Coffee and halva cake with cherries. Perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Sponge cake:
- 7 medium eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons gingerbread or spice blend
Soaking:
- 2/3 cup coffee liqueur (homemade or store-bought, e.g., Kahlua)
Filling:
- 250 g cherry fruit spread or cherry jam
- 2 teaspoons gelatin
- 60 ml very strong coffee
- 500 ml heavy cream (30%), well-chilled
- 100 g vanilla halva, finely crumbled
Chocolate glaze:
- 100 ml heavy cream (30%)
- 150 g dark chocolate
Decoration:
- 50 g chocolate sprinkles or grated dark chocolate
Preparation
Sponge cake: Line the bottom of a 24-26 cm diameter pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Beat the egg whites at low speed for 2 minutes until frothy. Gradually increase the speed and add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue beating on high speed until stiff and glossy. Gradually add the egg yolks while beating. Sift the flour, cocoa, and spice blend together. Add to the egg mixture in 3 parts, gently folding with a spatula each time. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 minutes. Cool completely. Slice into 3 layers.
Filling: Prepare the soaking liquid and cherries. Soak the gelatin in 2 tablespoons of water for 10 minutes. Brew the coffee in a metal pot, add the soaked gelatin, and stir until dissolved, heating gently if needed but do not boil. Whip the cream to stiff peaks, then fold in the crumbled halva. Quickly cool the dissolved gelatin mixture by placing the pot in cold water and stirring. While mixing the whipped cream at low speed, gradually pour in the coffee-gelatin mixture. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate, drizzle with 1/3 of the soaking liquid, spread half of the cherries, and then half of the cream. Top with the second layer, drizzle, and spread the remaining cherries and cream. Place the final layer on top and drizzle with the remaining soaking liquid. Refrigerate.
Chocolate glaze: Bring the cream to a boil, remove from heat, and add the broken chocolate pieces. Stir until completely melted. Cool slightly and spread over the cake. Refrigerate. After about 30 minutes, decorate the sides of the cake with chocolate sprinkles or grated chocolate. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving.
