Coffee Crunch Recipes

Steps:

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with a nonstick cooking mat; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, coffee, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat to 300 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Remove from heat for 10 seconds. Sift baking soda evenly over sugar syrup. Whisk just until combined. Pour immediately into the center of the prepared baking sheet. Let stand, without spreading, until cool, about 30 minutes.
• When ready to use, tap the crunch lightly with a spoon or knife handle to crack. Break into irregular pieces.

Steps:

• Whisk the condensed milk, espresso powder, 1 tablespoon heavy cream and the salt in a large bowl until smooth. (The espresso powder may look speckled.)
• Beat the remaining 1 1/2 cups heavy cream in a separate large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold about half of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture with a rubber spatula until combined, then fold in the remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain.
• Dot the mixture with the dulce de leche and sprinkle with all but a few teaspoons of the toffee bits; drag a rubber spatula through the mixture to lightly swirl.
• Spoon the mixture into a freezer-safe 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or 2-quart baking dish. Dot with more dulce de leche and sprinkle with the remaining toffee bits; drag a rubber spatula through the top to lightly swirl. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm and scoopable, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium bowl to blend.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in another medium bowl until blended, about 2 minutes. Add espresso powder and almond extract; beat 1 minute. Stir in flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing until just absorbed after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips and almonds (dough will be thick).
• Turn dough out onto ungreased rimmed baking sheet. Using hands, press dough into 12-inch square. Pierce all over with fork at 1-inch intervals.
• Bake until edges are lightly browned and beginning to crisp, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on sheet 1 minute. Cut into 48 bars. Immediately transfer to rack; cool (bars will crisp as they cool). DO AHEAD: Can be made 5 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add 3/4 cup water, oil, egg yolks, zest, and vanilla; beat until smooth.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed. With machine running, add remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a slow steady stream, beating until incorporated and stiff glossy peaks form.
• Remove bowl from mixer. Gently but thoroughly, fold beaten egg whites into batter, in two additions. Pour batter into a 10-inch tube pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove from oven, and invert onto a narrow necked bottle if your pan doesn't have feet. Let stand until cool, about 1 hour, before removing pan.
• Place cake on a serving platter. Cover cake with an even layer of frosting. Just before serving, sprinkle top and sides of cake generously with coffee crunch.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*. Blend all ingredients (except almonds & chocolate chips) thoroughly. Stir in the almonds and chocolate chips.
• Spread batter evenly in an ungreased 15" x 10" x 1",jelly roll pan.
• Bake 18-25 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisp. Cut into 2" x 1" bars while still warm.

Steps:

• For the base: Line a baking sheet with parchment and put a 15-by-11-inch ring mold on top. Spray the parchment and ring mold with cooking spray.
• Melt the praline paste and white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) a saucepan of simmering water, stirring to combine. Fold in the feuilletine. Spread evenly on the bottom of the prepared ring mold. Sprinkle the crushed toffee pieces over the crust. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• For the mousse: Put the milk chocolate in a large bowl. Bloom the gelatin sheets in a bowl of ice water until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Bring the milk, coffee extract, salt and bloomed gelatin to a boil in a medium saucepan. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve over the milk chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Allow to cool to 90 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
• Meanwhile, whip the cream by hand or with an electric mixer on medium speed until it holds a ribbon on the surface when the whisk is lifted.
• Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Pour over the feuilletine base and smooth evenly with an offset spatula. Allow to set, about 45 minutes, then wrap with plastic wrap and freeze the layered base overnight.
• For the cremeaux: Put the white chocolate and glucose syrup in a large bowl. Bloom the gelatin sheets in a bowl of ice water until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Bring the cream, milk and bloomed gelatin to a boil in a large saucepan. Strain through a fine mesh sieve over the white chocolate and glucose. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface so it doesn't form a skin and cover the bowl with another piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Flip the frozen layered base over (still in the ring mold), peel off the parchment and place on another parchment-lined baking sheet. Run a hot knife around the edges of the layered base and lift the ring mold to remove. Let sit at room temperature until it can be cut, 15 to 20 minutes and no more than 30 minutes. Test by touching the center with your fingertip. If it leaves a fingerprint, it's ready to cut.
• Cut into 1-by-4-inch inch bars (or whatever size you want). Whip the cremeux to stiff peaks with an electric mixer on medium-high speed and place in a piping bag with a small plain round or star pastry tip. Pipe the cremeux in small dollops or rosettes on top of each bar.

Steps:

• Make the meringue: whisk the egg whites until stiff, add half the sugar, whisk again until stiff, then repeat with the remaining sugar. Mix the coffee with 3 tbsp boiling water to dissolve the granules. Gently fold the walnuts and 1 tsp of the coffee into the meringue. Set aside while you make the cake mixture.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then gradually whisk in the eggs. Fold in the flour and baking powder, then finally fold in 2 tsp of the coffee liquid. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins, putting a little more mixture in one than the other.
• Spread the meringue on top of the tin containing less cake mix. Bake the untopped sponge for about 20 mins until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Continue baking the meringue-topped sponge for an additional 20 mins, then carefully remove both cakes from their tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• To make the filling, beat the butter and icing sugar together, adding 2 tsp more coffee. To make the icing, mix a final tsp of the coffee into the icing sugar. Add a drop more water to make a runny icing. 5 Sandwich the 2 cakes together with the coffee filling, putting the meringuetopped sponge on top. Drizzle all over with the coffee icing to finish.

Steps:

• For crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grind nuts with ground cookies and toffee in processor. Add 5 tablespoons butter; blend until nuts are finely chopped. To moisten crumbs, if necessary, blend in 1 tablespoon butter. Using plastic wrap as aid, press mixture onto bottom an dup sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Freeze 15 minutes.
• Bake crust until golden, about 12 minutes. Freeze crust.
• For ganache:
• Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.
• For mousse:
• Whisk sugar, yolks, 1/3 cup water and espresso powder in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water); whisk until candy thermometer registers 160°F, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Add nutmeg. Using electric mixer, beat egg mixture until cool and thick, about 5 minutes.
• Beat 2 1/2 cups cream, liqueur and vanilla in another large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold cream mixture and toffee into egg mixture. Spoon half of mousse into crust. Drizzle 1/4 cup ganache over. Using tip of knife, swirl mixtures together. Carefully spoon remaining mousse over; smooth top. Cover and freeze torte overnight. Cover remaining ganache; chill.
• Rewarm remaining ganache over low heat, whisking just until slightly softened but not melted. If necessary, let stand until firm enough to pipe. Spoon ganache into pastry bag fitted with star tip. Run sharp knife around torte pan sides. Release pan sides. Pipe ganache in lattice design atop torte. Pipe ganache in star shapes around border. Garnish with almonds. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Freeze until lattice sets, then cover and keep frozen.)

Steps:

• For the cake: Adjust rack in lower third of oven, preheat to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the salt onto a sheet of wax paper, set aside.
• In a small bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar until the mixture is thick and pale in color. Add the water and continue to beat until thickened, about 4 minutes. Whisk the egg whites in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer just until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a steady stream, whisking until thicker, stiffer, glossy peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.
• Pour the yolk mixture over the beaten egg whites. Fold the two mixtures together with a rubber spatula. Using a metal spatula, scoop up a third of the flour mixture and sprinkle it over the surface, fold in with the rubber spatula. Repeat 2 more times just until the ingredients are incorporated. Gently pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch round tube pan with removable bottom (like an angel food pan). Level the surface with the rubber spatula.
• Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the top springs back slightly when lightly touched, and sounds spongy. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan over a long-necked bottle to cool for about 45 minutes. To remove the sponge from the pan, carefully slip a flexible metal spatula down one side of the pan and slowly trace the perimeter to release the cake. When the sides are free, push up on the removable bottom to release the cake completely. Tilt the cake, with the bottom still attached, and gently tap the bottom against the counter to loosen the cake. Rotate the cake, tapping a few more times, until it appears free. Cover the cake with a rack and invert, remove the bottom of pan. Let cool to room temperature.
• Coffee crunch topping: Generously oil a large baking sheet. Sift the baking soda onto a small sheet of wax paper, set nearby. Combine the coffee, sugar and corn syrup in a deep, heavy 4-quart saucepan. Place over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. When the mixture is clear and it begins to boil, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the mixture reaches 290 degrees on candy thermometer. Toward the end of cooking, around 270 to 280 degrees, stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from scorching and becoming too foamy.
• Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. The mixture will foam up fiercely. While mixture is still foaming, pour it out onto the oiled baking sheet. Do not spread, just let it cool undisturbed for at least 1 hour.
• Break or crush into very small pieces by placing between 2 sheets of wax paper and tapping or rolling with rolling pin. Store in airtight container.
• Frosting: Combine cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat until the cream holds soft peaks.
• To assemble: Slice the cooled cake into 3 equal layers using a serrated knife. Spread whipped cream between each layer, carefully stacking the layers. Spread the remaining whipped cream over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate. Just before serving, generously sprinkle top and sides with coffee crunch.