Oishii Berry Coconut Cà Phê Jelly Cake

FROM DORIS HO-KANE

About The Dish

"I come from a very large family and every holiday was centered around the kitchen," says Doris Ho-Kane, behind the Brooklyn bakery Bạn Bè. To please a crowd, she turns to Vietnamese jelly cake. Her recipe features layers of strawberry, coffee, and coconut milk.

Oishii Berry Coconut Cà Phê Jelly Cake

Makes one 8-inch bundt cake

Ingredients

2 packs Omakase Berries 
300 grams sugar
1 large lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
25 grams agar powder 
200 grams sugar 
Nguyen Coffee Supply Hanoi Robusta Coffee (Dark Roast)
1 can coconut cream or milk 
133 milliliter sweetened condensed milk 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. To make the strawberry coulis, de-stem strawberries and cut them into quarters or halves. Combine berries, 100 grams of sugar, and juice from one lemon in a pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. 

2. After about five minutes, the fruit will begin to break down. Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract, and purée using an immersion blender. Do not strain.

3. Let the coulis cool completely. It can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks or frozen for up to two months.

4. Dissolve agar into 1,200 milliliters of room temperature water. Stir well. Let the mixture rest for 20 minutes. 

5. While you wait, brew coffee using a phin filter, french press, or another method. Set aside.

6. Pour agar mixture into a large pot and bring to a rolling boil, stirring so that the agar does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook over low heat.

7. To make the coconut layer, combine coconut milk, condensed milk, and vanilla extra in a separate pot. Stir well. Gently and gradually add 400 milliliters of agar mixture. Stir well. Leave on low heat. 

8. To make the coffee layer, combine coffee with 80 grams of sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Gently and gradually add 400 milliliters of agar mixture. Stir well. Leave on low heat. 

9. To make the strawberry layer, add 330 milliliters of strawberry coulis to what is left of the agar mixture. Stir well. Leave on low heat.

10. You’re ready to layer. Start with the strawberry mixture, and ladle about 8 tablespoons into the bundt pan. Let it rest on the counter or in the fridge for about five minutes, until it’s solid to the touch. Do the same with the coffee layer and the coconut layer. Repeat until you are close to the top of the bundt pan, about 10 layers in total.

11. Cool the finished cake in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Once it’s set, de-mold the jelly by placing the bottom of the bundt pan in a warm bowl of water. (When you lightly press the top of the jelly, it should start to pull away from the edges of the pan.) Use a flat surface or a plate to cover the bottom of the bundt and flip it over.