This is one of those recipes that make you warm and fuzzy inside. Its my grandmothers take on the Vienna classic and has been a household staple for as long as I can remember. As with many old European recipes, countries are fighting who invented it first. Most historians believe the cake originated in Vienna to celebrate the storm of fort Malakov in Russia by the French during the Crimean war. My Grandmother made hers coffee flavored after the classic Vienna coffee mélange, basically coffee with milk and sugar. The biscuits are called Loeffelbisquit, which translates into spoon biscuit but it is not quiet the same. They are a dry crunchy biscuit with a sugar crust, mostly related to ladyfingers, though ladyfingers are softer and are lacking the sugar crunch crust. In lack of finding the real thing last minute, I used ladyfingers. The brand I used is “specialty bakers” ladyfingers. They were more of a sponge cake than the traditional spoon biscuit. If you plan better ahead then I did, you can find them from Goya brand or Alessi. The filling is a coffee flavored butter crème without eggs and the whole thing gets enrobed in whipped crème. Some recipes call for laying the ladyfingers in a springform pan or another type of mold, kind of like a charlotte but without turning it over. Grossmutti always arranged hers on a pretty crystal rectangular platter, three layers of deliciousness. I have to admit I have not made it in a long time. I have to thank Vicky Franchino for it. She interviewed me this week for her fun blog caffeineclarity.com and during the interview this beautiful coffee flavored deliciousness came knocking on my memory door and I promised her to post the recipe. So here it is.
- 36 pieces of Loeffelbisquit (depending on how you arrange yours you might need less or more)
- 3 sticks of butter (soft room temperature)
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted and divided in thirds
- 1 cup of coffee slurry (room temp, the explanation for this is in the next step)
- 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
Directions:
Ok, whats a coffee slurry?
First brew yourself your favorite coffee. I used Berres Brother Turtles Sunday. Set two cup aside for your cake and enjoy the rest. Mix one cup of coffee with one package of vanilla pudding mix. I used simple delish natural vanilla pudding mix. That will create your coffee slurry. You will use the slurry both in your buttercream and to soak your ladyfingers with the remaining coffee. The coffee slurry has to be at the same temperature then your butter, so be patient.
Making the buttercreme:
Make sure your butter is truly at room temperature before you start mixing it because you really want it light and fluffy before adding the other ingredients.
Start by beating for 7-10 minutes until your butter is whipped to almost double. Slowly add the first 1/3 of your sifted powdered sugar and beat at medium speed until fully incorporated. Then add 1/4 cup of your coffee slurry and beat until fully incorporated. Add the next 1/3 off your powdered sugar and repeat the step. Add another 1/4 cup of your coffee slurry. Add the remaining powdered sugar. Your buttercream should be creamy and smooth.
Troubleshooting buttercream
If it looks like it is a tad wet you can add up to another 1/4 cup of extra powdered sugar. If your buttercream is still seeping moisture your emulsion is breaking apart because of too much liquid or the slurry was to warm for the butter. Try to add 2tbs of shortening and repeat beating.
To assemble the Malakoff:
Replenish the remaining Coffee slurry with more coffee to bring it back to 1 cup. Pour into a shallow dish big enough to hold the liquid and dunk your ladyfingers. The assembly goes very easy.
Dip the ladyfingers into the coffee slurry and arrange onto a platter of your choice. I made mine in three rows of 4 ladyfingers. But you can arrange them to fit your platter or pan. Next spread 1/3 of your buttercream filling on the first layer.
For the second row I went three rows of 4 sideways (kind of a lincoln log system just to give it more stability). Repeat with the remaining ladyfingers and buttercream. The top layer of ladyfingers does not get the buttercream.
At this point it is best to chill the Malakoff for at least 1 hour so the flavors can soak into the ladyfingers and the buttercream becomes nice and firm. In the meantime, have another cup of coffee or tidy up your kitchen before making the whipped cream and finish the Malakoff. At this stage the Malakoff can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. If you do make it ahead, loosely wrap it though since the cream can absorb flavors that live in your fridge (like leftover Chinese takeout)
To finish the Malakoff, whip one cup of heavy cream with a 1/3 cup of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Enrobe the chilled Malakoff with the whipped cream. Depending on how thick or thin you slice is this will yield at least 12 servings…trust me, people will come back for seconds.
