This vanilla latte cake has four thin layers of genoise sponge, soaked with a coffee syrup and coated with a coffee and a vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. The cake feels like more of a dessert than a cake, as the sponge is incredibly moist after it is soaked in the syrup.
For the Genoise Sponge
- 3 large eggs
- 90g caster sugar
- 90g plain flour
- 25g unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a baking tray with baking paper and two 16cm diameter rings.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and leave to cool whilst you prepare the other ingredients. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl over a bain marie until the mixture is hot to the touch (if you have a thermometer it needs to be about 50°C).
Remove the bowl from the heat and continue to whisk until the mixture is lighter in colour, bigger in volume and has cooled down.
Pass the flour through a sieve and then gently fold into the egg and sugar mix. To help incorporate the butter, take a small amount of the batter and mix with the melted butter. Then transfer the butter mix into the larger batter mix and gently fold in.
Carefully (try not to knock any air out) transfer the batter evenly between the two rings on the baking tray. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until firm to the touch. Once baked, leave to cool in the ring.
Once the cakes are cool, run a palette knife around the edges of the rings and remove the cakes.
For the Imbibing Syrup
- 150g caster sugar
- 150ml water
- 50ml espresso
Bring the sugar and water to a boil in the saucepan. Take off the heat and add the coffee and stir. Leave to one side until needed.
For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 6 egg whites
- 300g caster sugar
- 300g unsalted butter (cubed and at room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 tbsp espresso coffee
Whisk the egg whites and the sugar together in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk together until the meringue reaches 70°C.
Pour the meringue into a stand mixture and whisk on high until it has cooled down and reached stiff peak stage (this can take 5-10 minutes). Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and add the butter one cube at a time. Make sure each cube is fully mixed in before adding the next. If the mixture curdles, keep whisking slowly and it will come back together. Add the vanilla and whisk in.
Divide the buttercream into 3 bowls, add 2 tablespoons of coffee to one of the bowls and the third tablespoon of coffee to another.
To assemble the cake, cut the 2 genoise sponges in half so there will be four layers of cake. Place the first layer of cake on a cake board, and brush a quarter of the imbibing syrup evenly over the sponge. Then smooth over the stronger coffee buttercream over the top and sides. Repeat with the 3 remaining layers of cake, using the weaker coffee buttercream in the middle of the cake and the vanilla buttercream on the top. Decorate the top with the coffee buttercream and some coffee beans.
