My tested formula

Yield: one 18 cm / 7 inch cake.

These are the quantities and process choices for this recipe.

  • One 18 cm génoise, baked and cooled
  • 150 g water and 120 g sugar for syrup
  • 30 g strong coffee or coffee extract for syrup
  • 250 g unsalted butter, pliable
  • 120 g egg yolks
  • 180 g sugar and 60 g water for cooked syrup
  • Coffee extract, to taste
  • 100 g toasted flaked almonds

Method

  • Split the génoise into three even layers.
  • Boil the soaking syrup, cool and add coffee.
  • Cook sugar and water to 118°C / 244°F; stream onto whipping yolks and continue to a cool, aerated pâte à bombe.
  • Add pliable butter progressively, then coffee extract, keeping temperatures compatible.
  • Soak and layer the sponge with buttercream; coat evenly, press toasted almonds around the sides and chill to set before tempering for service.

How I define this recipe

French gâteau moka is a génoise-based layer cake filled and coated with coffee buttercream, commonly finished with toasted almonds. It is not a generic chocolate-coffee layer cake.

What I watch closely

  • Keep the butter and pâte à bombe at compatible temperatures.
  • Apply syrup evenly without saturating the bottom layer.
  • Use concentrated coffee flavour without adding destabilising excess water.
  • Serve cool but not refrigerator-hard.