Coffee Bundt Cake

One of the easier cakes that I have baked.  This is the first time I tired baking with solely coffee.  I was a little reluctant, as I have tried recipes with coffee with a combination of other things…..ie. espresso chocolate cake, espresso raspberry….etc….but this is definately my first.  I figured, if this didn’t taste right, there was really no other taste to hide behind.  Overall, I thought it was okay, but if I would to make it again, I would probably use a stronger coffee (I used Nescafe Rich).  I would have put more, but I was also afraid it would come out too bitter.  The coffee is the last to go into the batter, so if you give it a quick taste, it’s just as easy to add more in according to your preference.  Keep in mind, it’s easy to add, if it’s not enough, but if you put too much, you can’t really take it out.

Ingredients:
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup yogurt
4 tsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 Tbsp. hot water
Icing sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Prepare a 10-inch bundt pan with baking spray, and set aside.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs.  Add the sugar, and beat until combined.  Add the melted butter, yogurt, and coffee, and whisk until combined.

Fold in the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean with moist crumbs. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting the cake onto a serving plate.

Sprinkle a dusting a icing sugar.  Enjoy!

 

 

Coffee Chocolate Cake with Mocha Cocoa Frosting

This was a pretty easy recipe, as most of the ingredients were in my pantry, but most of all, it was a one bowl cake mixture.  No fuss!!!  I found some almond slices and threw it into my toaster oven for a little burnt taste.  The last time I made this for my office, there were people that didn’t like the liqueur, so I substituted that with a shot of espresso from the local coffee shop.

Cake Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup brewed coffee

Frosting Ingredients:
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. Cocoa
4 tbsp. warm water
1 tbsp. espresso (more if desired)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare two 8″ or 9″ round pans.  Line the bottom of your round pans with parchment paper for easy release.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, cake flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed, then stir in the coffee mixture.

Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then flip them out on a wire rack and let completely cool before frosting and top with sliced almonds.  (I toasted my almond slices, for a little burnt taste)

For the frosting:
Melt butter in a saucepan on low heat.  Stir in cocoa, water and espresso.  Remove from heat.  Gradually add powdered sugar, beating slowly, until it get to your desired consistency.  Add additional water if it gets too thick.

 

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have never really had patience with making cookies, cupcakes or even muffins, but this recipe seems to be easy to put together.  All the ingredients, I already have in my pantry, so it’s easy to whip together.  I usually have this batter made and sitting in my freezer, just in case there’s a need of emergency dessert night.  Of course, warm cookies coming out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream is a dessert that most people can not turn down.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup hot water
1 tbsp. instant coffee

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Dissolve the instant coffee into the hot water and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream butter and both sugars together until well combined.  Add vanilla and eggs one at a time.  Once combined, mix in coffee mixture.

Lastly, pour in flour mixture until just combined and fold in chocolate chips.

Roll cookie dough into one tablespoon measurements and drop onto lined cookie sheet and lightly press with the back of a spoon.  Bake for approximately 10 minutes.

Or you can pretend to be creative like me and make BIG cookies.  Just bake them a little longer.

An extra large Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookie with espresso chocolate frozen yogurt.

 

 

 

Coffee Chocolate Brownies

I love brownies!!!  Brownies have always been my ultimate favorite, when it comes to baking.  In my opinion, it seems like it has always been a great accomplishment with the least amount of work, the least amount of ingredients and a great satisfaction when it comes to the final product.  Brownies are quite versatile as a snack by itself, or dressing it up with a quick frosting or even a ganache.  If you’re looking to fancy it up, a scoop of ice cream and a little drizzle will dress it up very nicely.

Ingredients

6 oz dark chocolate chips
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup butter
1 tsp instant coffee
⅓ cup boiling water
3 eggs, room temperature, beaten
1¾ cup sugar
1 cup cake flour
1-2 tbsp. cocoa powder to coat the pan
1 cup of walnut (optional)

Brownies:
Preheat oven to 325°F.  Grease and flour 9″x 13″ baking pan with cocoa powder making sure to tap out all excess powder.

Melt both the dark and the semi-sweet chocolate chips and butter together in a double boiler until chocolate has fully melted.

Combine boiling water and instant coffee, stirring to dissolve coffee granules. Pour coffee into melted chocolate and stir until fully combined.  Cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, beat eggs in a mixing bowl until light and frothy.  Add the sugar and beat for two minutes on medium speed.  Reduce speed to low and beat in room temperature chocolate-coffee mixture.  Stir in flour just until combined.

Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the walnuts on to of batter.  Bake for 40 minutes or until brownies are set.

 

Coffee Marble Bundt Cake

This is the first time I’ve made this cake.  It caught my eye when I say that there coffee in it.  The other marble cakes that I’ve seen was just vanilla and chocolate, so with this added touch, I thought I would give it a try.  The texture of the top of the cake had a nice crust to it as well.  The most important thing is to have the bundt cake pan greased well, not too keen on having the cake stuck to the pan!

 

Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
4 large eggs, beaten, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder, dutch processed
1/3 cup brewed strong coffee  (or 1/3 cup hot water with 1 tbsp. instant coffee)
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Butter and flour the inside of an 8-cup bundt cake pan and tap out the excess flour evenly.  ***Be sure that pan is evenly greased***

In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa, coffee, 3 tablespoons sugar, and almond extract together in a medium bowl to dissolve the cocoa.  Mix until smooth.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.

In a large bowl, beat the butter in the bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in 1 ½ cups of the sugar, then add the vanilla. Beat until the mixture is very light in color and texture.  Slowly beat in the eggs on low speed, until completely combined. Add the flour in four additions, scraping down the bowl as needed and beating until smooth after each addition.

Transfer a little less than half of the batter to the cocoa mixture and mix with a spoon until smooth. Using a 2 ½-inch diameter ice cream scoop, alternate scoops of the vanilla and chocolate batters into the pan. With a blunt knife, swirl the batters together, taking care not to touch the sides of the pan. Gently smooth the top.

Bake until the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed with your finger, and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Cool on a wire cake rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack to cool completely.