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Dinner party desserts made with coffee – chocolate soufflé cake

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Sara Walker

This soufflé cake is really a baked chocolate mousse masquerading as a cake. It contains no flour, which gives it a lovely moist melting texture and an intense chocolaty hit. The addition of coffee makes the cake even darker and richer, and the recipe works best with espresso coffee.

Start by making the espresso, if possible from freshly ground coffee beans. (Don’t forget to make an extra cup for yourself, to keep you going while beating the eggs!)

Ingredients

125g icing sugar, sifted
200g of very dark chocolate, at least 70%
125g butter
2 tablespoons espresso
6 eggs

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade, and prepare a 20cm round cake tin by greasing it and lining the bottom with a double layer of greaseproof paper. Using a springform tin will make life easier when it comes to removing the cake from the tin.

Separate the eggs into two different bowls and set the whites aside. Add 100g of the icing sugar to the egg yolks, and beat the mixture until it looks pale and fluffy. Break the chocolate into small pieces in a heat proof bowl, and add the butter. Melt the mixture gently in the microwave in short bursts until fully combined, and stir in the coffee. Let the chocolate mixture cool a little, then add it to the egg yolk mixture.

Now, add the remaining 25g of icing sugar to the egg whites, and whisk them until the mixture turns to a soft, floppy meringue (this is the point at which you’ll be glad you made that extra coffee!). Fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture, using a metal spoon so that you don’t break the volume up too much. Pour the mixture into the cake tin, flatten it out and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.

Once the cooking time is up, remove the cake and leave it in the tin until completely cooled. It may still look wobbly, but as it cools it will gradually reduce and become dense. Once cool, remove it from the tin, cut into slices and serve with vanilla ice cream and cups of espresso coffee.

For a wide range of top quality coffee beans, suitable for all uses, please visit our coffee beans page at the Wholesale Coffee Company website. We also stock a range of flavoured syrups in our coffee ingredients section, perfect for making coffee drinks or for using in recipes.

Pumpkin cake and Hallowe’en coffee

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Sara Walker

If you’re running a commercial coffee business, such as a coffee shop or restaurant, you’ll now how important seasonal sales can be. Gear up for Hallowe’en with our pumpkin cake and Hallowe’en special coffee.

For the cake:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and prepare a shallow 23cm square baking tin by greasing and lining with greaseproof paper.

Ingredients:

200g sultanas, raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, orange peel or a mixture
300g self raising flour
300g sugar
200g butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon each of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon
4 eggs
500g pumpkin flesh, roughly grated (this is most easily done in a food processor)

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together except the pumpkin and the dried fruit. Beat together thoroughly until you have a smooth batter. Stir in the pumpkin and fruit, and spoon the batter into the prepared tin. Smooth it out evenly with the back of a spoon, and tap the tin on the kitchen worktop to remove any air bubbles. Put the tin in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes, until the cake is well risen and the top is slightly springy to the touch. Prick the cake in the centre with a clean skewer, and if the skewer comes out cleanly with no trace of cake mixture, the cake is ready. Leave to cool slightly in the tin, then turn out onto a cooling rack. When fully cool, cut into squares. Serve with Hallowe’en coffee.

For the coffee:

Make a latte as per normal, but add spoonfuls of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to the coffee before brewing, so that the spices are brewed along with the drink. Sweeten to taste, then hold a pumpkin or other Hallowe’en template over the drink and dust it with cocoa.

For the best coffee ingredients, coffee beans and other coffee recipe ideas, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Chocolate syrup cake recipe

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Sara Walker

If you’re a fan of flavoured coffee syrups, you’ll know what fantastic coffee ingredients they make, transforming a plain coffee into a luxury treat. Flavoured syrups, though, are also very useful additions to the kitchen shelf. This moist, chocolatey cake uses chocolate coffee syrup as a main ingredient, and is great for a range of occasions .

Before starting, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

Ingredients

125g butter or margarine
100g chocolate syrup, plus extra for drizzling
4 medium eggs
200g sugar
225g self-raising flour
50g cocoa powder

Put the butter and syrup in a heatproof bowl, and melt gently in the microwave until fully combined. Beat in the sugar. Allow to cool slightly, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Roughly mix the flour and cocoa together, then sieve them into the batter, adding a little at a time and beating after each addition.

Prepare a 23cm square shallow cake tin by greasing it and lining with greaseproof paper. Pour in the batter, and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Tap the tin sharply on the kitchen counter to release any air bubbles, then put in the pre-heated oven.

Let the cake bake for around an hour, checking frequently. Once well risen and slightly springy to the touch, remove from the oven and test it by inserting a clean skewer into the middle of the cake. If the skewer comes out cleanly, with no residue of cake mixture, then the cake is ready. Otherwise, return it to the oven for a few more minutes.

Once ready, let the cake cool slightly then remove it from the pan and remove any lining paper. While still slightly warm, prick the cake all over with a skewer and pour a little extra syrup over it. When completely cool, cut into pieces and serve with ice cream or cream.

If you’ve used up all your chocolate syrup making this delicious cake, visit the coffee ingredients page of our website for a full range of flavoured syrups, priced at £7.29 a litre.

International coffee festivals and events

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Sara Walker

Love coffee? So do billions of other people, worldwide. All over the world, coffee and catering companies hold events and festivals dedicated to showcasing the best coffee-related innovations. For example:

Dubai, Middle East

The International Tea and Coffee festival is a trade event held annually in Dubai. This year’s event is from 6th – 9th November, and features everything to do with coffee, tea, bar and café products, equipment and services. The event is now in its fourth year, and is helping to support and expand the Middle East’s flourishing tea and coffee industry. For more information about this year’s event, visit www.coffeeteafest.com.

Philadelphia, USA

Philadelphia is holding its first-ever tea and coffee festival, aimed at individuals rather than trade. More than forty exhibitors will provide tastings, information, instruction and products aimed at the discerning coffee lover. The festival is on the 2nd and 3rd November 2013; for more information visit www.coffeeandteafestival.com/philly.

Seoul, Korea

Two events run consecutively during November in Seoul. The World Coffee Leaders Forum is held from 20st to 21st November 2013. Running for the second year, the event features speakers on a range of topics relevant to the coffee industry. Last year’s event attracted over 1,000 attendees from 30 countries, and this year’s is set to be even bigger and better. For more information, visit www.wclforum.org.

The Forum will be followed by the 12th Seoul International Café Show, featuring dozens of exhibitors as well as the Korean Barista Championships. Although the event concentrates on coffee, exhibitors will also be present representing bakery goods, ice-cream, café machines and equipment, chocolate, desserts, café design, franchising and new business start-ups and restaurants. For more information, visit www.cafeshow.com.

Don’t forget to check out what’s available nearer home, as well – here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we have a wide range of everything you could need for a coffee-related business, from coffee beans, coffee ingredients and cups to flavoured coffee syrups. Browse our range at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Homemade hazelnut syrup for coffee

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Sara Walker

It’s starting to feel autumnal out there, and what better way to warm up than with a cup of your favourite coffee, liberally laced with seasonal homemade hazelnut syrup? If you’ve got some syrup left over, it makes a great dessert sauce or cooking ingredient.

If you’re lucky enough to know someone with a hazelnut tree, this is the time to get on their right side! For this recipe, you’ll need a good double handful of hazelnuts, shelled.

Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan on a medium-high heat, and add a double handful of hazelnuts (around 300 – 400g). Shake the pan occasionally so that the nuts toast evening and don’t burn. Continue until they’re a uniform pale golden colour, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.

Once cool, put the nuts in a food processor and blitz until roughly chopped (don’t chop them too much, you’re aiming for whole nut pieces rather than a powder).

Put 500g of sugar and 500ml of water into a pan, and heat gently until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the nuts, and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and let it cook for around 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it’s not sticking.

In the meantime, sterilise a glass bottle or jar with a close fitting lid by placing into a pan of water and bringing to the boil. Strain the syrup into the bottle. Once completely cool and sealed, store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

If you like the idea of hazelnut syrup but don’t have time to make your own, we stock a full range of readymade coffee syrups, including hazelnut, for only £7.29 a litre. For more information, visit our coffee ingredients page.

This recipe was inspired by Homemade Hazelnut Syrup from www.fiveeurofood.com.

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Homemade vanilla syrup for your coffee

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Sara Walker

If you’re addicted to flavoured coffee, love an iced drink or just fancy trying something a bit different, then this homemade vanilla syrup is for you. In addition to adding it to coffee to make an indulgent drink, you can also use it in dessert sauces, poured over ice cream or as a cooking ingredient. It’s simple to make, and uses fresh vanilla for a rich, luxurious taste. Find fresh vanilla pods at some supermarkets, in delicatessens or online.

Ingredients

450g white granulated sugar
240ml water
one vanilla bean, split along the length and with the seeds scraped out
two teaspoons good quality vanilla extract

Put the sugar, water and vanilla into a heavy-based saucepan, and turn the hob to a medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is completely melted, then bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, being careful not to touch the contents which will be extremely hot. Let the pan sit for one to two hours then stir in the vanilla extract.

While the syrup is cooling and thickening, sterilise a small jam jar or glass bottle by boiling it in a large pan. Allow the jar to cool, then sieve the syrup to remove the vanilla pod and any pieces, and pour it in to the container. Once it’s completely cool, store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

To use the syrup, add a shot to hot coffee, or create an iced coffee by combining an espresso shot, milk, crushed ice and syrup to taste.

If you’d like to keep a bottle of vanilla syrup on stand by in your kitchen but don’t have time to make it yourself, then browse our range of top quality readymade syrups on the Coffee Ingredients page of our website. A one litre bottle of syrup is only £7.29, and we have a range of flavours to choose from including vanilla.

The journey of sugar

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Sara Walker

Ever wondered how sugar gets from the ground to your cup of coffee? The world’s sugar comes from two main sources – sugar cane, and sugar beet. British sugar is made from sugar beet, and sold under the brand name Silver Spoon.

Sugar from beet

After harvesting, the sugar beet tubers are thoroughly washed and dried, sliced into chips, then suspended in hot water for about an hour. The sugar is diffused out of the beet chips into the water, which thickens and is referred to as ‘juice’. The beet slices are pressed to extract the maximum sugar, and the remaining solids are used as animal feed.

The sugar juice is cleaned then evaporated to reduce the liquid content. The remaining fluid is then boiled until the sugar starts to crystallise out. The crystals are then dried and packed.

Sugar from cane

Sugar cane grows in tropical and sub-tropical climates around the world. Once harvested, the cane is crushed to extract the juice which is then cleaned and evaporated. The juice is then boiled, until crystals form in the same way as they do for the sugar beet process. Any residue is used to make molasses, which is used in cattle food or in a distillery to make alcohol.

The final product of both sugar beet and sugar cane is called ‘raw sugar’ and it looks like brown sugar at this stage, with a moist, sticky texture. Once it’s been packed and transported to the country where it’s to be used, it’s normally refined again to remove any remaining molasses and produce white sugar.

At the Wholesale Coffee Company, we sell a range of sugars, all made from sugar cane. Our products include brown and white sugar, lump sugar and individual sugar sticks, and all are suitable for cafés or caterers. For more information, please visit our coffee ingredients page.

The story of sugar cubes

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Sara Walker

Sugar cubes or lumps have been a popular method of sweetening coffee for over 150 years. Sugar in cube form is stable, easy to store and most importantly, easy to measure, helping the coffee drinker to regulate their intake.

Sugar lumps come in two varieties – sugar cubes, which are commercially manufactured to give a uniform size and shape, and lumps which are more irregular.

The inventor of a commercial process to make sugar into uniform cubes was a Swiss-born Czechoslovakian named Jakub Kryštof Rad. At the time, sugar was available in large, unwieldy blocks called ‘loaf sugar’, which were extremely hard and difficult to break. Juliana was injured while attempting to cut the loaf sugar, and asked her husband to invent an easier method. Quickly seeing the possibilities, he began working on a machine which would both refine cane sugar and press it into cubes. He was already the director of a sugar company, and his sugar cube press was operational less than a year after his wife’s request. On January 23rd 1843, he was granted a five-year patent for his invention.

The famous Henry Tate of Tate and Lyle quickly took up the idea, and was soon manufacturing sugar cubes at his sugar refineries in London and Liverpool. As Tate wasn’t able to use the Czech method, he bought a patent from a German engineer called Eugen Langen, who’d invested a different method of processing the sugar in 1872.

La Perruche, who produce high quality sugar lumps, use the different method of moulding the cane sugar into a block, and then breaking it into lumps. Each lump weighs between three and six grams. This has the disadvantage that the cubes aren’t a standard size, but also the advantage that each user can adapt their serving size if necessary. To see our range of La Perruche sugar lumps, as well as sugar cubes from other manufacturers, please visit our coffee ingredients page.

Top seven drinks with flavoured syrups

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Sara Walker

New to using flavoured coffee syrups, or stuck for ideas? They’re a versatile addition to your kitchen or catering business. Here are our top seven suggestions for how to use them.

1. Coffee – of course. They’re called ‘flavoured coffee syrups’, after all! From adding a shot of caramel syrup to your latte to creating a more adult mix of Irish cream syrup, espresso and milk, flavoured syrups are the ideal way of creating coffee-shop-style drinks at home.

2. Hot chocolate. For the ultimate luxury hot chocolate, add a measure of mint syrup to the drink, and top with squirty cream and a chocolate mint. Gingerbread and cinnamon syrups are great for creating special Christmas drinks – add a measure to the hot chocolate, sprinkle a little spice over the top and serve with a spiced shortbread or ginger biscuit on the side.

3. Flavoured milkshakes

For a fantastic fruity treat, put 250ml semi-skimmed milk into a blender, and add 8 – 10 chopped strawberries and strawberry syrup to taste. Blend until combined, and serve with ice.

4. Iced coffee

Mix 100ml espresso and 200ml cold milk with crushed ice, and add amaretto or hazelnut syrup to taste.

5. Non alcoholic cocktail

Mix 1 measure of strawberry syrup with 100ml of apple juice, and top up with lemonade. Stir in some chopped mint. Top with a cocktail stick holding fresh strawberries.

6. Ice cream float

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to a tall glass, and pour over a measure of vanilla syrup. Top up the glass with lemonade, and provide a long spoon!

7. Alcoholic coffee

Make a standard black coffee, and add 1 measure of vanilla syrup, and 1 measure of Irish cream liqueur. Top with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles, and, if possible, a vanilla pod.

We’ve a full range of flavoured syrups available, including dark and white chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, amaretto, caramel, gingerbread, cinnamon, hazelnut and Irish cream, all at only £7.29 for a litre. To buy flavoured syrups online, visit our coffee ingredients page.

Make your own coffee ingredients – caramel flavoured syrup

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Sara Walker

If you’re a fan of coffee-shop-style flavoured coffees, you might like to consider making your own flavoured syrups. They’re fairly easy to make, just requiring a little caution when handling the hot liquid, and you can personalise them to your taste by experimenting with spices and sugar levels.

Homemade caramel flavoured syrup

Use a heavy bottomed pan, and turn the hob to a low heat setting. Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of granulated sugar about 2cm thick, and add enough boiling water to make a thick paste. Put the pan on the hob, and stir the mixture continuously. After a while, it will start to bubble and turn a light brown colour as the sugar caramelises. At this stage, the liquid will be extremely hot – take great care that none of it splashes onto your hands as you stir. Take the pan off the heat, and let it stand for a minute or so. The mixture should be a golden brown, and it will continue to cook for a while as it stands. If necessary, return the pan to the heat and let it cook a little more, but don’t let it get to the dark brown stage, or it’ll taste burnt.

Once the mixture is golden brown, let it cool – it might thicken and harden considerably. Always let the pan cool before moving to the next stage, as otherwise the caramel may spit and scald you as you add the water. Next, pour a little boiling water into the pan, and heat it very gently until the caramel dissolves into the water. Continue to add more water, a little at a time, until you have a pouring consistency.

Sterilise a bottle, either by boiling it in water or heating it in the oven. Let the bottle cool before you fill it with syrup, then seal with a clean cap or cork. Add a little syrup to coffee for a caramel flavour.

If you love caramel syrup, but don’t want the effort of making your own, check out our full range of flavoured syrups on our coffee ingredients page, priced at only £7.29 a litre.