A layered coffee sponge cake with Baileys soaking syrup, coffee praline filling, cream cheese frosting, and glossy caramelized white chocolate glaze ☕🍰

Time

• Active time: ~3.5 hours

• Chilling/stabilizing: 15 hours

• Total: ~18.5 hours

Servings

• 1 cake, 18 cm diameter

• Approximately 10–12 slices

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Coffee Sponge

Ingredients

• 370 g whole eggs

• 224 g brown sugar

• 2 g sea salt

• 146 g all-purpose flour

• 92 g cornstarch

• 4 g baking powder

• 40 g grapeseed oil

• 20 g milk (2.5%)

• 20 g instant coffee

• 6 g cinnamon powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F. Prepare three 18 cm cake rings lined with foil on one side.

2. Combine eggs, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl. Warm over a water bath to 45°C / 113°F.

3. Whip mixture until light and voluminous.

4. Heat milk with instant coffee to 60°C / 140°F.

5. Gradually add grapeseed oil to the egg mixture, then slowly pour in the hot coffee milk while mixing on low speed.

6. Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and cinnamon.

7. Fold dry ingredients gently into the batter until smooth.

8. Divide batter between pans and level surfaces.

9. Bake for 25–30 minutes until springy to the touch.

10. Cool completely, remove from rings, and trim each sponge to 3 cm height.

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Coffee Paste

Ingredients

• 125 g coffee beans

• 25 g icing sugar

• 60 g grapeseed oil

Instructions

1. Blend coffee beans, icing sugar, and grapeseed oil in a food processor until smooth.

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Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 300 g butter (82%)

• 100 g icing sugar

• 900 g cream cheese

• 20 g milk (2.5%)

• 15 g instant coffee

• 50 g Baileys Irish cream liqueur

Instructions

1. Heat milk with instant coffee to 60–70°C / 140–158°F, then cool to 20°C / 68°F.

2. Whip softened butter (16–18°C / 61–65°F) until creamy.

3. Add icing sugar and continue whipping until fluffy.

4. Switch to paddle attachment and gradually add cream cheese in small portions. Avoid overmixing.

5. Add cooled coffee milk and Baileys. Mix until smooth.

6. Use immediately.

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Coffee Praline

Ingredients

• 250 g blanched almonds

• 125 g sugar

• 40 g water

• 5 g sea salt

• 100 g coffee paste

• 1 vanilla pod

Instructions

1. Heat water and sugar in a saucepan to 110°C / 230°F.

2. Add almonds and cook until coated in golden caramel.

3. Spread almonds on a silicone mat and cool completely.

4. Blend caramelized almonds with vanilla seeds and salt into a paste.

5. Mix in coffee paste thoroughly.

6. Transfer to a piping bag and keep at room temperature.

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Coffee Soaking Syrup

Ingredients

• 150 g milk (2.5%)

• 10 g sugar

• 1 g sea salt

• 50 g Baileys Irish cream liqueur

Instructions

1. Heat milk with sugar and salt until nearly boiling.

2. Remove from heat and whisk in Baileys.

3. Cool completely.

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Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients

• 30 g grapeseed oil

• 200 g caramelized white chocolate or blonde chocolate

Instructions

1. Melt chocolate to 40°C / 104°F using a microwave or water bath.

2. Stir in grapeseed oil until smooth.

3. Cover and leave at room temperature until needed.

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Assembly

Ingredients

• Coffee sponge layers

• Coffee soaking syrup

• Coffee praline

• Coffee cream cheese frosting

Instructions

1. Transfer frosting into a piping bag with a 10 mm round tip.

2. Brush sponge layers generously with soaking syrup.

3. Place first sponge layer on a cake board.

4. Spread about 150 g frosting over the layer.

5. Pipe a frosting border around the edge.

6. Pipe coffee praline inside the border.

7. Top with another sponge layer and repeat until assembled.

8. Cover cake with a thin crumb coat.

9. Wrap with acetate film and secure with an adjustable cake ring.

10. Refrigerate for 12 hours to stabilize.

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Coating & Decoration

Ingredients

• Stabilized assembled cake

• Remaining frosting

• Chocolate glaze

• Coffee beans for decoration

Instructions

1. Remove cake ring and acetate film.

2. Apply a smooth final frosting coat and chill for 3 more hours.

3. Heat glaze to 35°C / 95°F and pour over chilled cake, allowing drips down the sides.

4. Pipe frosting swirls around the top edge using a closed star tip.

5. Decorate each swirl with coffee beans.

6. Refrigerate up to 72 hours.

Tips

• Keep leftover frosting refrigerated until decorating.

• During water-bath melting, do not let water touch the chocolate bowl.

• Microwave chocolate in 30-second bursts, stirring between each interval.