It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas…

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Sara Walker

It is indeed starting to look a lot like Christmas. And with it sometimes comes visitors from near, or far, and potentially a bunch of children that are expecting treats. You may be wringing your hands wondering what to serve them without having them overindulge in too much sugar, or going insane yourself whilst spending hours in the kitchen. No worries – we have found an easy to bake cake, which uses honey instead of sugar and judging from the comments people are loving it. So no worries – the kids won’t be having tantrums about the cake at least…

This gingerbread cake is also perfect for grown-ups – take a break from the Christmas craziness and settle down with cup of tea, or coffee. If you have a coffee shop it’s also the perfect Christmas cake to serve with the coffee.

So let that pre-Christmas stress go away – mix these ingredients together, put on the coffee machine and sit down to inhale the aroma of fresh roasted coffee beans and gingerbread cake. Could there be anything more heavenly?

(If you are running low on ideas for Christmas gift ideas and starting to go crazy because that as well, we also recommend you check out our shop, get yourself a big bag of the best fresh roasted coffee beans and then divide it into small little handmade bags to give away together with a beautiful coffee cup. Naturally we aren’t marketing our services or anything like that. Not at all, but if you want to buy coffee online you know where now…)

This Apple Upside Down Ginger Cake comes from The Sour Path is the Sweetest

Topping

*1/4 cup unsalted pasture butter or ghee (someone used oil with good result, but baked it for 40 mins rather than 30-35)

*1/4 cup honey

*1 Tbsp coconut aminos (not essential)

*2 large apples, peeled, wedged and thinly sliced

Gingerbread Cake

*1/4 cup unsalted pasture butter or ghee

*1/2 cup honey

*4 pastured eggs, room temperature

*2 Tbsp coconut aminos, room temperature (not essential)

*1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

*2 cups blanched almond flour

*3/4 tsp baking soda

*1/4 tsp cloves

*2 tsp cinnamon

*2 Tbsp ginger

Directions

For topping: melt butter and honey. Add coconut aminos, stir. Pour mixture into an 8″ by 8″ square baking pan. Arrange sliced apples over butter/ honey mixture and set aside.

For cake: Warm the butter and the honey until just melted. Add room temperature eggs and other wet ingredients and mix. Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Pour over the apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.

Think sweet thoughts 🙂

Coffee Cups in Coffee Shops

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Sara Walker

Maybe you are setting up a coffee shop, or looking to entertain your guests in style. Whatever the occasion one thing is for sure: how you present things alters how people perceive them. People feel better and think things taste better if they are beautifully presented.

If you are setting up a coffee shop paying extra for nice china probably doesn’t sound wonderful to your ears, but it may pay off in the future, if it’s matching an equally well thought through interior decor that makes clients feel at home. If you have the white standard cups that every other coffee shop uses no one will pay attention. If, on the other hand, you have something beautiful and unique, people will remember it. Of course it can’t be so expensive it ruins your budget, nor so frail that it breaks by the slightest touch.

When you choose your china, and for that matter the interior decor, set your creative juices free and dare to have some fun with it! Just bear in mind to double check how many others agree with your design as by the end of the day clients need to like it as well, not just you.

We also have to mention that if you are setting up a coffee shop we offer fresh roasted coffee beans, green coffee beans (if you are roasting yourself) and various other supplies through our shop at wholesale prices. Nothing better than self marketing and all that. Ahem.

A Winter Kick

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Sara Walker

It’s winter and what’s more perfect than adding spice to your food? This Mexican chocolate cake is perfect as it does just that. What’s more it’s not using sugar, but rather honey and molasses (hooray!). It makes us think it’s almost healthy. In moderation anyway.

We all know that when you couple cacao with coffee you can get a real kick. Add a bit of something sweet and you will be running for hours straight. In other words: great on a cold, wintery day when the sun is as absent as the heat that normally goes with it. If you light a candle when serving it you might truly get the lift you need to the day (just make sure to have your green juice and do your yoga practice first and all that jazz. Ahem).

So we found you all a spicy, chocolate cake that will match our fresh ground coffee beans perfectly. We are always looking for that – things to match with our coffee, so if you have any ideas, you can always shoot us an email! Furthermore, of course, as always remember you can buy coffee online through our shop. Perfect if you need a lot of coffee and don’t want to carry.

Mexican Chocolate Coffee Cake by the Paleo Mom

Ingredients:

6 Eggs
½ cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
1/3 cup Cacao Powder
3 oz Unsweetened Chocolate, melted (100%)
½ cup Blackstrap Molasses
½ cup Honey
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper, to taste

1.    Preheat oven to 325F. Line 5”X9” loaf pan with wax paper. Grease wax paper with coconut oil.
2.    Sift cocoa, coconut flour, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and baking soda into a small bowl.
3.    In a food processor or blender, combine eggs, honey, molasses, and vanilla. Pulse a few times to beat together. Add melted coconut oil and chocolate and process/blend for 1 minute.
4.    Add dry ingredients to food processor, and pulse to combine.
5.    Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour (not a very forgiving cake if you burn it, so you might want to test for doneness with a toothpick at the 55 minute mark).
6.    Let cool completely in the pan. Remove from pan and carefully remove wax paper. Enjoy!

Winter Blues and Nights as Dark as Coffee

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Sara Walker

If you live in the northern hemisphere the days are a lot shorter now, the nights longer, the air colder and Christmas cheer the thing to keep you awake and happy, apart from, of course, coffee. In the blistering cold and pitch black darkness you really do need a thing or two to keep you going. We have come up with various ideas for how to keep ourselves awake and happy during the day.

One of our fabulous ideas (if we may say so ourselves) is to combine the smell of gingerbread with coffee. Scent is a feel good factor and most people tend to wake up at the smell of fresh roasted coffee beans. Of course you need some light as well, so our recommendation is to get yourself a mighty nice gingerbread house, which you can put tea candles in. Next to it you keep a candle holder with coffee beans in it and a candle (be sure to watch this if you use a regular candle rather than a tea light, as the beans can catch fire when the candle get to the level of the beans!).

The other feel-good factor you need is of course fresh roasted coffee beans in your cup – in other words: a fresh cup of java. If you want to make it to taste like Christmas you can add some cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg (potentially a dash of cardamom too), as well as a little bit of honey or maple syrup.

To really perk you up in the darkness serve your coffee with some chocolate. You can either turn it into a Mocha, have a square of really good quality dark chocolate with it, or a slice of some dark chocolate cake. The darker the better for added antioxidants (fight the cold system!) and if you can find some cake that’s sweetened by honey, or maple syrup, rather than sugar. In the two coming posts we will teach share a raw chocolate recipe, and a chocolate cake that is sweetened in this way.

Apart from fresh roasted coffee beans and divine chocolate, what will keep you going through winter is plenty of rest, exercise, fruits, vegetables, walks in the outdoors, and some vitamins, like added vitamin D in lieu of sunshine.

If you want to buy coffee for your winter blues, you can buy coffee online through our shop. We offer great prices and great coffee (that in and of itself should cheer you up instantly!).

Whipped Cream and Other Coffee Toppings

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Sara Walker

Maybe the cake isn’t all about the icing, but it does help if the icing tastes nice. Otherwise, why have icing?

When it comes to coffee some like it plain, some like it with milk, and some like it with topping. Whipped cream is popular for some coffees like mocha and sometimes the whip comes with chocolate, or other things in it, or on it. If you run a coffee business the topping can make or break you. At least if you have a client like the author of this blog. You see I love whipped cream and if they give me the fake stuff I tend to avoid it. Hence, in London you will usually find me at Nero’s as they use real cream. My only complaint is that they don’t sweeten it.

Now you might not run a coffee shop, but if you like indulgent treats and experimenting with your coffee then there are some toppings worth trying. Below you find some ideas.

* Add a shot of Baileys to your coffee and then top it with whipped cream with a shot Baileys in it (add whilst whipping) and a few flakes of chocolate (you can grate some chocolate with a cheese grater, or chop it with a knife)

* Like orange? Add some orange essence into your coffee, a bit of honey or brown sugar, then add a tiny bit of orange essence to your whipped cream as well and top it off with a piece of candid orange. You can also add orange zest to the whip if you like it a tad more bitter.

* You can also have even MORE coffee in your coffee: add 2 teaspoons espresso powder or 2 1/2 teaspoons freeze-dried coffee crystals and a generous tablespoon of sugar (or honey, or maple syrup) into 1 cup heavy cream. Whip as usual, tasting and adjusting the sweetness toward the end.

* If you love chocolate, you can use that for your cream. In a double boiler or the microwave, melt 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips. Let chocolate cool until still liquid but not hot, about 5 minutes. Whip 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 chocolate mixture and beat until combined. Add remaining chocolate and 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Other ideas is to add almond essence, crushed candy cones (for that Christmas flavour), crushed Daim chocolate pieces (a Swedish favourite), vanilla powder, or vanilla essence, cinnamon, chai tea powder (or chai spices: nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom)

As always: use fresh roasted coffee beans and if you want to buy coffee online, we suggest you use us as your retailer (naturally). We also sell green coffee beans if you want to roast them yourself. That way they are guaranteed fresh! If you are buying coffee online from someone else, do your research first as you want to use a reliable shop, especially if you have a coffee shop where good coffee can make or break you.

Christmas Drinks

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Sara Walker

Christmas is coming up and we’ll…drink to that. Of course, when we drink we’d love if it includes coffee. Fresh roasted coffee beans that are freshly ground to be precise. We may even roast the green coffee beans ourselves to get the perfect blend.

As it’s usually cold around Christmas time a little bit of liquor with the coffee helps to keep you warm. Find below a nice Christmas drink to keep you warm and happy. And remember, whatever you do: use fresh roasted beans of a good quality. It’s the best you can do to ensure the drink turns out nice. And of course: freshly whipped cream. Not the stuff that comes out of a can – after all you want a traditional Christmas!

We found this recipe at Recipe Hub

Ingredients:

4 oz strong coffee
1 1/2 oz amaretto liqueur
1 1/2 oz coffee liqueur
1 oz butterscotch schnapps
1 oz creme de cocoa
fresh whipped cream
grated chocolate, for garnish

Directions:

Combine strong coffee and liqueurs in a glass. Stir to combine and top with fresh whipped cream. Garnish with grated chocolate.

Serve warm or over ice.

Autumnal Tea – Tea for Autumn

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Sara Walker

It’s officially snuggle season. Even if you don’t have a significant other you can snuggle with your blanket, whilst sipping tea by the fireplace. Your home, if it isn’t already, should be filled with the scent of cinnamon and apple cider. If you live alone and think you can’t be bothered, think again. There is nothing nicer than coming home to a home that feels like home.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Co. we think snuggle season is perfect, because people tend to sip more tea. Our tea, preferably. As the days are shorter and the darkness longer pick-me-ups in the form of coffee also come in handy. And when you smell our freshly roasted coffee beans you won’t stay sleepy for long. It’s almost impossible. In fact we heard one study proved people started typing faster just by smelling coffee.

We are of the opinion that it’s best to make the most of each season and deck the halls with all things warm and cozy. Otherwise it would just be dark, cold, and sad. Add some colourful leaves, spicy teas, and red knitted scarves and the story starts to look slightly differently.

Below you will find an autumnal tea recipe, but just in case you notice your employees or co-workers fall asleep, get some of our green coffee beans and roast them yourself. The aroma should most certainly awoken the rest of the office.

Apple Cranberry Tea

This tea is served warm and is perfect for an autumn day. It has autumn-inspired ingredients such as apple juice, cranberry, and pumpkin pie spice. This is sure to put you in the autumn spirit.

Ingredients:

5-6 tea bags (preferably black tea)
5 cups of apple juice (the real kind, not concentrate and no added sugars/sweeteners)
2-3 cups of cranberry juice (to taste)
¼ – ½ cup of honey
¼ cup of lemon juice
½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
5 cups of boiling water

Directions:

Add tea bags to the boiling water and allow to steep for 7-10 minutes (depending on strength you desire). Remove tea bags from water and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir and serve. This tea will be warm, not hot, since the cranberry and apple juice are added to the hot water – if you want it hot you have to heat the juice as well.

Healthy Coffee

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Sara Walker

It’s Friday and if you’re anything like me you think this is the perfect excuse to indulge in some treat or other. Of course you don’t want to turn into a complete pig though, so you may decide to health-ify your indulgence. Today I was craving some delicious coffee drink (read: whipped cream, caramel sauce, and coffee), so I decided to see what’s out there in the way of healthy, but still delicious, coffee drinks. I found some interesting tips. Like blending coconut oil and butter into your coffee to speed up metabolism and get the best tasting and smoothest coffee. Ever.

Of course I had to try this. It is very indulgent actually because the fats make the coffee incredibly creamy. I made it into a latte, using rice milk, as I don’t like my coffee black. It worked. I also added a tiny amount of raw cane sugar and used only one drop of stevia as it does have a bit of a “plastic” taste. I would use raw honey instead of sugar had I not been out of it.

It says 1-3 tablespoons of coconut oil, but I really recommend starting off with only one as it does make the coffee very, very creamy and it might be too much with any more. You might even want to start off with just 1/2 a tablespoon.

Of course get fresh roasted coffee beans for this – always use the best quality coffee beans. You can even roast your own! (We have green coffee beans for sale in our coffee shop for that reason.)

Recipe from Wellness Mama

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 cup of organic coffee, herbal coffee or chai tea
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or more, I usually put in 2-3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon organic grassfed unsalted butter (I get it here)
¼ tsp vanilla
a few drops of stevia extract (optional)

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Mix on high speed for 20 seconds until frothy. Drink immediately and enjoy all the energy!

Chocolate Meets Espresso for Heavenly Indulgence

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Sara Walker

It happens to all of us. That moment when we just know we need chocolate, or coffee, or both. Sometimes it’s after a hectic meeting on a Monday morning. Sometimes it’s to start off the weekend with a kick on a Friday afternoon, and sometimes it’s because we are faced with a problem that’s so paramount that without chocolate and coffee we just can’t handle it. Coffee and chocolate can be life savers. Especially when combined. Of course they can be enjoyed just for the sake of enjoying them as well. They are, after all, deliciously indulgent.

In the below recipe you will find espresso and coffee combined. Divine. Heavenly. And flourless, so that means it’s almost healthy, right? Or not.

We found this recipe in the Huffington Post.

Fallen Mocha Soufflé

Ingredients

4 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large eggs, separated
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (you can also add 2 tblsp of Kahlua together with the espresso powder when combining the ingredients)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Butter and sugar a 4-cup soufflé dish or deep 1-quart baking dish (3 to 4 inches deep).
In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate and butter, and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the espresso powder.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.
Stir one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. With a spatula, gently but thoroughly fold in the remaining egg whites. Scrape the soufflé into the dish. Place the dish in a larger baking dish or a small roasting pan and fill with hot water to come halfway up the sides of the mold.
Place in the oven, reduce the temperature to 400°F, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and beginning to crack around the edges.
Remove from the oven and the water bath and set on a rack to cool. As it cools, the soufflé will collapse. Unmold carefully and invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm or chilled.

You can of course serve this recipe with a nice cup of coffee and you can get the coffee beans from us. And all other great coffee ingredients you could possibly need for future endeavors in the kitchen.

Coffee Inspiration in the Cup

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Sara Walker

We went in search of more coffeisms, inspirational and funny coffee quotes and anything else coffe-esque. This is what we found:

I like big cups and I cannot lie. (Really depends on what coffee you put in them! Good quality coffee beans please.)

Coffee is not just a beverage. It’s a cup of liquid sanity. (We couldn’t agree more. If we wrote something weird, clearly we didn’t have enough coffee that day. Had a good day? Take credit. Had a bad day? Blame it on the coffee…or lack thereof.)

If you like coffee as much as we do, you probably had a giggle at these! And if you like coffee as much as we do you’d probably also want to buy coffee from us, right?! After all we sell some of the best coffee beans on the planet! Fresh roasted coffee beans, green coffee beans, ground coffee beans…coffee beans all round. As someone really clever said: Good coffee smells like freshly ground heaven. Amen.