Mocha cream cake – basic recipe with mascarpone

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 50 g butter, melted and cooled
• 6 eggs, separated
• 150 g sugar
• 1 sachet of vanilla sugar
• 125 g flour
• 25 g cornstarch
• 1 tsp, heaped baking powder
• 50 g chocolate shavings, whole milk, can also be omitted, depending on the variation
• 500 ml cream, 450 g
• 2 bags of cream stiffener
• 1 tsp, heaped sugar
• 3 servings of instant espresso coffee
• 50 g block chocolate, or dark chocolate
• 125 g chocolate, fine milk chocolate
• 250 g mascarpone
• 1 jar sour cherries, well drained

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 20 minutes

Suitable as a mocha cake, for chocolate cream cake with sour cherries and many other ideas, depending on your taste!

For the sponge cake base, first separate the eggs, add a tablespoon of hot water and a pinch of salt to the egg whites, and beat until stiff peaks form. Add 150g of sugar and a sachet of vanilla sugar to the egg yolks and beat for at least 5 minutes until creamy. Mix the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder and sift them over the egg yolk mixture. Add the melted butter and pour the stiffly beaten egg whites over it, mixing with a large spoon. If desired, fold in 50g of chocolate shavings and pour the batter into a 26cm springform pan (line the bottom of the pan with baking paper, place a ring on top, and seal). Bake in a convection oven at approximately 170°C for 30-35 minutes, let cool, and then cut in half. For the mocha cream, heat 50ml of cream in a small saucepan (do not boil) and dissolve the espresso powder in it. Then melt the chocolate over low heat. If you prefer a particularly bittersweet flavor, you can use only dark chocolate; if you prefer a milder flavor, use only whole milk. I prefer the specified mix of both. (For a chocolate cake without any mocha, however, you should definitely use some dark chocolate, and then use 50g more chocolate than for the mocha cake.) Whip the remaining cream (450g) with 2 sachets of cream stiffener and a heaped teaspoon of sugar until stiff. Place the mascarpone in a mixing bowl and mix with the melted mocha chocolate. Reserve some of the whipped cream for decoration and mix the rest with the mocha-mascarpone cream. Spread the cream on one sponge cake layer (I always use the top layer and place it face down on a cake plate). Spread the thoroughly drained sour cherries evenly on top and cover with cream. Place the second layer on top and press down lightly. Spread just enough cream to cover the entire cake, then place the third layer on top. Spread the remaining cream on the edges and on top of the cake. You can use the reserved cream to add decorative touches, such as chocolate mocha beans, chocolate sprinkles, leaves, hearts, etc., as you like. The mascarpone cream is a great base recipe for other flavors. Try white chocolate and pineapple, with a dash of lemon in the sponge cake—delicious! You can also use other cream cheese instead of mascarpone. In any case, the cake should be refrigerated for several hours—ideally the day before or early in the morning. I’ve tried many sponge cake recipes, and this one is the best. Especially when the base requires cutting, as in this recipe.