Coffee "cake"

I was intrigued by this recipe when I saw it last week. I've had coffee jello a few times and don't really love it; I find it a little harsh and too sweet, but I thought that it might be better tempered with the condensed milk layers. Plus: layers! Modern jello mold! Fun! I like stripes!

It came together easily, set up more quickly than I was expecting and looks great. Where it's lacking though: flavor and texture. I should have known better when I looked at the recipe in the first place: make regular-strength coffee then dilute it by half? I mean, I drink my coffee pretty strong, but even so, a robustly flavored dessert that does not make. What it does make is something that tastes overwhelmingly ... neutral. A couple spoonsful of instant espresso added with the hot water would have done wonders. Ditto the condensed milk layer. Cream instead of water and a splash of vanilla next time. Another problem was that the recipe called for the same amount of gelatin in each of the mixtures, despite them being different volumes. So the milk layer is so fully set up that it's almost chewy, when I want it to be meltier, more like panna cotta.

So: good idea, lousy recipe, but one worth revisiting.