Sugar artist and pastry chef extraordinaire Elizabeth Falkner has transformed the warm sensation of a light cup of java into a sensational airy meringue and cake confection that melts in your mouth with a burst of exquisite sweetness.  Its beauty will earn stunned gasps from even the most jaded of guests!
Coffee, Cream and Cane Sugar Cake is a layered tower of cloud-like coffee meringue, rippling chocolate caramel, espresso-spiked cake and silky whipped cream.  The piece de resistance: coffee bean caramel sugar shards poised on top like wings of a Monarch butterfly. 

The secret, according to superstar Falkner, founder of the now-legendary Citizen Cake Patisserie Café in San Francisco, is quality ingredients.  She insists on professional-grade, super-premium products like baker’s flour, baker’s chocolate and C&H Baker’s Sugar.  “I love sugar and love using it in all its gorgeous crystalline beauty as the focal point of my creations.  This requires a very special product that is ultrafine, blends quicker and smoother and melts faster than regular granulated sugar.”

Falkner’s Coffee, Cream and Cane Sugar Cake is a full-out winner.  And it’s a great opportunity to start honing your own sugar skills.  With a little practice, you’ll reap plenty of success.

For the Coffee Meringue Layers:

4  Egg whites
¾ teaspoon Cream of tartar 
Pinch Kosher salt
1 cup C&H Pure Cane Baker’s Sugar
1 Vanilla bean, split and scraped
½ teaspoon Ground espresso

The egg whites perform best at room temperature.  Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment.  Whip the egg whites until frothy, then continue to beat while slowly adding all of the baker’s sugar over the course of 1 minute.  Add the salt, vanilla bean scrapings and espresso and whip until incorporated.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the meringue and pipe into 2, 9” filled-in discs on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake in a 200°F oven for 1 hour and turn oven off, leaving meringue discs in oven overnight to dry out.

For the Milk Chocolate Caramel Layer:

1 cup C&H Pure Cane Baker’s Sugar
Pinch Cream of tartar
¼ cup Water
½ cup Heavy cream
4 ounces Milk chocolate, chopped and placed in a bowl

Combine the baker’s sugar, cream of tartar, and water in a heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat.  Do not stir.  Wash down the spatters on the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in water so that the sugar does not crystallize.  Watch carefully as the sugar begins to color, then continue cooking, without stirring, until sugar reaches 350-355°F (with a sugar thermometer) and caramelizes to a dark amber color.  Turn the heat off and add the cream slowly and carefully as it will foam and spatter.  Stir to combine.  Pour the caramel syrup over the bowl of chopped milk chocolate and let it set for 2-3 minutes.  Stir until combined.  Cool to room temperature.

For the Cake Layer:

3 Whole eggs
½ cup C&H Pure Cane Baker’s Sugar
¾ cup All purpose flour
2 tablespoons Unsalted butter, melted

Combine the eggs and baker’s sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, beating with a whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch.  Return the bowl to the mixer and use the whisk attachment to whip on high speed for 3 minutes, or until the batter falls into a ribbon from a spoon.  Gently fold in the sifted flour, then the melted butter, and pour into a greased, 9” round cake pan.  Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, until golden.

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For the Espresso-Rum Syrup:

¼ cup Fresh pressed espresso or strong coffee
2 tablespoons  Rum
¼ cup C&H Pure Cane Baker’s Sugar
2 tablespoons  Water

Bring ingredients to a simmer and cool.

For the Whipped Cream Layer:

1 cup Heavy cream
1 teaspoon C&H Pure Cane Baker’s Sugar
1 teaspoonVanilla extract

Whip ingredients until stiff.  Chill until ready to use.

For the Coffee Bean Shards:

1 ¾ cups C&H Pure Cane Baker’s Sugar
½ cup Light corn syrup
½ cup Water
¼ teaspoon  Cream of tartar
½ cup Whole coffee beans

Combine the baker’s sugar, corn syrup, water and cream of tartar in a heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat.  Do not stir.  Wash down the spatters on the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in water so that the sugar does not crystallize.  Watch carefully as the sugar begins to color, then continue cooking, without stirring, until sugar reaches 330-335°F (with a sugar thermometer) and caramelizes to a light amber color.  Immediately pour sugar out onto a non-stick sheet or parchment-lined baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Quickly sprinkle on the coffee beans and allow to cool completely.  Lift the hardened sugar with hands or metal spatula and break into shards.  Sugar shards will break into various-sized pieces.  They will keep for a week in an airtight container.

To Assemble:

Place one of the meringue layers on a large plate or cake stand.  Pour the milk chocolate caramel on top of the meringue and spread over evenly.  Place the cake face down on top of the caramel.  Drizzle the cake with the espresso-rum syrup.  Spread a thin layer of whipped cream over the cake.  Place the other meringue on top.  Finish by spreading the top and sides with the rest of the whipped cream.  Garnish with coffee bean caramel shards just before serving.

Serves 8-10.

Nutritional information per serving: 745 calories, 23g total fat, 135mg cholesterol, 148mg sodium, .71g fiber, 6g protein.