Coffee-Chocolate Cake "Bomba"

Name: Coffee-Chocolate Cake "Bomba"
Ingredients: 6 eggs; 220 g sugar; 80 g flour; 50 g starch (potato); 30 g cocoa powder; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp vanilla sugar; 300 ml water; 3 heaping tsp coffee; 6 tsp sugar; 500 g heavy cream 33–38%; 250 g sour cream; 170 g sugar; 1 tsp vanilla sugar; 100 g chocolate (I used 56%)

Well, here I am again with another cake! :-) What can I say — I love eating them, but I love making them even more! I solemnly promise that the next recipe will not be a cake, or even anything sweet :-) But let's get back to the cake! Mine turned out incredibly tender, moist, and well-soaked, with a bold coffee-chocolate flavor that is gently complemented by the delicate, creamy taste of the frosting. The flavor is absolutely wonderful! As a base, I used a sponge cake with added starch, which makes it extra tender. You won't need a round baking pan for the layers — we'll bake everything in one shot, which greatly simplifies the process (detailed photos to follow). The soaking syrup is made from strong coffee with sugar (I used plain instant coffee, but feel free to brew it in a stovetop coffee maker and strain it if you prefer). I also have a little tip — a bit of a pro hack, you might say — on how to soak the cake layers thoroughly and evenly :-) For the cream, I used good high-fat heavy cream, which on its own tastes quite nice but, in my opinion, is a little plain, so I added sour cream to round out the flavor. You can use chocolate with a higher cocoa percentage for the filling, but it's better not to overdo it so the cake doesn't end up too bitter — though of course that's a matter of taste. Alright, let's get started! :-)

Ingredients:

Cake Layer:
6 eggs
220 g sugar
80 g flour
50 g starch (potato)
30 g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar
Soaking Syrup:
300 ml water
3 heaping tsp coffee
6 tsp sugar
Cream:
500 g heavy cream 33–38%
250 g sour cream
170 g sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
100 g chocolate (I used 56%)

How to cook coffee-chocolate cake "Bomba"

Separate the eggs into yolks and whites. Place the whites in a fairly large bowl and beat for at least 7–12 minutes, gradually adding half of the sugar. Beat until you have firm, soft peaks.

In a separate bowl, beat the yolks thoroughly, gradually adding the remaining sugar and vanilla sugar. Beat until the mixture has significantly increased in volume and turned pale.

Add the yolk mixture to the whites in portions, gently folding with a spatula using bottom-to-top strokes.

Sift the flour, starch, cocoa, and baking powder together. Add the dry mixture to the beaten egg mixture in portions, each time folding it in with a spatula using bottom-to-top strokes. This should be done carefully so as not to deflate the air bubbles in the batter.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, covering the sides as well (I needed two sheets). Spread the batter out and smooth it evenly. My baking sheet has an interior size (where the batter goes) of 38×30 cm. Place in an oven preheated to 180°C (356°F) and bake for 20–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the finished sponge cool completely — ideally, leave it for several hours or overnight.

Then flip it over, peel off the parchment paper — the sponge will now have its porous side facing up. I flipped mine onto the baking sheet (lining it with a fresh sheet of parchment paper). From this large sheet, you need to cut three equal square layers for the cake. Now for the trickiest part — you'll need to find a long ruler or a tape measure :-)

Position the sponge with the long side facing you. Measure the width of the sponge (mine is 38 cm), then make one vertical cut straight down the middle, giving you two equal strips (each 38÷2=19 cm wide). Measure the same 19 cm (or whatever your measurement is) from the top edge of the sponge and make one horizontal cut. You should now have two squares at the top, each 19 cm on a side.

Then make one more horizontal cut near the very bottom so that the two lower pieces together form another layer. I made my cut at 9.5 cm (19÷2 = 9.5 cm).

The two bottom pieces will become the second cake layer. Crumble the remaining scraps with your fingers right there on the baking sheet.

You now have three equal square cake layers, plus crumbs for coating the sides.

For the soaking syrup — brew the coffee as usual, add sugar, and let it cool completely (it's best to do this in advance so the coffee has time to cool). Grate the chocolate on a coarse grater.

Make the cream. Beat the heavy cream to soft peaks, gradually adding the sugar and vanilla sugar.

Then add the sour cream and gently fold it in with a spatula using bottom-to-top strokes.

Assemble the cake. Place the first layer on a plate (porous side up). Now for my pro hack :-) Get a regular syringe from the pharmacy (the largest one available — 10 or 20 ml). Fill the syringe with coffee (with the needle on) and drizzle it over the layer in a thin, even stream. Use 100 ml of soaking syrup per layer. This way the layer gets soaked incredibly evenly — virtually no dry spots will be left on the surface. With this method, the cake will soak through much faster overall — in just 3–4 hours it will be as well-soaked as if it had been sitting overnight. Alternatively, you can soak the layers simply with a spoon or any other method you prefer.

Spread about one-third of the cream over the soaked layer and smooth it out.

Sprinkle with one-third of the grated chocolate.

Place the second layer on top (the one made of two pieces). Soak it thoroughly with 100 ml of coffee. Spread with the second portion of cream and sprinkle with the second portion of chocolate.

Place the third layer on top and soak it thoroughly with the remaining 100 ml of coffee. Cover the top layer with the remaining cream and frost the sides as well, smoothing everything neatly.

Sprinkle the last portion of chocolate over the top.

Coat the sides with the sponge crumbs we set aside earlier. This is the square cake you end up with — tall, neat, and one of a kind! Refrigerate to soak for 3–4 hours or overnight.