Mocha Nutty Matzo Cake
It’s
Passover and my mom and I have another tradition of making this decadent matzo
cake every year. Now if you are going to be a good Jew, by skipping out on the leavened bread and eating
matzo, it doesn't get better than this cake because it’s coated in chocolate, coffee, liqueur and tasty hazelnuts!
Now
those who know me well know I can’t just leave tradition as is, I always like
to improve and build upon even my best recipes. So given my experience in Israel
last summer, I decided to add some espresso bean halva (sweet, crumbly, sesame
treat) to a second cake to replace the ground, toasted hazelnuts. I personally
prefer Mocha Nutty Matzo Cake 2.0 but have fun and enjoy either way you make
it!
Yield: 1 cake
Tools: Large casserole dish, double boiler, whisk, shot glass, large
serving plate
Ingredients:
5 pieces
|
5 pieces
|
Matzo
|
6 oz.
|
6 oz.
|
Semisweet Chocolate
|
¼ cup
|
50 grams
|
Sugar
|
¼ cup
|
113 grams
|
Water
|
5 shots
|
220 milliliters
|
Coffee Liqueur
|
4 yolks
|
66 grams
|
Egg Yolks
|
1 stick
|
113 grams
|
Butter
|
About 1 cup
|
As needed
|
Ground Hazelnuts, toasted
 |
Method of Preparation:
1. Measure all ingredients and fill the bottom of a
double boiler with an inch of water, put on low heat.
2.
Fill top of boiler with
chocolate, sugar, water, and 1 ½ shots (66 milliliters) of the liqueur.
4.
Add yolks one at a time,
whisk for three minutes until thick.
5.
Add butter and whisk
till smooth, remove from heat.
6.
Pour the remaining
liqueur into a casserole dish or plate large enough to fit a piece of matzo in.
7.
Prepare matzo by lightly
soaking it in the coffee liqueur and setting it aside.
8.
Assemble the cake by
starting with a piece of matzo and spreading about 3 tablespoons of chocolate
over it.
9.
Sprinkle a few
tablespoons of the toasted hazelnuts onto the chocolate and repeat the layers
five times.
10.
Refrigerate for an hour
before serving and store leftovers in the fridge as well.
For the Mocha Nutty Matzo Cake 2.0 (a.k.a. the one with the tasty espresso halva)
Finely chop the halva and sprinkle it on top of the chocolate layer in place of the ground toasted hazelnuts.
