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1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dissolve the instant coffee in a bowl with 1/3 cup warm water.
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2
Cook the sugar in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to melt.
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3
Continue cooking, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the sugar turns amber, about 7 minutes.
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4
Remove from the heat (don't worry if a few lumps of sugar remain).
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5
Carefully stir in the coffee mixture until smooth.
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6
Pour the caramel into an 8-inch-square baking pan; tilt the pan to coat the bottom and halfway up the sides.
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7
Let cool until the caramel is no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
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8
Lay the cake halves, cut-side down, next to each other on top of the caramel in the prepared pan.
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9
Poke the cake all over with a fork.
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10
Whisk the eggs and yolks in a bowl until foamy.
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11
Slowly whisk in the condensed milk and evaporated milk until smooth.
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12
Pour the egg mixture over the cake, gently pressing on the cake so it soaks up the liquid.
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13
Cover the pan with foil and bake until set, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
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14
Transfer to a rack, remove the foil and let cool 30 minutes.
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15
Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake, then invert it onto a plate and unmold, letting the caramel drip onto the plate.
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16
Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
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17
(The cake can be refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days.)
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18
Beat the cream with a mixer until soft peaks form.
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19
Slice the cake; top with the whipped cream.
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20
Photograph by Kang Kim