Chocolate Coffee Cake with Dulce de Leche Recipe

1. In a small saucepan, heat the whole milk on the stove until very warm, stir in the instant coffee granules, turn off the heat, add the dark chocolate pieces, stir until fully melted, and let the mixture cool for five minutes.
2. In a large bowl, place the softened butter and brown sugar, beat with an electric mixer until creamy, and while continuing to beat, add the egg yolks one by one followed by gradually pouring in the cooled coffee and chocolate mixture until completely smooth.
3. In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gradually and alternately fold the sifted self-rising flour and the stiff egg whites into the chocolate coffee batter using a gentle folding motion until homogeneous.
4. Pour the batter into a greased and floured round cake pan, tap the pan firmly on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles, and bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (340°F) for approximately fifty minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Remove the cake from the oven, immediately unmold it carefully onto a wire rack, and allow the sponge to cool completely to room temperature before assembling.
6. In a small saucepan, bring the water and granulated sugar to a boil, let it bubble for three minutes, turn off the heat, stir in the Irish cream liqueur, and set the syrup aside.
7. Beat the heavy whipping cream in a bowl until it thickens, gradually add the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form, and then gently beat in the mascarpone cheese until you have a smooth and homogeneous frosting.
8. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice the cooled cake in half horizontally to create two even layers, and place the bottom half cut-side up on your final serving plate.
9. Drizzle exactly half of the prepared Irish cream syrup evenly over the bottom cake layer, and drizzle the remaining half over the cut side of the top cake layer.
10. Stir the cooked sweetened condensed milk to soften it, spread it in an even layer over the bottom half of the cake, and carefully place the top half of the cake over the filling.
11. Spread the mascarpone frosting evenly over the top and sides of the assembled cake using an offset spatula, dust the top lightly with cocoa powder, decorate with roasted coffee beans, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Adapted from a Recipe by: Neuza Costa