Monday, April 24, 2006

The Birthday Cake

Kohvitort / Birthday cake
Photos updated in April 2010

I cannot remember whether I saw an idea for this cake somewhere, or whether it's something I made up myself in the spur of the moment. I'd like to think it's the latter. In any case, I've been making this for quite a few years now. It is one of those cakes that is so simple to throw together that it's almost ridiculous. Despite the effortlessness, it's tasty and rather elegant. Sometimes simple is simply the best.

I'm having it tonight:)

Mocca cake with toasted almonds
(Kohvitort)
Serves 12-16

Coffee cake / Kohvitort

The sponge base:
6 free-range medium eggs
300 ml golden caster sugar
300 ml plain flour, sifted
2.5 tsp baking powder

For moistening the base:
150-200 ml coffee, sweetened ja cooled (season with booze, if you wish)

The mocca cream:
500 ml whipped cream
2 Tbsp good quality instant coffee granules
2 Tbsp caster sugar or to taste

For decorating:
almond flakes, toasted

Whisk the eggs with sugar until thick and pale - about 10 minutes. Fold in sifted flour and baking powder and mix gently until combined.
Pour the batter into a lined and buttered swiss roll tin and bake at 200˚C until golden brown and well risen - about 20 minutes.
Let the sponge cool on a metal rack, then cut into two layers.
To make the mocca cream, dilute the coffee granules in a couple of spoonfuls of cream. Add the rest of the cream and sugar and whip until soft peaks form.
Moisten the bottom sponge layer with some coffee, then spread just slightly less than half of the cream onto the cake. [I sometimes mix some curd cheese or fromage fraiche into this mixture, just to make it firmer and more substantial]
Cover with the other sponge layer, moisten again with some coffee and spread the rest of the cream to the top and onto the sides of the cake.
Sprinkle with toasted and cooled almond flakes.

22 comments:

Alanna Kellogg said...

Will you please teach us a few Estonian words? Start with "beautiful" and "delicious" and "I can't wait to make THIS."

Anonymous said...

What's a Swiss roll tin?

Clivia said...

Seems like someone is celebrating her birthday - am I right? Congratulations! And you seem to treat yourself and your friends to a really delicious cake too.

Antti said...

Palju õnne sünnipäevaks, tainatüdruk!

Tainapoiss

jasmine said...

This looks really good and I agree, sometimes simple is best.

I have to come up with treat for the office--I might turn this into cupcakes :)

thanks!

j

Anonymous said...

Might be simple but looks great and pro!

Ilva said...

Happy Birthday Pille! You are so discreet!

Pene said...

Many happy returns of the day! Have a great day. Two of my new friends in Tartu have birthdays today (which is also ANZAC Day in Australia) & my husband's birthday is on Thursday.

Please take a photo of the cake when you cut it. I'd like to see what it looks like inside. I might make it for Erik as he likes coffee.

Nefritite said...

Happy Birthday Pille!
the cake looks great.

Anita

Pippurimylly said...

Oh, my congrats come late already - happy birthday anyway, Pille! Hope you enjoyed it. At least the cake looks wonderful.

Ulla said...

That looks amazing!

Pille said...

AK - if you request:). You can start with "ilus", "maitsev" ja "ma tahan ka!"

Foxy Roxy:) A Swiss roll tin is a rectangular cake tin, approximately 20 x 30 cm in size.

Clivia - yep, this Taurean foodblogger did celebrate her birthday on Monday indeed.. And the cake went down a storm, I'm happy to say.

amyjames - the picture looks a bit weird indeed:) Thank you for your birthday wishes!

Tainapoiss - suur-suur aitäh!

Jasmine - I love the idea of mocca-almond cupcakes!

Bea - thank you for your kind words!

Ilva - I tried to be discreet, but then I did want some birthday wishes from my readers as well - alas, I had to give a small hint at least:)

Pene - my birthday was on April 24th, so just before Anzac day. No picture of the cut cake - all 24 pieces or so were gone before I could get my camera, but it looks pretty much like the last picture here. You can skip the sponge part by buying one round "biskviitpõhi" from the shop (make sure it is the locally baked one, as those imported long-life thin sponge bases are vile!). Did you make Anzac biscuits today? Happy birthday to your husband on Thursday!

Mia - I'm glad you liked the carrot recipe. And indeed, this cake has similar flavours to tiramisu - feel free to use some mascarpone to make the cream richer. I couldn't use any booze in the cake this time, as two of my guests are expecting, but Vana Tallinna kooreliköör is great for this cake:)

Anita - kiitos!

Pippurimylly - kiitos! I had a fantastic party - am one very happy birthday girl:)

Ulla - it's a looker, eh?!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Pille! The cake looks lovely!

Anonymous said...

A very happy birthday to you, dear Pille ! And please always continue writing your lovely posts full of ideas how to savour life... Many happy returns and take care, angelika

Kalyn Denny said...

How fun to find out that your blog birthday is the same as mine. Happy birthday to you too.

neil said...

Hi Pille, Happy Birthday from Oz! BTW when it's Anzac day here, it's your birthday there, so I guess you could say they are at the same time.

Thredahlia said...

Parem hilja kui mitte kunagi - palju-palju õnne sünnipäevaks! :)

Valentina said...

Pille, Oh, I'm sorry I missed your birthday. Happy belated birthday wishes. HOpe you had a lovely time, and I truly hope that this new year will bring you loads of wonderful things.

Anonymous said...

that mocha cream looks delicious :)

a belated happy twenty-twelfth to you, pille!

Anonymous said...

Happy belated birthday, Pille! I'm glad you had a wonderful time (and food, of course ;))

Pille said...

Paz - thank you for your birthday wishes. Besos!

Dagmar - the cake was great, and my guests really liked it. I was catering for over 20 people, so couldn't make anything elaborate anyway.

Angelika - I'll try! I'm leading a rather Spartan life nowadays, so indulging in some food every now and then is necessary to keep me happy:)

Kalyn - my blog is still a baby compared to yours, but I'm a whopping thirty-one years older than your blog now;)

Tankeduptaco - that's an interesting way of putting it:)

Thredahlia - suur aitäh heade soovide eest!

Valentina - thanks for your kind wishes! I had a lovely birthday week, and my twenty-twelfth year looks rather promising:)

Shauna - thank you so much:)

Keiko - I had wonderful time indeed - and as it happens, I do get to go Paris after all, just a fortnight later than originally planned!

Anonymous said...

hie, tried this recipe but the sponge base is not the usual sponge cake. realised that no butter/oil is used. my sponge base turn out quite dry & i can see quite a bit of holes in the sponge. shld it be like tat? must say the mocca cream was delish though!