Matzo Never Tasted So Good

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.

 

 3.      Heat and whisk chocolate mixture until smooth.

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.