Brittle

In my previous post, I mentioned my grandma’s epic Chocolate Cake with Walnut Brittle that trumped the wide array of sweet treats on my birthday.  I also promised you the recipe for this intricately sensational chocolate concoction and told you that you will not want to miss it.  I was not kidding!  

I know, you may ask yourselves “why would you need another fancy chocolate cake recipe when you already have this great one?”  The truth is that regardless how dazzling and indulgent that cake is, sometimes only your grandma’s-mastered-and-made-with-lots-of-love-and-patience cake will do; and we realize that the traditional is special and extraordinarily good.  And besides, you can never have too many chocolate cake recipes in your repertoire.

This Chocolate Cake with Walnut Brittle is the classic, staple chocolate dessert, the ace up her sleeve that grandma Vicki pulls out on celebratory occasions.  From birthdays to dinner parties, and from Christmas to Easter, this torte is front and center.  On top of that, this is a recipe that my grandma made, fiddled with, and perfected over time, which makes it that much more exceptional.  And to watch her making it twice for me while at home was a real treat!   

This chocolate cake is so rich, sweetly moist and drenched in rum, slathered with a smooth and velvety egg-enriched chocolate frosting, and dressed up with the crunchy, toasty and caramelly walnut brittle on top, which transforms the special into spectacular.  Although, my grandma’s cake is ideal for significant occasions, you don’t have to wait for that specific moment to give your taste buds some noteworthy chocolate therapy; the weekend would be a good excuse.

Now, I’ll admit that this cake requires a few steps and almost a dozen eggs to reach a sinful awesomeness and seductive deliciousness hard to achieve otherwise.  But don’t panic; the steps are super-easy and the result will not disappoint.  I would recommend, if you have the time, to make the rum syrup and the walnut brittle, and to bake the cake layers the day before.  It will simplify the entire process.  And sometimes, it’s worth to slow down and smell the roses; or, in this case, the chocolate!         

       

Chocolate Cake with Walnut Brittle

By Simply Romanesco inspired by my Grandma Vicki

Makes: 12+ servings

Ingredients for the cake:

Butter for the pans

110 grams (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

35 grams (4 slightly heaping Tablespoons) cocoa powder

8 large eggs, at room temperature

240 grams (1cup) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Rum Syrup:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

¼ cup rum

Ingredients for the Walnut Brittle:

50 grams (1/2 cup) toasted walnuts

60 grams (1/4 cup) sugar

Ingredients for the Frosting:

3 large eggs, at room temperature

250 grams (1 cup and 1 ½ Tablespoon) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ Tablespoon cocoa powder

100 grams (3.5 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

125 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream

230 grams (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

Instructions for the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Butter two 8 or 9-inch x 2-inch round cake pans.  Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa.  Mix until combined.  Set aside.

Separate the egg yolks and egg whites into two large bowls.  Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla.  In batches, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.  Set aside.

In the other large bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold medium-firm peaks.  In batches, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.  Once the cakes have cooled completely, pierce the top all over with a fork.            

Instructions for the Rum Syrup:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water and whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Off heat, add the rum, whisk well and set aside to cool completely.  Using a spoon, drizzle the syrup all over the top of the cakes.  You will use about 1 ¼ cup (250-300 ml) of the syrup.  Just discard the remaining of the syrup.  Allow the cakes to sit and absorb the syrup.  

Instructions for the Walnut Brittle:

Butter a small plate and set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the sugar until it dissolves and turns into caramel.  Off heat, add the walnuts and mix well until all the walnut pieces get coated with caramel.  Pour the walnut and caramel mixture onto the buttered plate.  When the brittle has cooled completely, crush the brittle into small pieces.  The best way to do this is with a mortar and pestle.  Set aside.  

Instructions for the Chocolate Frosting:

Place the chocolate in a small bowl.  Heat up the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Cook until small bubbles appear on the outside edge of the cream.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.  Using a spoon, gently stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture (the ganache) is smooth.  Set aside.

In a medium heat-proof bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla for 2-3 minutes.  Put the bowl on top of a pan of simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl doesn’t come in contact with the water.  Gently beat the eggs and sugar mixture with a whisk until it thickens and looks like a thick cream, about 25-30 minutes.  Add the cocoa and the chocolate and cream mixture (the ganache) and mix well.  Set aside to cool completely, stirring occasionally.  

In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Slowly and in batches, add the chocolate and egg mixture and beat on medium-low speed, scrapping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy.  Don’t whip!

Place 1 layer of the cake, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal.  With a knife or offset spatula, evenly spread the top with one-third of the frosting.  Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. 

Sprinkle the walnut brittle over the top and sides of the cake.  

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Romanian Cheesecake

Do you know what we celebrated on May 5?  I bet everyone is thinking of Cinco de Mayo!  Well, not so fast.  This year, on May 5 we celebrated Easter!  Yes, you heard that correctly – Easter – Orthodox Easter that is.  So, here come the lamb… and the Romanian Cheesecake!  

But first things first.  Few people know this but Orthodox Easter often occurs at a later date than the Western Catholic Easter does.  And this year they were six weeks apart.  Around this time last year, I told you how we spent Easter in Romania and the abundant menu we put together for this special holiday.  Well, we weren’t in Romania for Easter this year but we still enjoyed an elaborate menu, which included the rich, succulent lamb and a different Easter dessert.  As a result, I gave the lamb a humble yet glorious treatment just as I did with the pork in this recipe, and I replaced the traditional Pască with a fabulous Romanian Cheesecake.

To be brutally honest, American cheesecake was never my cup of tea.  Perhaps it was the obscene amount of cream cheese that this cake generally required.  Or maybe it was the ratio of custard to crust that I couldn’t get over.  Bottom line, I always thought that I didn’t like cheesecake.  But then it dawned on me that my grandmother’s cake, loaded with cheese that I adored as a kid was cheesecake, too. 

Yet, the difference between the two is the kind of cheese used to make the cakes.  While the American cheesecake calls for cream cheese, the Romanian Cheesecake opts for a milder, less tangy cheese such as ricotta.  I made this fantastic Romanian cheesecake a day before Easter and since we had family friends on Sunday and really wanted to offer them dessert, Adrian and I had to restrain ourselves from devouring it before time.

When you cut it into bars, you get this perfect, thumb thick, lemon speckled, rich cheese custard nestling between two delicate and pleasantly sweet crusts.  Then you dive your teeth into the soft yet firm enough top and land straight into the smooth, sweetened cheesy cream.  I also love how the cream of wheat adds a slightly dense texture to the filling, while the citrusy flavor from the bits of lemon reigns comfortably in the background.  And finished with a shower of confectioners’ sugar this cake is utterly stunning!  And did I mention that this Romanian Cheesecake would truly impress your mom on Mother’s Day?  

Romanian Cheesecake

By Simply Romanesco inspired by my Grandma Vicki

Makes: 24 bars

Ingredients for the dough:

·         250 grams (2 sticks and 2 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more to butter the pan

·         100 grams (3 5/8 ounces) confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting

·         1 egg yolk, at room temperature

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         ½ teaspoon lemon juice

·         1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·         ½ teaspoon  salt

·         400 grams (14 ounces) all-purpose flour

·         1-2 Tablespoons whole milk

Ingredients for the custard:

·         750 ml whole milk

·         ½ cup semolina flour (or cream of wheat)

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         500 grams (1 pound) whole milk ricotta cheese

·         8 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

·         Zest from 1 lemon

·         4 eggs, at room temperature

Instructions for the dough:

Coat the bottom and sides of a 14 x10 x 2-inch baking pan with butter.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and lemon juice.  Keep close at hand.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt.  Keep close at hand.

In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer beat the butter with the confectioners’ sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and baking soda and lemon juice mix and continue to process.  Gradually add the flour and salt mixture and process until the flour is absorbed.  Using clean hands, continue to mix the dough until it starts to form a ball.  Add 1-2 Tablespoons of milk and mix well until you obtain a soft but not sticky dough.  Divide it in two pieces and put them in the fridge while you work on the custard.    

   

Instructions for the custard:

In a medium saucepan, heat up the milk and salt over medium heat.  When it gets to the boiling stage, gradually (in two batches) add the semolina flour.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir constantly until the mixture is cooked, about 10 minutes.  You’ll end up with a mixture similar to cream of wheat.  Take it off the heat and let it cool completely.  

In the meantime, separate the egg yolks and egg whites.  Keep them close at hand 

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar and the lemon zest.  Add the egg yolks to the mixture and mix well using a spatula.  When the cream of wheat has cooled, add it to the ricotta, sugar and egg mixture, and stir to incorporate.    

In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites with 3 Tablespoons of granulated sugar on medium-high speed until they hold medium-firm peaks.

In batches, gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta cheese mixture.  Set it aside.  

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Take one piece of the dough out of the fridge.  Flour the working surface and knead the dough for a few minutes with some flour until the dough warms up a bit and becomes pliable.  Roll out the dough; if you find the dough to be still too soft, roll the dough out on a sheet of plastic wrap; flatten a large piece of plastic wrap against the counter and roll the dough.  Flour the rolling pin often so that the dough doesn’t stick to it.  

Once rolled out, transfer the dough to the prepared pan making sure it covers the entire surface of the pan.  Pour the custard over the dough.  The custard may seem too runny but don’t worry, it will firm up as it bakes.         

Take the second piece of dough out of the fridge, knead it for a few minutes with some additional flour, and roll it out like you did with the first piece.  Gently place the dough atop the custard in the pan.  Don’t worry if the dough breaks in places; it will come back together as it bakes.  Poke the dough here and there with a fork and bake the cake for 50-55 minutes, or until golden brown.  Out of the oven, allow the cake to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack before you slice it.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar.       

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)