Asian coffee "cake" recipe

Published August 4, 2010 12:20AM (EDT)

Ingredients

For the coffee jelly

  • ¼  cup sugar
  • 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
  • 2 cups fresh hot coffee (use decaf if serving to children or those sensitive to caffeine)
  • ½ cup cold water
  • ½ cup boiling water

For the condensed milk jelly

  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
  • 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
  • ½ cup cold water
  • ½ cup boiling water

Directions

Coffee jelly

  1. Pour the cold water into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and stir to combine. Break up any clumps of gelatin and ensure that all of the gelatin is moistened.
  2. Pour the boiling water over the moistened gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
  3. Add the hot coffee and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set mixture aside (do not refrigerate; you want the gelatin to remain liquid).

Condensed milk jelly

  1. Pour the cold water into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and stir to combine. Break up any clumps of gelatin and ensure that all of the gelatin is moistened.
  2. Pour the boiling water over the moistened gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
  3. Stir in the condensed milk. Set mixture aside (again, it needs to remain liquid, so don't refrigerate it).

Assembly

  1. Pour 1 cup of the coffee jelly mixture into a  9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Refrigerate until the jelly has partially set: It should be solid, but still sticky when touched. (This is the only remotely tricky thing about this recipe: If the layer is fully set, the next layer won't stick to it and the layers will slide apart when the jelly is unmolded or sliced. If the layer is not sufficiently set, it will collapse when the next layer of jelly is added, messing up that neat geometric effect you're going for.)
  2. When the coffee layer is set but sticky, carefully pour 1 cup of the condensed milk jelly on top  of it.
  3. When the condensed milk layer is set but sticky (it sets faster than the coffee layers), pour 1 cup of the coffee jelly over it to form the next coffee layer.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to form the fourth and fifth layers.
  5. When the top layer is set, the jelly is ready. To unmold, sit the pan in a container of hot water for about 30 seconds. Remove, and run a knife along the edges to loosen the jelly. Invert the mold over a cutting board.
  6. Cut the jelly into blocks or slices as desired. For best results, dip the knife you use in hot water and wipe it clean between cuts.
  7. Plate and garnish with chocolate sauce, if desired.


By Felicia Lee

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