Category: Blog

If you are looking for the perfect dessert recipes, do not worry. We have found the woman for you. That’s to say – we found her blog. It’s called Desserts for Breakfast and after browsing through some posts you will most certainly want to have dessert for breakfast! Potentially also for lunch and dinner…

So as always we were searching for the perfect coffee recipes, or at least recipes that go well with coffee and we found just the thing – a double chocolate pound cake with rose frosting. This is as romantic as it sounds and will probably put you in the category of most beloved girlfriend/boyfriend ever if you serve it for breakfast. With a rose, naturally. If you don’t have time in the morning you could serve it for dessert too. In bed, or out of bed. We are sure it will work its magic!

 

Double chocolate (espresso) pound cake
adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Cake Bible
makes 6-7 large cupcakes, more if using regular-sized cupcake liners

2 Tbspn Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 Tbspn + 1 1/2 tspn black cocoa powder (or substitute with Dutch-processed cocoa)
1 tspn instant coffee powder or espresso powder
1/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tspn vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (125 gr) AP flour
3/4 cup + 2 Tbspn (175 gr) granulated sugar
3/4 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn salt
13 Tbspn (184 gr) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk to combine the cocoa powders, coffee powder, and boiling water. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Once the chocolate mixture is cool, whisk in the vanilla and eggs until combined and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine.
5. Add half of the chocolate mixture and the softened butter to the flour. Mix on low until the flour is moistened and then increase speed to medium and beat for one minute to aerate.
6. Add the remaining chocolate mixture to the batter in two additions, beating for twenty seconds after each addition. Finally, beat in the chocolate chips.
7. Divide the batter amongst the paper cupcake molds, filling each about 3/4 of the way.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Rose-scented cream cheese frosting
adapted from Magnolia Bakery

1/2 stick butter, at room temperature
1/2 tspn vanilla extract
1/2 tspn rosewater
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
8 oz. cream cheese, cold
1 drop pink gel food coloring

1. Beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the vanilla extract and rosewater and mix until combined.
3. Beat in the sifted powdered sugar.
4. Gradually add small chunks of the cold cream cheese, beating well after each addition. Mix in the food coloring at the end.
5. Use to pipe onto cupcakes immediately.  Top with shaved dark chocolate.

NOTE: I used a large closed-star tip for the frosting in these photos.

 

The coffee connoisseurs have for a long time turned up their nose to decaf coffee – what’s coffee without the caffeine buzz? Decaf coffee has also been known to have its taste compromised by the decaffeination process. However, the process is getting better and better and sometimes people want the taste of coffee, but have no wish to stay up all night, or getting the jittery side effect caffeine sometimes brings.

There are various ways do decaffeinate coffee, so let’s have a look at them!

The Swiss water process is, well, using water. You can easily remove caffeine from coffee beans by just soaking them in water, the problem is they also loose flavour if you do that. So as to overcome this, the Swiss method soaks the beans in water that has already been saturated with the oils and other substances that would otherwise dissolve into the water. This means a lot of beans are being used because to obtain the water they first need to soak other beans in it, remove the caffeine by filtering and then soak the beans they wish to decaffeinate. The great thing is that it’s natural.

The direct method is one that uses a chemical to remove the caffeine. It’s sometimes referred to as natural as the chemical used is either dichloromethane or ethyl acetate and those occur in nature, but as it’s too difficult to extract the large amount needed synthetic versions are used for removing the caffeine. The process looks like this: the beans are steamed for 30 minutes, then rinsed with one of the two chemicals for around ten hours and then the solvent is drained away and the beans are steamed for about ten hours to remove any solvent left on them.

The indirect method is similar to the Swiss water process in the sense that it uses saturated water. It differs in that the caffeine is removed from the water using dichloromethane or ethyl acetate.

There’s also the CO2 process where pre-steamed beans are immersed in supercritical carbon dioxide in a pressure chamber at 73 to 300 atmospheres. After about ten hours the CO2 is removed, containing the caffeine, the caffeine is filtered away by use of carbon and is then recycled for the next batch. This method is often praised as no harmful chemicals are used.

Last, but not least, there’s the triglyceride method in which green beans are soaked in hot coffee, or water to bring the caffeine to the surface. Then they are soaked in a solution of oils from used coffee grounds. Under heat this means that the triglycerides separate the caffeine from the coffee beans, whilst the flavour remains. The oils are reused once the caffeine has been removed.

Two beans have also been discovered to naturally contain very little caffeine. However, there has been a debate about one of the beans as it was discovered by a Brazilian, but the bean is from Ethiopia, so as a result the coffee isn’t on the market. Another bean was found in Cameroon in 2009, but as it takes two years to germinate seeds to plant and another four before harvest, it’s as yet to be seen if this bean will be released on the market. An issue with these beans is that companies make millions on decaffeinating coffee beans as the caffeine is then sold to soft drink companies and the beans themselves can be sold to consumers, whereas with these new beans people might vote to stop drinking coffee that has been artificially decaffeinated. So as a result it might be that corporations are holding back on the natural beans, or at least that’s what people gossip about, but who knows?

It’s supposed to be spring, but winter can still be felt in the air in between moments of sunshine. It will take a little while longer until the picnic season starts, so for now, why not arrange the perfect stay at home and cuddle date night, sprinkled with chocolate? If anything will set your happy hormones going it’s the combination of cuddles and chocolate!

Chocolate has long been known for its aphrodisiac properties potentially because it contains theobromine and caffeine, which work as stimulants. According to Wikipedia: “research looking at the psychoactivity of chocolate reveals that methyl xanthine, an active biological substance found in chocolate, competes with adenosine, a presynaptic inhibitor modulator, and blocks its receptor.This induced blockage can lead to arousal. The participants’ blood pressure decreased, and they showed improvements in insulin sensitivity, meaning they were better able to metabolize glucose.” In other words: consuming chocolate ain’t half bad, so long as you don’t overindulge and stick with the darker versions as they contain no milk and less sugar, meaning you get more of the effect of the cacao and less of a sugar rush.

So what could you do as a chocolate date? There are a few different options. You could, for example, serve a three course meal where every dish included chocolate. In South America there are many recipes that call for chocolate, mainly as a sauce for meat. As for dessert you could serve any kind of chocolate cake, or pudding. Afterwards you could have an espresso served with a praline, or if you like you can make that your dessert. You can also whip up a chocolate Martini, or make a hot chocolate (or cold) with some Baileys in it.

A classic and simple date night can also be sitting by the fire, roasting marshmallows, or chestnuts whilst sipping hot chocolate. You can add a dash of chili, cinnamon, or cardamom to add some spice and keep you even warmer. You can also buy, or make some chocolate sauce for more interesting endeavors by the fireplace, or between the sheets…

If you are a fan of ice skating a nice and relaxed date can be to go to your local ice skating rink and bring some steaming hot chocolate, preferably spiced up with chili and maybe a praline, or two for some extra luxury. You could also bring along hot chocolate for a country walk in winter. Blankets and wooly hats can be kinda cozy, at least when accompanied by chocolate!

Serving a romantic chocolate breakfast with hot chocolate and pancakes with chocolate sauce is another treat anyone is sure to appreciate.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company we sell Van Houten’s luxury hot chocolate blend which makes it quick and easy for us to whip up a hot chocolate here at the office whenever the temperature goes down and potentially when we lack a hot date to make up for it…

Do you like hot chocolate? We do! We sell the Van Houten luxury hot chocolate in various shapes and forms, one being their Fairtrade one. Hot chocolate, especially brands such as Van Houten that do the luxury versions can be nice to buy premade – all you have to do is add milk in some cases, or water in others. However, you may want to do something more with it and below are some ideas for how to serve your hot chocolate, how to spice it up and how to make your own blend.

Own Blend

1 tbsp good quality cacao

1-2 tbsp sugar, honey, xylitol or maple syrup

1 tbsp cold milk (whether traditional milk, or a vegan version), or cream

1 cup hot milk (whether traditional milk, or a vegan version)

Mix the cacao, sweetener and cold milk or cream in a cup. Add hot milk and stir.

Mint Chocolate

Especially around Christmas time people go crazy for mint candy canes and using them with your hot chocolate is a perfect way to bring some Christmas cheer. Just add a few traditional, sweet white and red mint caramels to the hot chocolate and allow them to dissolve. Serve with whipped cream and either crush some caramels and pour on top, put two small caramels on there, or simply stick a candy cane in there.

Orange Chocolate

Many people are fans of combining orange and chocolate. You can add a drop or two of orange oil/extract into your chocolate, or buy an orange syrup. If you like you can make it a tad more Mexican and spicy by also adding a dash of chili and cinnamon. You can serve it with whipped cream and some candied orange slices on the side of the glass, or on top of the whipped cream if you use it. You can also sprinkle it with cinnamon and/or put a cinnamon stick in the glass, or next to it.

Seventh Heaven Hot Chocolate

This is a recipe we found from DivineCaroline, who mentions it will take you to seventh heaven…

Ingredients
3 cups unsweetened chocolate almond milk
3 cups sweetened chocolate almond milk
1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream or Frangelico
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Directions
Heat almond milk and spices in a pot until they’re hot, but not boiling. Add Bailey’s and Grand Marnier. Note that you can use all sweetened or all unsweetened almond milk. Serves four to six.

We sell the Van Houten Fairtrade hot chocolate here and you may wonder why we have chosen to do this and what Fairtrade is all about.

In the chocolate industry there is a lot of slavery going on and especially child slavery. This is sad, but as most chocolatiers had little to do with the actual farmers it has been hard to control it. Now chocolate companies are starting to step up and take action though. A huge trend is seen in consumer awareness and a willingness to pay more if the consumers know the goods they buy actually help, not harm the people they bought it from.

Chocolate maker Ferrero has pledged to eradicate slavery from farms where it sources its cocoa by 2020 and Nestle allowed the Fair Labor Association to go in and research their entire supply chain to try to find out where there was potential slavery involved. Many farms did violate child labor rights and the company is now working on improving their supply chain. Hershey pledged $10 million last year to try to improve working conditions in the West African chocolate production.

With all the media attention and companies busting in to try to help educate the farmers in both technique and etiquette overall working conditions are getting better, but that does not mean that child slavery has been completely abandoned. Therefore, if you want to know for sure that there is no slavery involved in the making of you chocolate it is safer to buy the Fairtrade label.

From the Fairtrade organization: There are two distinct sets of Fairtrade Standards, which acknowledge different types of disadvantaged producers. One set of standards applies to smallholders that are working together in co-operatives or other organizations with a democratic structure. The other set applies to workers, whose employers pay decent wages, guarantee the right to join trade unions, ensure health and safety standards and provide adequate housing where relevant.

Fairtrade Standards also cover terms of trade. Most products have a Fairtrade Price, which is the minimum that must be paid to the producers. In addition producers get an additional sum, the Fairtrade Premium, to invest in their communities. 

So now you know why we sell the Van Houten Fairtrade hot chocolate!

Just as they have tea ceremonies in Japan they have coffee ceremonies in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is the 7^th largest producer of coffee in the world and half of all the coffee produced is used by the Ethiopians themselves! However, Ethiopians only consume, on average, 1.3kg of coffee per capita per year, whereas in Finland, who tops the world charts, that number is 12kg!

A coffee ceremony is done in the home and is a tradition that gives an opportunity for people to gather together and talk. Normally Ethiopians perform the ceremony three times a day – morning midday and evening. It’s seen as a sign of friendship and respect if you get invited to a coffee ceremony.

The ceremony is performed by a woman in the household, who wears the traditional Ethiopian white dress with embroidered hems. She will spread some grass and/or flowers on the floor, light incense to ward off evil spirits and serve a light snack, usually popcorn.

First the green beans are roasted in a brazier over hot coal, or a fire, until they turn brown, sometimes adding cardamom, cinnamon and/or cloves. Then they are ground in a mortar. After this the ground beans are placed in a jebena, the traditional round bottomed coffee pot and boiled with water until the coffee boils up through the neck. When this happens it’s poured in and out of another container for cooling purposes and then put back to boil once more in some traditions. Others simply serve the coffee.

When the coffee is ready to be served it’s poured one feet above the cups, in an artful display of skill that also prevents the grounds from falling into the cups. Sometimes the youngest child serves the oldest adult first and then the hostess serves the other guests.

Ethiopian coffee is sometimes served with sugar, salt, honey, or butter. The taste of the coffee greatly differs from western coffee and usually has a burnt taste to it.

Three rounds of coffee are always served as a spiritual tradition of cleansing. This means that once the first round is poured more water is added to the pot for a second round and so on.

Although some westerners may object to the taste of the coffee served during these kind of ceremonies, it’s a beautiful social event and it’s an honor to be invited to a ceremony. It also makes you reflect upon the use of coffee and tea as drinks that have brought people together for centuries. Even in today’s hectic world people still go to coffee shops to sit down and read the news on their iPads, or to meet a friend for a chat.

We once again visited Heidi’s site (101 cookbooks) for some inspiration about how to use coffee and cacao in baking. This time we found a black bean brownie recipe and got excited as getting your pulses at the same time as your chocolate and coffee kick is quite an impressive feat and makes this recipe sound almost healthy. Especially as it is also using agave nectar instead of sugar. You can also use honey if you fancy, although it will alter the taste, if not the consistency of the brownies.

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups soft-cooked black beans, drained well (hs: canned is fine)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup instant coffee (or natural coffee substitute)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 large eggs
1½ cups light agave nectar

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 11- by 18-inch (rimmed) baking pan (hs note: or jellyroll pan) with parchment paper and lightly oil with canola oil spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high. Stir with a spoon to melt the chocolate completely. Place the beans, 1/2 cup of the walnuts, the vanilla extract, and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Blend about 2 minutes, or until smooth. The batter should be thick and the beans smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer beat the eggs until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the agave nectar and beat well. Set aside.

Add the bean/chocolate mixture to the coffee/chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well.

Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are set. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting into squares. (They will be soft until refrigerated.)

Makes 45 (2-inch) brownies.

The recipe was originally printed in Baking With Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature’s Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. (Ten Speed Press 2008)

There is a clear trend to go towards natural and in some cases organic products as more and more processed products, especially those containing additives are proven to be bad for us. From genetically modified maize to corn syrup and colourants people are starting to become weary. It makes sense as well – if you eat what the earth provides you with you will feel better than if you eat weird man made products. This together with the fact that many people suffer from being overweight, or developing diabetes, people have started turning towards healthier options when it comes to putting sweeteners in their tea, or coffee. Even hot chocolate can be made with sweeteners other than refined white sugar. Below you will find a breakdown of what is believed to be healthier options.

Raw Cane Sugar

Maybe the most usual sweetener today in coffee shops raw cane sugar is simply evaporated cane juice, so it’s somewhat refined. Unlike white sugar it has not been bleached though.

Stevia

Stevia is a herb, but what you find in the shops is either a liquid, or a refined white powder. So yes, it’s refined, but a few drops can sweeten your entire cup of coffee and provide you with zero calories and zero insulin fluctuations. It’s actually been proven to potentially combat some forms of diabetes. The problem with stevia is that it doesn’t taste that great – yes it sweetens things but it comes with a chemical undertone, even though there are no chemicals in it.

Honey

Honey is as natural as natural can be. Especially if you buy non-radiated, unpasteurized honey. The problem with honey is that unless it states the farmer does not feed his, or her bees with antibiotics, it might be pumped full of those. Another problem is that honey can be dangerous if raw, due to bacteria, but this is really rare. Vegans don’t always eat honey either, as it comes from bees. An upside of honey is that it’s a natural antiseptic and antibiotic and is said to boost the immune system as well. It’s great for your skin too if you apply it and leave it on for a while as a treatment, but this is unlikely to have anything to do with your cup of Joe unless you are multi-tasking that is…

Maple Syrup

Maple syrup comes from the maple tree sap and although not unprocessed as it is boiled until it forms a creamier version than the actual sap, but no other ingredients are added. It also happens to taste divine, which may explain the hefty price tag.  Sugar and maple syrup doesn’t vary much when it comes to calorie content, but according to Wikipedia: “Scientists have found that maple syrup’s natural phenols – potentially beneficial antioxidant compounds – inhibit two carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes that are relevant to type 2 diabetes.” It also has a few mineral and other potentially beneficial aspects to it.

Xylitol

Xylitol is great for diabetics and is a natural substance found in various fruits and other plants, it’s therefore processed, but a naturally occurring substance. It has 33% less calories than sugar, helps with dental care and ear infections. However, too large an intake can lead to laxative effects as well as in dogs consuming more than 100 milligrams of xylitol per kilogram of bodyweight led to low blood sugar levels, which can be fatal. Humans consuming up to 430 grams per day appear to have no problems though.

Agave Nectar

Agave nectar is derived from the agave plant and can be bought raw where it is processed by the use of enzymes, or in a non-raw form whereby it has been boiled to achieve the desired syrup form. It has a lower GI value than sugar and many raw foodist use it in their diet.

Depending on your taste buds you may prefer one kind of sugar to another. If you want to use the healthier options for diabetes prevention, or other health benefits but aren’t too keen on one particular sweetener, or simply want the health benefits of the different ones the taste you can always mix a few of them together.

Summer is coming (at least we hope so once the snowstorms and other great weather conditions fade away!) and iced drinks will show up on all the coffee shop menus around town as soon as the first rays of the sun show up. In London everyone will eagerly look around for their sunglasses and head to the park to try to get some vitamin D and a tan, but as they slurp away on their drinks some of them will get irritated after a while. Why? Because the delicious drink they bought has now turned into one watery mess as the ice cubes have melted. It’s stayed nice and cool, but they as a result the taste has been compromised. Thankfully there’s a solution for this.

Have you ever thought to freeze milk, coffee, chocolate and tea so that when you make drinks you can add ice cubes that melt into the drink instead of diluting the drink? This will ensure the drink retains its flavor.

You can also make a drink where the ice is part of the flavor. For example you can freeze coffee and pour some Baileys on top! Or you can pour cold chocolate on top for a mocha kind of flavor. There are endless ideas for various blends.

For decorative purposes it can also be nice to freeze ice cubes with flowers, candy, or other decorative items. A lemon iced tea with lemon slices frozen into ice cubes of water, or tea can look fabulous.

You can be as creative as you like with your iced drinks adding cream and various decorations on top as well.

There is nothing nicer than a cold drink on a hot sunny day, so if you make yours taste great, whether serving your customers, kids, friends, or significant other, you are sure to be remembered.

Now you may run a coffee shop, or a tea shop…you may serve a pot of tea, or a hot chocolate only for yourself, or you may like entertaining guests with a good cup of Joe. Whatever way around, sometimes it is nice to make it extra special. Treat yourself, or your guests to something extra. Often it’s actually ourselves we forget to treat nicely. We wait for that one day when we will go to a five star resort, or leave the kids to the nanny, or, or, or…but as a matter of fact we can make things a little bit more special every day.

As with food, drinks will taste better if they are presented nicely. Here are some tips for you:

If you use cups that come with a saucer, put one rose petal on the saucer and a sugar cube, or two on it.

Did you know that rose petals are edible? You can put a few different colored rose petals in a tea, or ice tea you serve to make it look colorful. Just make sure it’s organic! Now if you have a cup of iced coffee, or hot chocolate with whipped cream you can sprinkle some bright red, or pink petals on top for the effect! Mixed with some coffee beans it’s sure to look quite unique.

If you are serving a berry ice tea you can put some of the berries in the tea to make it look beautiful.

Whether hot, or iced, tea you can put lime, lemon and orange slices in there. Of course the flavor will be affected, so bear in mind.

Hot chocolate with mint or sweet mint tea can be served with a candycane instead of a spoon for stirring. You can also serve hot chocolate, coffee, or chai tea with a cinnamon stick for decoration, or stirring purposes.

If serving hot chocolate with whipped cream you can put some candied orange. You can also add a orange chocolate taste to your hot chocolate repertoire.

Having whole honeycombs in your iced tea will look fabulous if you have a honey flavor, such as honey, lemon and ginger.

Fresh mint tea always looks great because of the fresh mint in it!

Any cup can come with a butterfly cookie that’s attached to the cup, or simply laid to rest on the saucer.

Coffee can be served with some coffee beans on the saucer, or some chocolate covered coffee beans. If you are doing a coffee drink, or iced coffee you can sprinkle the coffee beans, or insert a cinnamon stick in the cream.

When serving iced drinks you can also freeze flowers, candy, or other spices in them to make them look and taste great!