Dalgona Coffee Snack Cake
Dalgona Coffee Snack Cake—Mocha sponge cake topped with an espresso Russian buttercream and finished with crushed dalgona sugar candy pieces!
Hi!
Did you know that September 29th is National Coffee Day! Well, if you didn't, you do now!
I recently partnered with Eagle Brand® to bring you something special that's coffee-inspired for #NationalCoffeeDay. After a lot of careful thinking about one of my favorite beverages ever, I landed on this incredible Dalgona Coffee Snack Cake!
I have been obsessed with dalgona coffee since it went viral this past March and then became more obsessed with dalgona candy once I learned more about dalgona candy and the origins of this classic Korean candy—Dalgona (달고나) or ppopgi (뽑기) is a Korean candy made with melted sugar and baking soda. It was a popular street snack in the 1970s and 1980s and is still eaten as a retro food. It has a different name for each region.
This cake is my homage to the dalgona coffee trend and famous dalgona (달고나) or ppopgi candy found throughout Korea. The cake recipe is an adaptation from a recipe I found in my Nana's recipe box that I felt would lend itself to using Eagle Brand®, which it indeed did! The Espresso Russian Buttercream is new to me; simply butter and sweetened condensed milk and espresso powder (and a touch of vanilla for good measure), which has truly changed the way I'll be frosting my cakes in the future.
Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk allows the cake to stay tendered and moist, yet doesn't overpower with the sweetness. The buttercream is rich, silky, and mildly sweet, almost caramel flavor in the finish.
I love Eagle Brand®, and it's genuinely one of my staple pantry items. After you bake this cake, and if Eagle Brand® isn't a mainstay in your pantry, it will surely become one!
If you do bake this dalgona coffee snack cake, and I hope you do, I'd love to share in that moment with you. Tag me on Instagram @foxandcrane and use my hashtag #foxandcrane so I may see your baking adventures!
xo -Jase
Paid Partnership
I’d like to give a huge thank you to Eagle Brand® for sponsoring this post! All my thoughts/opinions in this post are my own.
…Good to Knows…
Cocoa Powder
For this recipe, I used Black cocoa power, which I found landed such a nice, bold, and sharp contrast to the sweetness from the sweetened condensed milk. You may use any cocoa powder in your pantry, as all will work nicely—Due note: the lighter the cocoa powered, the sweeter it will make the cake.
Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk in a cake recipe?
I've fallen in love with using Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk in cake recipes when the recipe calls for dairy. The concentration of dairy leans such a tenderness to the crumb and allows the cake to stay intensely moist.
Sour Cream
In this recipe, I used full-fat sour cream; however, you can easily swap in a full-fat plain yogurt if you'd prefer. I know not everyone has a use for a container of sour cream in their everyday lives, so yogurt is a great alternative. I have not attempted this recipe with a buttermilk swap, so I can't suggest it as of yet, but when I do, I'll update this section with my results—If you do try buttermilk before I do, please leave a comment below.
Neutral Oil
I developed this recipe with safflower oil, as safflower oil is my favorite neutral oil. Alternatively, for or this recipe, or any of my recipes that require a neutral oil, here are some great options to use: pure olive oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil.
Strongly Brewed Espresso or Coffee
If espresso is not readily available in your kitchen, I suggest either brewing coffee at double strength, using instant coffee or espresso powder with boiling water. The cake will not have a coffee flavor it without the coffee buttercream. The addition of strongly brewed coffee is added as it enhances the chocolate's flavor from the cocoa powder.
Russian Buttercream, what is it?
Russian buttercream refers to a style of buttercream with only two ingredients; butter and sweetened condensed milk. This buttercream is commonly used throughout Russia on cakes and in baking. Sweetened condensed milk lends itself amazingly to making buttercream, as it gives a pleasant, not overly sweet, rich flavor. Russian buttercream is very simple to make, takes not long to prepare, and is perfect for piping as well; due note to follow a few essential rules for real success.
…Provisions…
Surface: My Studio
Dish-ware: East Fork Pottery
Square Pan: USA Pan
For a full list of recipes, check out the Recipe Index
Dalgona Coffee Snack Cake
…makes one 8"x8" cake…
serves 9-16 people
Chocolate Snack Cake
165g (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
50g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
120ml (1/2 cup) neutral oil
100g (1/2 cup) white granulated sugar
66g (1/3 cup) light brown sugar
2 large brown eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod
170ml (approx 1/2 can) Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk
180ml (3/4 cup) sour cream
80ml (1/3 cup) strongly brewed espresso or coffee
Coffee Buttercream
113g (4z, or one stick) room temp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
170ml (approx 1/2 can) Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod
1/2 tsp salt
Dalgona Sugar Candy
200g (1cup) white granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
Optional
chocolate shavings
…METHOD…
CHOCOLATE SNACK CAKE
As always, gather, weigh out, and prepare all ingredients prior to mixing. Preheat the oven to 375˚f/190˚c with rack in the center position. Spray a 8-inch square pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar until combine. Now add eggs, whisking one at a time until fully incorporated. Now add Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
Using a ruler spatula, add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, in thirds, stirring gently just combined. Caution to not over mix. Now is the time to add the brewed coffee and continue stirring until the cake batter is velvety smooth.
Pour cake batter into your prepared baking pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles and place in your preheated oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer/toothpick comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a baking rack. Allow the cake to cool completely (1-3 hours) before frosting.
COFFEE BUTTERCREAM
Prepare your stand mixer with a fitted whisk attachment, and whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5-7 minutes. The butter should double in size and lighten in color. Now add the espresso powder, vanilla, and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated.
Increase the speed to medium and start to slowly pour in the Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl throughout the process. The sweetened condensed milk sometimes gathers at the bottom of the bowl, so be sure to incorporate everything.
Once fully incorporated and is a silky, spreadable consistency, you are ready to ice your cake.
DALGONA SUGAR CANDY
As always, gather, weigh out, and prepare all ingredients and equipment prior to making. Preparation is essential fo this recipe as it goes very quickly. Lined sheet pan with parchment paper, set aside.
In a heavy bottom saucepan over low heat, add sugar and melt, occasionally stirring with a wooden chopstick or skewer, until the sugars temperature reaches 300 degrees F.
Immediately remove sugar from heat and whisk in the baking soda until combined—the candy will bubble up and turn a light golden-brown color—and pour the dalgona candy mixture onto the prepared sheet pan—don't doddle as it will start to set up quickly—and allow to cool for at least 1-3 hours before breaking into pieces.
…ASSEMBLY…
Place cake on your chosen serving dish, board, or platter. Generously spread the buttercream onto the cake using an offset spatula or spoon, and don't be shy—you want this to be a very thick layer of buttercream. Finish off the cake with all different size pieces for your dalgona candy and if you like, add some additional shaved chocolate as well. Now it’s time to snack away—Enjoy!
…AFTERMATH…
If there are any leftover slices of cake by chance, you may store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. But trust me, most likely there will be nothing remaining–this cake causes you to ask for seconds.
Easiest skillet recipe, although a handful of steps, that will impress your dinner guests every time!