Tosca cake with a poppy seed sponge

Name: Tosca cake with a poppy seed sponge
Ingredients: 8 egg whites; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 200 g sugar; 40 g flour; 5 g baking powder; 15 ml lemon juice; 100 g poppy seeds; 15 g grated coconut; 8 egg yolks; 200 g sugar; 24 g flour; 16 g starch; 300 ml milk; 100 g butter; 150 ml whipping cream; 2 sachets vanilla sugar (16 g); 1 teaspoon grated orange zest; 200 g milk chocolate; 50 ml liquid cream; 50 g butter; 400 g Petit Beurre biscuits; 150 ml brewed coffee

Dessert - Tosca cake with a poppy seed sponge by Ica H. - Recipia

Tosca cake has an airy sponge with poppy seeds and coconut, vanilla cream, biscuits briefly dipped in coffee, and a chocolate glaze. I like to serve it cold, when the cream holds the layers together, the biscuits are still soft without falling apart, and the slice cut from the 28 × 32 cm pan has clean edges beneath the glossy layer of chocolate. Preparation: 45 minutes. Cooking: 36 minutes. Resting: 3 hours and 45 minutes. Total time: 5 hours and 6 minutes. Servings: 20. Approximately 400 kcal and 7 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the sponge

8 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
200 g sugar
40 g flour
5 g baking powder
15 ml lemon juice
100 g poppy seeds
15 g grated coconut

For the cream

8 egg yolks
200 g sugar
24 g flour
16 g starch
300 ml milk
100 g butter
150 ml whipping cream
2 sachets vanilla sugar (16 g)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

For the glaze

200 g milk chocolate
50 ml liquid cream
50 g butter

For assembly

400 g Petit Beurre biscuits
150 ml brewed coffee

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a 28 × 32 cm pan with baking paper. Beat 8 egg whites with 1/8 teaspoon salt until foamy, then gradually add 200 g sugar and beat until it dissolves and the whites are stiff. 2. Sift 40 g flour over the egg whites. Add the baking powder, juice of 1/2 lemon, 100 g poppy seeds, and 15 g coconut, then gently fold them in from the bottom up. Spread the mixture in the pan and bake for 25 minutes, until the sponge is golden. 3. For the cream, beat 8 egg yolks with 200 g sugar. Mix in 24 g flour and 16 g starch, then gradually pour in 300 ml cold milk, stirring. Cook over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until the cream has the consistency of pudding. 4. Leave the sponge and cream to cool for 45 minutes. Beat 100 g butter until fluffy and mix it into the cooled cream. Whip 150 ml cream, then gently stir it into the cream along with 2 sachets vanilla sugar and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest. Spread the cream over the sponge. 5. Quickly dip 400 g Petit Beurre biscuits in 150 ml brewed, lukewarm coffee, then arrange them over the cream. 6. Put 200 g milk chocolate, 50 ml liquid cream, and 50 g butter in a small saucepan. Melt over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring until the glaze is smooth. Pour it over the biscuits and smooth it out. 7. Chill the cake for 3 hours. Cut into portions with a serrated knife.

Notes

For a caffeine-free version, use 150 ml decaffeinated coffee; the cake contains gluten, eggs, and dairy. A cold slice goes well with black tea, and the cake can be made a day ahead. Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. I had seen it dozens, maybe hundreds of times, tasted it once, and still hadn’t made it in my own kitchen. The poppy seeds should smell clean, faintly nutty; if they smell bitter or stale, you’ll taste it in the sponge. Coffee is easier to measure when it’s just lukewarm, and thick biscuits soak up liquid more slowly than thin ones. Grate only the orange part of the peel, as the white part can make the cream bitter.