I am thinking of making this cake and freezing it 2 weeks in advance of when I will serve it. I plan on doing the final glaze the day before I serve it. Do those who have made it think that will work?
coffeesue
Boston, MA
2/15/2014
This is absolutely delicious. I diduse a few shortcuts: I used a BettyCrocker box cake mix because I wascrunched for time. I baked this in asquare springform pan and cut inhalf horizontally. As anotherreader pointed out, raw eggs areused, but are safe if heated oversimmering water to 140 degrees;instead, look for Davidson's SafeEggs which are pasteurized eggs inthe shell--a wonderful product,especially for these desserts. Feelfree to use SafeEggs raw egg whiteswithout heating--another time saver.I did double the ganache recipe andassembled it as another readersuggested: spread it over the topof the assembled cake; freeze untilfirm. Pour remaining chocolateganache over the top, allowing it torun over the sides and freeze again.The square shaped cake easily served20. Great for a crowd.
Anonymous
Indian Head Park, IL
1/16/2011
Be aware this recipeuses raw egg whites.Definitely a winningrecipe - everyoneloved it! Flavor andtexture werewonderful. It'scritical to chose aquality chocolatefor the ganache,with preferably 70%cacao. Also Iincreased the Kahluain the ganache a bitover 1/3 cup, a goodmove. For the cakeand filling, I useda sweeter 60% cacaoand followed therecipe exactly. Asothers have stated,the top will beglossy if the finalapplication ofganache is performedquickly while warmand you let it spillover the edge (justusing the spatulafor that part). Aslong as you useparchment paper andlet the cake fullycool for an hour,it's not that hardto get it out of thepan - I don't knowwhy othersquestioned the valueof the two cakelayers - they weretasty and perfectlyproportioned aswritten in therecipe. I liked thecoffee beans as-is,a nice bittercrunchy complimentto the sweetness ofthe ganache. I willdefinitely make thisagain. It's complexbut not difficultand active time isabout one hour - therest is wait timewhile it freezes andsets.
ginevra1
Boston, MA
12/24/2010
My boyfriend and I made this cake for my birthday and it was so amazing!Since his family hates the taste of coffee, we decided to add different flavors to it such as instead of Kahlua for the filling, we used french vanilla. Instead of Kahlua again for the ganache, we used vanilla.The cake layers were seriously melt-in-your-mouth! I can't describe it any other way. As reviewers said, they are thin, but they're not thin like talking. They're about 3 inches thick but it does go great with the cake!The filling tastes like wannabe ice cream and mousse combined. It is very rich! In the process of making it, you're going to make your own home made whip cream and a marshmallow-like texture!I used dark chocolate for the layers, chocolate chips in the filling and the ganache. The dark chocolate for the ganache somehow turned to milk chocolate and the vanilla didn't really bring out much flavor. The chocolate over-powered it. The ganache also wasn't extremely hard like chocolate flakes or on other cakes I had tried. I was bummed about that. =[ It was semi-hard and soft. There's another recipe for ganache that I should have used that would make it hard like it's supposed to be.Overall, it's a very rich cake but it's a good cake! The coffee flavor would have made it really yummy, too!Also, you do need to double the ganache!!
Rabonie
Virginia Beach, Virginia.
11/2/2010
Oh, my....lusciousand wonderful! Imade it for aspecial birthdayparty--it does taketime, but is trulyworth it. Eventhose watching theirdiets came back formore!
annerk
Dexter, Michigan
3/8/2010
This cake is awesome
lena1
11/7/2008
I really enjoyed thefilling part of thisrecipe (it would get3.5 forks byitself), however Iwas disappointedwith both the cakeand the glaze.Despite followingthe recipe, the cakecame out dry andtasteless. Theglaze tasted good,but was too heavyfor the lightertexture of thefilling. In future,I may make this witha different bottomcake layer and notop layer and simplydrizzle the top withsome of the glaze.Or I may just makethe filling.
Anonymous
Vancouver, BC
8/31/2008
Rarely do I re-rate a recipe but this is worth it. Make it the one time and it gets easier. I now make it in little individual servings (Norpro Mini Cheeesecake pan). Once frozen I pop them out and smooth the sides and top (no top cake layer) with a knife I dip in warm/hot water. I Jackson Pollock the sauce on the dessert plates, place my frozen thimble in the middle and just before serving, pour a generous amount of glaze over each so it runs down the sides (I have NEVER achieved the smooth shiny coating in the picture). Nonetheless, garnish as you like (I like strawberries) No fuss, no muss and no cutting/slicing. Always a hit!
Anonymous
Los Angeles
See AlsoS'mores Brownie Bars Recipe4/30/2008
I made 2 of thesecakes recently - oneto test and thesecond for a gourmetdinner club. Forboth of them, I usedextra Kahlua in thefilling and glazeand made 1 1/2 timesthe amount of glazefor ease ofapplication. Forthe second cake, Idoubled the cakerecipe for thickerlayers and found itto be perfect. Thethin layers therecipe yields arejust too difficultto deal with -falling apart andhardly worth theeffort being so, sothin - didn't addmuch to the tasteand texture. Thekey to the glaze isto first apply thecrumb layer, freezeand liberally pourmore over the frozencake and quicklyspread a few swipeswith a large offsetspatula. The key toa shiny finish isNOT to fool with ittoo much, spreading,etc. I made thesecond cake severaldays before I neededit and wrapped inplastic wrap andheavy foil. Severalhours before thedinner party, Iheated up some ofthe extra glaze thatI had refrigeratedand poured it overthe top of the cake,tilting andspreading once ortwice. I put it inthe freezeruncovered til Ineeded it and thefinish was shiny andbeautiful forpresentation. Idecorated withchocolate coveredesspresso beans asshown and alsodipped largestrawberries in darkchocolate and thendrizzled some whitechocolate in azig-zag pattern overthe setstrawberries, whichI put around thecake. It was a HUGEhit - as promised,the filling tastedlike yummy soft icecream and the cakelayers were fabulouswith the ganache. Ican't believe somepeople aresuggesting not toinclude theflourless cakelayers! I can'twait to use thisfantastic do-aheaddessert again!
sgodlove
PA
1/29/2008
I have made thisrecipe numerous timesand it is always ahit. It takes 2 daysto make, but thefreezer does most ofthe work. I like tomake a chocolatetransfer sheet andbreak it up todecorate the cake. itgives it another WOWfactor.
estibell
New York
8/26/2007
I've made this 5 times now, following the recipe to a T, and it's exceptional each and every time. In a pinch, the International Delights Cafe Vienna can be used in place of the instant espresso powder. This recipe has floored guests each and every time.
Anonymous
Denver, CO
6/20/2007
This was a nice mocha cake, although there are other recipes I prefer. I am only writing to second several of the previous reviews. First, I didn't feel that the cake added anything particularly worthwhile; perhaps is Kahlua were added to the batter? I would have preferred the filling and ganache alone. Second, be liberal with the Kahlua! I added more to the glaze and feel that that really made the dessert. All told, it is very tasty, but not out of this world.
Anonymous
NYC
2/25/2007
My birthday was yesterday and my husband had a friend of ours make this for me. It was fabulous. She said it was a lot of work but it is well worth it. I am saving the recipe for next year.
mochalover1
Columbus, OH
1/25/2007
I made it for Christmas dessert. This dessert tastes amazing. The filling is actually similar to Starbucks Java Chip Ice Cream. Is it a lot of work? Yes. But well worth it. People were asking for second helpings. Only issue I had was getting the first thin layer of ganache to cover the filling without mixing in with it. It all turned out great, however. I disagree that the cake layers didn't add anything. The whole dish was perfect.
cindicb
Pawling, NY
12/28/2006
I received a lot of compliments from my dinner guests for this recipe, but it was a lot of work and wasn't something I could just 'throw together' My one tip would be to be liberal with the Kahula (I love the stuff) and don't be afraid to let it sit out of the freezer for a little while to thaw before you serve it -- I just think the flavours come through a little better when it's softened.
malirolph
Sydney, Aust.
5/11/2006
