Mocha Red Bean Crumble Cake
Quick answer
Cocoa powder and instant coffee are folded into the batter together, producing a deep mocha character where the bitterness of coffee amplifies the chocolate's intensity r...
What makes this special
- Mocha Red Bean Crumble Cake combines coffee bitterness with sweetened bean paste pockets.
- Cocoa powder and instant coffee together build a layered mocha aroma
- Whole red beans embedded throughout give pockets of natural sweetness
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Preheat the oven to 180C until fully hot, not just turned on.
- 2 Sift 190 g flour, 12 g cocoa, 5 g instant coffee, 6 g baking powder, and 2 g salt together.
- 3 Whisk 2 eggs with 95 g sugar until the sugar looks moistened and slightly lighter.
Cocoa powder and instant coffee are folded into the batter together, producing a deep mocha character where the bitterness of coffee amplifies the chocolate's intensity rather than competing with it. Sweetened red bean paste - left in small, discernible pieces - is scattered through the crumb, providing pockets of earthy sweetness that interrupt the mocha richness with each bite. A buttery crumble topping bakes to a golden, crunchy cap that contrasts sharply with the moist cake below. The balance of red bean to batter matters: too much and the cake becomes dense and stodgy, too little and the Korean accent disappears. Resting the cake overnight allows the coffee and red bean flavors to meld into a more unified profile, making the second-day slice arguably better than the first.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Step
Preheat the oven to 180C until fully hot, not just turned on.
Line the base and sides of an 18 cm round cake pan with parchment so the moist mocha cake releases cleanly.
- 2Season
Sift 190 g flour, 12 g cocoa, 5 g instant coffee, 6 g baking powder, and 2 g salt together.
Break up any coffee clumps with your fingertips so bitter spots do not remain in the batter.
- 3Season
Whisk 2 eggs with 95 g sugar until the sugar looks moistened and slightly lighter.
Add 120 ml milk and 70 g melted butter, then mix until no streaks of butter are floating on top.
- 4Prep
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and fold only until most dry streaks disappear.
Scrape from the bottom with broad strokes, because overmixing will make the cake tough and heavy.
- 5Step
Pour half the batter into the pan, then dot 130 g sweet red bean paste across it in small pieces.
Keep the dots spread toward the edges too, since one large mound can sink and make a dense center.
- 6Control
Cover with the remaining batter and rake the surface lightly with a fork to create a rough crumble-like texture.
Bake at 180C for 30 to 32 minutes, then cool before slicing when the center springs back gently.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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