Coffee Mocha Sponge Cake

Over the 3 years of intensive baking and self learning, I have accumulated a vast collection of books and written literature on cooking and baking. If you weren't into books hoarding (like I am!) you could still find lots of great recipes shared by bloggers out there. When I first started, I never had any official training in baking but through the easy accessibility of the internet and youtube I managed to learn fairly enough to bake decently for home consumption.

In return, I decided to start my own blog to share back what I have learnt plus my personal experiments on recipe adaptations according to the family palette preference and also based on the limited ingredients I have during time of baking. 

Today I am making another coffee related dessert to use up the untouched nescafe instant coffee granules which might expire anytime. My other half is a coffee drinker but ever since the evolution of the 3-in-1 or 2-in-1 individually packed coffee, he choose the convenient route to ease his caffeine cravings. 

I remembered seeing from a blog (not quite remember where) on the application of  cocoa powder as the dividing layer between various cake batter, so I thought I could at least give it a try for this cake. The layered effect is not so prominent for my case. The best would be when you combine different color or flavored cake batter for better effect. Shall try again soon.

Coffee Mocha Sponge Cake
Recipe inspired and adapted fm Peggy's Homemade Mocha Cake

Ingredients
(A)
6 Egg Yolks
1 Egg (Grade A)
2 Tbsp Soft Brown Sugar
100g Corn Oil
130g Self Raising Flour

(B)
2 Tbsp Nescafe Gold Instant Coffee Granules
2 Tbsp Hot Water

(C)
6 Egg Whites
130 Icing Sugar

(D)
2-3 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder


Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C degrees.
2. Line the bottom and side of a square 22x22cm baking pan with parchment paper.
3. Combine instant coffee granules with hot water until evenly mixed. Set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, egg and sugar until evenly mixed. Add oil and gently stir until combined.  Reserved 1 Tbsp of the coffee mixture and stir in the balance into the egg mixture and whisk till evenly combined.
5. Sift the flour over the batter and use a hand whisk to combine gradually until fully incorporated. Do not over mix. Set aside.
6. In a clean, dry and spotless mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electrical mixer at medium low speed for 1 minute, or until frothy. Gradually add in icing sugar and continue whisking at medium high speed until the egg whites reaches soft peak stage. The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks curl over with slightly drooped hook. The egg whites should appear smooth and glossy at this stage.
7. Using a spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, until just blended.
8. Take 2 Tbsp of the batter and mixed with the balanced 1 Tbsp of the coffee mixture and set aside. 
9. Pour 1/2 of the balance batter into cake pan and level. Sift a thin layer of cocoa powder over the top of the batter. 
10. Using a ladle or spoon, gently top or layer the remaining batter onto the cocoa coated batter until fully covered the cake pan.  This is crucial as the batter would sink into the bottom layer of the batter if done too hastily.  Patience and gentleness is required here.
11. Drop or spoon few droplets of the coffee batter (8) onto the top of the cake batter.  Swirl with chopstick or cake tester to make designs.
12. Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles. 
13. Bake in middle lower level of a preheated oven at 140-150C degrees for 30mins and 135C degrees for 10mins.
14. Unmould and remove parchment paper. Leave cake to cool on wire rack before serving.

Oops, I have forgotten to include the pictures on the meringue batter.