Since our oven no longer works I am very intrigued to try this recipe of yours!
When I read the title I wondered if you'd be describing how to make a Portuguese Cookie Cake. I made one for a before-Christmas gathering for a group of very good cooks and foodies. Once again they loved it and it is very simple. The directions I follow were given to me by a pen friend in Portugal who makes it all the time for his family. He doesn't use tapioca to preserve it as it just doesn't last long enough to justify the bother.
Get everything ready ahead of time. Here is what we do:
For the coffee: I pick up a 16oz cup of a good quality dark roast from our favorite place.
For the Chantilly: Put a pint of heavy cream from the fridge into the freezer about a half hour ahead of making the cake. Measure out four tablespoons of powdered sugar. Add two tsp vanilla. Whip all the ingredients together until it holds peaks in a metal bowl and then put in the freezer until needed and again after each use.
For the cookies: Open up two tubes of Mariaās wafer cookies. (I donāt break any up to use to fill in between the whole cookies.)
For garnish: Find a bar of dark chocolate with some coffee in it. I like expresso flavored. Use a knife to turn it into a pile of shavings.
Assembling the cake:
Get a big enough plate. Dip the first cookie in the coffee face down, turn it w/ a dinner fork, steady it with fingers of your other hand, shake it off and then place it dead center on the plate. The goal should be to get the cookie saturated with coffee but you have to be careful it doesnāt get too saturated or it will fall apart.
Do the same for six more, one at a time and place each one around the center cookie to complete the first layer.
Now take the Chantilly out of the freezer and spread it over that layer about an 1/8 inch or more and then return the bowl to the freezer.
Repeat for as many layers as you like. Make sure you have enough left for a nice top layer and if there is enough you could consider spreading some all around the sides. Finish by spreading the shavings from your bar of coffee themed dark chocolate over the top.
If you're making it ahead of time it is good to freeze it in Tupperware cake box of some kind. It can then travel for an hour to get where you're going and sit around for a couple more until dinner is done and it is time for desserts.
Here is a video showing one way to make a restaurant quality Portuguese Cookie Cake
. This looks both more pro and like much more trouble. Iām sure using gelatin would make the cake more stable for longer.
https://youtu.be/Z2860QKkav0?si=zjIglYQZib3FMfBv