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Butter Easter Mona

Easter is coming, and with it, the chance to show off a bit in the kitchen. Here's the recipe if you want to try your hand at making a proper mona. These are some of the monas I made last year. When I bake this year's batch, I'll update with step-by-step photos of the whole process. All three use the same ingredients, just different designs on top. Ingredients These monas start with a sponge cake that's 28cm wide 1 round sponge cake, cut into three layers. Chocolate vermicelli. Homemade peach jam. Soaking syrup. Butter cream. For the soaking syrup 250ml water. 200g sugar. 25ml sweet liqueur. For the butter cream 500g sugar. 350g water. 400g butter, at room temperature. 25g dark chocolate. Instructions Make the sponge cake first : Follow the recipe here . For the soaking syrup : Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved completely, stir in the liqueur and let it cool down entirely. For ...

Coffee and Chestnut Cake



Ingredients

For the sponge cake:

  • 200g cake flour.
  • 150g butter.
  • 225g sugar.
  • 6 eggs, separated (yolks and whites).
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee (Nescafé).
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder.
  • 22 or 24cm round cake pan.

For the chestnut cream:

  • 350g heavy cream.
  • 300g chestnut purée.
  • 150g powdered sugar.
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee (Nescafé).
  • 1 tablespoon milk.

For the topping:

  • 150g dark chocolate.
  • 150g heavy cream.
  • 75g butter.

For decoration:

  • Whole cooked chestnuts.
  • Chocolate pearls.
  • 100g whipped cream with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar.

Preparation

Grease your cake pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Preheat your oven to 180°C, with heat from both top and bottom.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and instant coffee.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form — they should be nice and firm.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until they turn pale and fluffy.
Mix the melted butter into the yolk mixture, and once it's well combined, gently fold in the flour mixture by hand, adding it gradually in two or three additions.
Then fold in the beaten egg whites, also gradually and carefully, in three or four additions. Use a gentle hand and don't overmix — you want to keep all that air you just whipped in.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes.
Turn the cake out of the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the chestnut cream: Whip the cream until it starts to thicken, add the powdered sugar, and continue whipping until it's nice and firm.
Dissolve the instant coffee in the tablespoon of milk (warm it up just a touch first), then mix it into the chestnut purée.
Carefully fold this chestnut mixture into the whipped cream in two or three additions, making sure everything is well blended.
Once your sponge cake has cooled down completely, slice it horizontally into three even layers, and place the first layer at the bottom of a cake ring.
Spread one-third of the chestnut cream on top.
Add another layer of sponge cake and another portion of cream.
Repeat once more, finishing the cake with the final third of cream. Smooth it out nicely and pop the whole thing in the fridge for two hours.
When the cake is nice and cold, carefully remove the cake ring. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar, and use it along with the whole chestnuts and chocolate pearls to decorate your cake.

Enjoy your dessert!

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