This Qahwa (Arabic Coffee) Milk Cake is the perfect addition to your Iftar spread! The strong, cardamom flavor of the coffee pairs perfectly with the sweet condensed and evaporated milk and creates a delicious combination that you’ll fall head over heels for! It’s simple, delicious, and an absolute show-stopper!
If there’s one thing that’s loved equally across the world, it’s coffee. It’s quite obviously the most popular drink in the world. Hot or cold, black or with milk, flavored or unflavored, coffee is a drink that’s celebrated in every shape and form.
The coolest thing about coffee, however, is how it varies from region to region. A lot of people think coffee only means their regular old Starbucks cappuccino, but it’s so much more than that. Every region has its own unique way of making coffee. Take Turkish coffee, for instance. It might look like your regular americano, but it’s so much more than that.
Similarly, Arabic coffee, or Qahwa, is Middle East’s answer to coffee. This heavily spiced, fragrant, coffee is made with green coffee beans and holds a rich flavor with notes of cardamom and saffron. It’s served espresso style in special Qahwa cups.
When you walk into a Middle Eastern home, you know you’re going to be greeted with a cup of Qahwa with fresh dates on the side, the sweetness of which perfectly complements the bitter coffee.
Not just homes, even Middle Eastern shops and hotels always have a corner of Qahwa and dates for their visitors. That’s just how it is over here. Qahwa is part of the culture of the region’s hospitality and togetherness.
Having lived in the Middle East all my life, I have had my fair share of Qahwa, especially during Ramadan. The flavor is reminiscent of Ramadan for me because you would always get a cup of Qahwa served to you after breaking your fast, and it was the perfect thing to finish off a heavy meal and relax.
So of course, I had to create a Ramadan dessert that features the popular Arabic coffee. Now Qahwa has a very bold flavor, when you drink it, the cardamom notes hit you like a punch. I really wanted to channel that strong flavor in the dessert as much as possible, so I knew that a tres leches or three milk cake would be the perfect dessert for it.
If you haven’t read my Rooh Afza milk cake recipe yet, a Tres Leches or Three Milk Cake is a traditional cake that’s soaked with a mixture of three kinds of milk – heavy/whipping cream, condensed milk, and evaporated milk (hence the name). A Tres leches cake is really all about the milk mixture. The cake itself just acts as a sponge that takes in all the flavor of the milk and the milk can be flavored with almost anything, which made it the perfect vehicle to channel the bold flavors of Qahwa!
To bring out the flavors of the Arabic coffee, I flavored the three milk mixture with an instant Qahwa mix (link). You should be able to find these easily in any Middle Eastern store! The sweetness of the condensed and evaporated milk really helped balance the caradmom-y flavors of Qahwa and made for the perfect dessert!
The cake sponge itself is a classic Tres leches sponge made with only 3 pantry staple ingredients – eggs, sugar, and flour. The cake acts like an actual sponge and takes in all the delicious flavors of the milk when soaked in it and resulting in a juicy, melt-in-the-mouth dessert.
Tres leches is really one of the simplest desserts to make but tastes absolutely amazing. The best part is that you can make it one night before and have it ready for Iftar the next day! In fact, it tastes best when you let the cake soak overnight in the milk mixture.
Minimum effort, maximum return! 😉
If you, like the whole of the Middle East, love Qahwa, then this is the perfect dessert for you!
So grab a cup of Qahwa and let’s begin!
Qahwa Milk Cake | Arabic Coffee Milk Cake
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment
- 2 mixing bowls
- Hand whisk
- Silicone spatula
- 6 inch cake pan
Ingredients
Three Milk Mixture
- 160 ml liquid whipping cream or heavy cream
- 17 gs instant arabic coffee powder
- 280 ml condensed milk
- 100 ml evaporated milk
Cake sponge
- 4 eggs, separated
- 70 gs sugar, separated in half
- 80 gs all-purpose flour
Topping
- 200 gs liquid whipping cream
- 50 gs cocoa powder
Instructions
Three Milk Mixture
- Warm the liquid whipping cream in a bowl, then add the instant Qahwa powder into it. Whisk the mixture until the coffee is completely dissolved in the cream.160 ml liquid whipping cream or heavy cream, 17 gs instant arabic coffee powder
- Add the condensed milk and evaporated milk into the whipping cream mixture and whisk until combined and set it aside.280 ml condensed milk, 100 ml evaporated milk
Cake Sponge
- Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Prepare your cake pan – grease with softened butter in all corners and dust with flour to avoid the cake from sticking to the pan while baking.
- Separate the egg yolks and whites in two bowls, then add half of the sugar (35 g) in the egg yolk and the remaining half (35 g) in the egg whites.4 eggs, separated, 70 gs sugar, separated in half
- Whisk the egg yolk and sugar mixture on high speed until it becomes pale, fluffy, and creamy.
- Separately, whisk the egg white and sugar mixture on high speed until it reaches stiff peaks*. In a separate bowl, measure the flour and keep it aside.
- Fold the egg white mixture and the flour into the egg yolk mixture in 2 increments, alternating after each addition. Follow this order – add half of the egg white mixture into the egg yolks and fold it with a silicone spatula gently until it’s well combined, then add half of the flour and fold it in until there are no streaks of flour visible, then add the remaining half of the egg white and fold it in, followed by the remaining half of the flour. Make sure you are taking your time and folding the ingredients in gently. You want to maintain the airiness of the egg whites so that your cake is light, fluffy, and not dense.80 gs all-purpose flour
- Transfer the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center and the top is golden-brown.
- Once the cake is done, take it out of the cake pan, poke holes in it using a fork and pour the prepared milk mixture on the cake while it’s still hot so that the milk can get properly absorbed. Keep adding the milk until the cake stops absorbing it, and let it chill in the fridge overnight. Make sure to retain some milk mixture for serving.
- Make the chocolate whipped cream: In a bowl, whisk together liquid whipping cream, icing sugar, and cocoa powder until the cream reaches stiff peaks. Top with the cream and remaining milk mixture before serving.200 gs liquid whipping cream, 50 gs cocoa powder
Notes
And that’s how you turn your favorite coffee into a dessert! 😍
I hope you enjoyed this recipe and add it to your Ramadan recipe list!
If you try this recipe, don’t forget to tell me how you liked it in the comments below, and of course, share it on Instagram with #ministryofpastry!
See you next time!
