Capuchina Cake: A Delicious Journey Through Spanish Convent Sweets

Instructions

FIRST DAY

Prepare yolk sponge cake.

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF/150ºC, heat up and down. Place a dish or tray, in the middle position of the racks, with boiling water inside, enough to cover the pan halfway. During the preheating time, some of the water will evaporate. I will tell you later how to proceed.
2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
3. In the bowl of the stand mixer add the yolks and whisk at medium-high speed until you obtain the ribbon point, letter point or “monter au ruban” in French. You must whisk the yolks until you obtain a voluminous mixture that falls evenly and continuously, like a ribbon or string. The process can take 10-15 minutes.
4. While the yolks are whipping, prepare the mold.
5. Grease the mold with olive oil, using a pastry brush to help grease the entire surface.
6. Place a circle of baking paper on the base and sprinkle the sides with powdered sugar. Set aside.
7. Once the egg yolks are whipped, pour the batter into the mold.
8. Bake placing the mold inside the pan with water. If you notice that the amount of water has reduced too much, add boiling water until it reaches about half of the mold.
9. Bake for 27 minutes. Before taking it out of the oven, check that it is baked by poking a toothpick in the center. The toothpick should come out clean.
10. Remove from the oven and place the mold on a wire rack.

While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup.

1. Add the water and sugar to a saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. The sugar should be completely dissolved.
2. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium heat, cook for 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
3. Reserve until ready to use.

Once the cake is baked, pour the syrup.

1. As soon as you take the cake out of the oven and place it on a rack, still hot, prick the entire surface with a toothpick.
2. Pour all the syrup carefully over the surface of the cake.
3. Let it cool at room temperature and inside the mold.
4. Once cooled, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 24 hours. If it is very hot, I recommend resting in the refrigerator.
5. NOTE: During the resting time, the cake will absorb all the syrup resulting in a very moist bite.
   

Prepare yolk pastry cream.

1. In a bowl mix the sugar with the cornstarch. This process helps the cornstarch to integrate better and prevents lumps from forming. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together with the water until homogenized.
3. Pour into a saucepan through a strainer to remove the dense part from the eggs.
4. Stir in the sugar and cornstarch mixture, place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the mixture thickens. It will take about 8-12 minutes.
5. Once the mixture begins to thicken, it will do so very quickly. As a guide, the mixture will be ready in density when it has a temperature between 93º-96ºC.
6. Remove from the heat and pour the cream into a bowl. The larger it is, the less time it will take to cool.
7. Cover with cling film and let it cool completely at room temperature. Once cooled, refrigerate for 2-3 hours before using. If you wish, you can make it the day before and refrigerate it until the next day.

SECOND DAY

Unmold and cover with the egg yolk pastry cream.

1. Slide a cake spatula along the sides of the cake.
2. Place a plate, where you are going to serve the cake, over the mold and turn it over. Carefully unmold.
3. Remove the baking paper placed on the surface of the cake.
4. Cover the entire surface of the cake, surface and sides, with a generous layer of custard. Use a pastry spatula for this step.
5. Sprinkle the surface with powdered sugar.
6. Traditionally, a lattice pattern is created with the help of a pastry burner. In my case I don't have one, so I decided to create the same pattern with the help of a ruler.

Prepare coffee Italian meringue.

1. Add the sugar and water in a saucepan, in that order. Place over medium heat.
2. Use a cooking thermometer to know the temperature of the syrup. When it reaches 244ºF/118ºC, remove it and add it to the egg whites, previously semi-whipped.
3. Add the syrup in a thin, continuous stream over the semi-whipped egg whites, beating at the same time until a firm consistency is achieved. You will obtain a very shiny meringue.
4. If we check the temperature, we must beat at high speed until the temperature reduces to 104ºF/40ºC.
5. Add the coffee extract along with the pinch of food coloring, to give a subtly brownish hue, and mix for a few seconds to distribute evenly.
6. Let stand for 2 minutes before using.
7. Transfer into a piping bag with a star nozzle. In my case I used the SF18 nozzle from Decora.

Finish decorating the Capuchina cake.

1. Pipe the coffee meringue down the sides of the cake. You can do it following the design I show you in the video or another of your choice.
2. Serve immediately.
3. NOTE: The meringue should be used to decorate after making it, if you let it stand, it will begin to lose its consistency and after the piping, it will have a different texture.
   

Notes

• To prepare the mold, grease the base and sides with olive oil. Place baking paper on the base to prevent the cake from sticking to it (and to make it unmold better). On the sides it will be enough to sprinkle with powdered sugar.
• To make the cake you only need egg yolks, no corn starch, flour, sugar... It will be enough to whip the yolks well in the way that I show you and specify.
• It is very important to bake the cake in a bain-marie to favor its perfect texture and tenderness. The size of the mold will always determine the final baking time.
• The sponge cake must rest with the syrup for 24 hours. During this time it will absorb all the syrup, achieving a wonderful texture and moistness.
• To make the egg yolk pastry cream, I recommend mixing the cornstarch with the sugar before adding it to the egg mixture. This process avoids the risk of lumps forming.
• Yolk pastry cream has a very simple process of elaboration, but it requires care and patience when you are cooking it. Do not stop stirring the cream constantly to prevent lumps from forming or to prevent part of the cream from sticking to the base and starting to burn, as this would spoil the final texture and flavor. Maintain a medium low temperature during the whole process.
• I advise you to make Italian or Swiss meringue instead of French meringue, the final texture is much creamier, and it keeps its shape much better over time (once it has been drained).
• When you sprinkle the powdered sugar on the surface, it will remain for a very short time because the pastry yolk will absorb it due to its humidity. You can have a thicker layer, if you want it to hold, but I consider that to be adding too much unnecessary sugar. If you wish, you can omit it.
• .To create the upper pattern, a pastry burner is often used In my case I did it, but only marking the surface (I don't have a electric burner).
• If you are going to make the cake a day in advance, keep in mind that the meringue does not age well in the refrigerator. It acquires a drier finish and the texture changes, it is not as creamy. If you make it and whip it the day before, I advise you two things; you can prepare the meringue just the day you are going to serve it or decorate it with whipped cream, this withstands the passage of time better. You can also flavor it if you wish with coffee or vanilla flavoring.
• With the surplus egg whites you can prepare a Portuguese egg white pudding, Molotof, macarons, dry meringues...
• Once the cake is finished and assembled, it can be kept for 2-3 days refrigerated.
  

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• Meringue
• yolk
• Yolk pastry cream