Author Notes
This cake I adapted from my friends mother who was a very good baker since her young age.
She used to work in, her family owned, very famous bakery.
When I got older, and asked for the recipe, she told me that this cake should be on a dry side.
Since I like more moist cakes, I decided to use the juice of the orange that I zested for the dough, to make a syrup. It works wonderfully.
Since the cake is very rich, I recommend cutting it in narrow pieces.
—Kukla
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the dough:
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• 1 cup all-purpose flour
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• 1 cup granulated sugar
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• 2 sticks room temperature butter
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• 1 extra large egg room temperature
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• 2 full cups finely ground walnuts
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• 1 tablespoon orange zest
- Ingredients for the Coffee Buttercream:
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• ½ cup good quality espresso coffee
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• 1 cup of water
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• 9 egg yolks
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• 1 cup superfine sugar
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• 1pound (cut in small pieces and softened) butter
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• 2 tablespoons of coffee liquor, divided in half (Kahlua or Godiva)
Directions
- Ingredients for the dough:
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Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Mix In lightly beaten egg, and orange zest.
Mix walnuts with flour, and slowly fold into the batter.
When the dough is ready, divide it in 3 (three) equal portions.
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Bake on buttered parchment paper in a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, or turn the same size cake pan upside down and bake on the top.
Don’t roll the dough; with your fingers dipped in a little flour gently press each portion to the shape of the pan; don’t go up the sides. The crusts should be flat.
Watch the crusts carefully, they bake fast, and should be light golden-brown.
Cool each crust on the same parchment paper that it was baked.
- Ingredients for the Coffee Buttercream:
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1. Directions for the Coffee Buttercream: In a sauce pan combine coffee and water, bring to a boil, lower the flame to simmer, and cook until only ½ cup is left. Strain thru a fine sift and let cool to room temperature. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow. Add the cooled coffee. Pour to a heavy bottom sauce pan and cook on a very low flame constantly stirring with a wooden spoon or a whisk till it starts slightly bubbling and thicken.
2. Of the flame gradually whisk in the butter; then mix in 1tablespoon of the liquor. Cover the top with plastic wrap. Set aside.
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Syrup to moisten the crusts:
• Squeezed juice of the 1zested orange plus 1 full teaspoon sugar
• 1 remaining table spoon of liquor
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To make syrup and assemble the Cake:
Mix squeezed orange juice with 1 teaspoon sugar, worm the mixture in microwave for 30 seconds just to dissolve the sugar, and then add the remaining 1tablespoon coffee liquor.
Slide carefully (crusts are very fragile) the bottom crust to a cake stand.
Dip a pastry brash into the orange syrup and moisten the crust.
When the syrup is absorbed spread the Coffee Buttercream.
Repeat the same with the two remaining layers, and the sides; or decorate the top of the cake with the Coffee Buttercream by putting the last portion into a pastry bag with a tip of your choice.
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