Tag: coffee beans

Celebrate National Baking Week

Posted on by Sara Walker

coffee-walnut-cake-recipeThis week is National Baking Week, from 17th to 23rd October. The event was founded in 2007 to encourage Brits to roll up their sleeves and get back in the kitchen, and the success of programmes like the Great British Bake Off means that baking’s more popular than it’s been for a long time. Help celebrate National Baking Week in your coffee business with this ultimate coffee and walnut cake recipe. It keeps well for a few days in the fridge, and also freezes.

You’ll need:

  • 225g butter or margarine, plus a little extra for greasing
  • 225g sugar
  • 225g self raising flour
  • 4 freerange eggs
  • 4 teaspoons instant coffee

For the icing:

  • 175g butter, softened
  • 325g icing sugar
  • 4 teaspoons instant coffee
  • walnut halves or pieces, to decorate

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease two 20cm round cake tins, and line the bottoms with a double layer of greaseproof paper.

To make the cake, first dissolve the instant coffee in a tablespoon of boiling water. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until smooth, then add in the cooled coffee and eggs. Beat the flour in, a little at a time, until you have a smooth batter. Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared tins and smooth off the tops.

Bake in oven for around 25–30 minutes until the tops are golden brown, and the sides just shrinking away from the sides of the tin. When done, take the cakes out of the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before turning onto wire racks.

Meanwhile, make the icing. Again, dissolve the coffee in a tablespoon of boiling water, and leave to cool. Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth, then add in the cooled coffee and beat until combined.

Sandwich the cakes together with the icing mixture, and swirl the remaining icing on top to give an attractive finish. Sprinkle with the walnuts.

 

For all your commercial coffee needs, including flavoured coffee syrups, accessories and top quality coffee beans, visit our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee recipes: Coffee Alexander

Posted on by Sara Walker

largeYou’ve probably heard of a Brandy Alexander, a sweet, brandy-based cocktail made from Cognac and chocolaty crème de cacao that became popular during the early 20th century. It’s not the first cocktail to bear the name, either – its ancestor was simply called an Alexander and was based on gin. There are many stories about the origin of the name, including a claim by drama critic Alexander Woollcott that it was named in his honour, while others claim it was was named for the Russian tsar Alexander II.

Wherever the name came from, it was one of the most popular drinks of its day and still regularly pops up on modern cocktail recipes. Here’s our version of the Coffee Alexander, a cross between a milkshake, an Irish coffee and a dessert. It’s ideal for combining pudding with coffee after a summer dinner party, or served at lunch on a hot sunny day.

To serve four, you’ll need:

  • 240ml strong fresh coffee, made from your favourite good quality coffee beans
  • 4 scoops vanilla or chocolate ice cream (chocolate ice cream will give a richer, sweeter result, more suitable for serving as a pudding)
  • 4 tablespoons brandy or Cognac
  • 4 teaspoons chocolate syrup, available from our coffee syrups page
  • 4 strawberries (optional)
  • Allow the coffee to stand until cold, then refrigerate until fully chilled. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until fully combined. Pour into champagne or small wine glasses. Cut a strawberry almost in half without severing the stalk, and use to garnish the rim of the glass.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a wide range of ingredients for brewing, cooking, baking and generally enjoying your coffee, all at great wholesale prices. Find flavoured syrups, green and roasted coffee beans, cups and stirrers, hot chocolate, milk and more at wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee all over the world: Costa Rica and Guatemala

Posted on by Sara Walker

costa ricoThe best known Central American coffee producer, Costa Rica produces only wet-processed arabicas and has built a reputation for fine coffee. Coffee production has long played an important role in the country’s history and still continues to be an important part of the economy. In 2006, coffee was  the country’s third-largest export and employs a large percentage of the agricultural work force. The coffee produced is high in caffeine, and is often used to blend with other varieties. Connoisseurs often describe Costa Rican coffee as having ‘perfect balance’, due to its blend of mildness and acidity. The coffee tends to be grown on individual, family owned farms called fincas, rather than on large plantations, but are processed at modern, technologically advanced facilities to produce a high quality result.

Guatemala, more correctly known as the Republic of Guatemala, is a Central American country bordered by Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. With a population of around 16,000,000 over an area of 110,000 square kilometres, it’s the most populous state in Central America and is working hard to develop its already well-established coffee industry. Although Guatemalan coffee isn’t as well known as that from South America, it’s prized by many for its rich, distinctive flavour. There are three main growing regions in the country, each benefiting from the rich volcanic soil that some coffee bushes love, as well as a spectacular, rugged landscape that creates microclimates which change the taste of the beans grown at higher altitude. To drink, coffee made from Guatemalan beans is strong and full-flavoured with a chocolaty, spicy complexity of taste.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company we have a range of coffee beans available from different regions around the world, all at great wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our coffee beans page.

Frozen coffee almond cream desserts

Posted on by Sara Walker

dessert-235180_1280With the weather heating up, lunch or dinner guests will appreciate these light frozen puddings to finish off a summery meal.

To serve 6, you’ll need:

  • 2 teaspoons espresso coffee, made from good quality, freshly roasted and ground coffee beans
  • 60ml milk
  • 2 freerange gg whites
  • 60g of icing sugar, sieved
  • 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
  • 60g finely chopped almonds
  • 240ml double cream

What to do:

In a small heavy bottomed saucepan, gently heat the milk until almost boiling then add the coffee. Allow to stand for three or four minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the coffee grounds. Set the milk aside to cool.

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the icing sugar a little at a time while continuing to beat until the mixture stands up in stiff, shiny peaks. Gradually add the cold coffee-infused milk, almond extra and chopped almonds.

In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream until it stands up in stiff peaks, then carefully fold it into the egg mixture.

Spoon the mixture into individual, freezerproof bowls or ramekins and place in the freezer for three or four hours or overnight. To serve, remove from the freezer twenty minutes before needed. If liked, top with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and a few extra almonds.

Easy chocolate sauce

  • 60g butter
  • 60g golden syrup
  • 60g good quality cocoa powder
  • tablespoon Amaretto liqueur or Amaretto flavoured syrup (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan, and melt slowly over a gentle heat, stirring constantly. Allow to cool a little before serving.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a wide range of ingredients for brewing, cooking, baking and generally enjoying your coffee, all at great wholesale prices. Find flavoured syrups, green and roasted coffee beans, cups and stirrers, hot chocolate, milk and more at wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee panna cotta

Posted on by Sara Walker

coffee-beansPanna cotta, a chilled Italian dessert made with cream, is perfect for the warmer weather. Our version is made with our favourite ingredient – coffee.

To serve 6, you’ll need:

For the panna cotta:

  • 500ml double cream
  • 150ml espresso coffee
  • 100g sugar
  • 8g sheet gelatine or vegetarian substitute
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the sauce:

  • 100g good quality plain chocolate
  • 80 ml espresso coffee

What to do:

  1. Start by making the espresso coffee from good quality, freshly-roasted coffee beans. Don’t forget you’ll need enough for the sauce, as well. Once you’ve measured out the right amount, leave it to cool completely.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the gelatine by soaking it in cold water, according to the packet instructions.
  3. Place the cream, 150ml of coffee, sugar and vanilla extract in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slowly heat until almost boiling – don’t let it boil properly, or the cream will start to catch and burn.
  4. Once the gelatine has softened a little, squeeze out any excess water and add it to the cream. Stir until melted, then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any bits of custard skin.
  5. Pour into six ramekins, and allow to cool. Once cold, put them in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.
  6. Just before serving, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, and melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl above the pan. Add the remaining coffee, and stir until fully combined.
  7. Carefully unmould the panna cotta, and serve with the chocolate coffee sauce and a few coffee chocolate-covered coffee beans.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company we love all things coffee, and we sell a great range of coffee beans suitable for all uses including cooking, and of course, drinking! All our coffee is available in single bags or bulk at wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our coffee beans page.

 

Coffee and chocolate semifreddo dessert

Posted on by Sara Walker

601px-Milk_chocolateThis sophisticated chocolate and coffee dinner party dessert will draw admiration from your guests. ‘Semifreddo’ just means ‘semi frozen’, and this dessert is so rich and creamy it should be served in small pots so as not to overface your guests.

It needs to be prepared at least 12 hours in advance, so it’s best to make it the night before required.

To serve 8 to 10, you’ll need:

  • The grated zest of one orange
  • 3 tablespoons of chocolate liqueur
  • 3 tablespoons of coffee liqueur, such as Tia Maria or Kahlua
  • 100ml strong coffee made from freshly-roasted coffee beans
  • 1 200g pack of full fat cream cheese
  • 100g sugar
  • 400g good quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 200ml double cream
  • 75ml single cream
  • Few sprigs of fresh mint leaves, to garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, coffee liqueur, coffee and orange zest. Place the white chocolate and 50ml of the single cream in a separate, heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water, and stir until melted and smooth. Beat the double cream and sugar together until thickened, but not until fully whipped and stiff.

Carefully fold in the cream cheese and white chocolate, and beat until fully combined. Line 8 to 10 small glasses or ramekins with cling film – it’s nice to use glass dishes to show off the layers in the dessert. Divide the mixture between the dishes, cover with more cling film and freeze overnight.

About twenty minutes before serving, prepare the sauce. Put the dark chocolate, the remaining single cream and the chocolate liqueur in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, and heat until smooth and fully combined. Turn the desserts out onto plates, spoon the sauce over and garnish with mint leaves.

At the Wholesale Coffee Company, we have a great range of coffee beans suitable for all uses, all at competitive wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our coffee beans page.

How to use up old coffee beans

Posted on by Sara Walker

beansOnce roasted, coffee beans quickly lose their flavour and should be used as quickly as possible for a fresh-tasting cuppa. If you’re running a catering business, though, it’s not always possible to estimate quantities correctly all the time and you could end up with some roasted beans left over. These can be stored in the short term in an airtight container, but after a few days shouldn’t be used for brewing, as they’ll taste stale and inferior. There’s no reason to throw them away, though – even stale coffee beans are still useful.

As long as the beans aren’t too old, you can still grind and brew them and use the resulting coffee for cooking with. Coffee is great for adding flavour to savoury dishes, desserts and baked goods alike.

As coffee beans are so porous, a small dish of ground coffee placed in the fridge will absorb any unwanted odours and replace them with the smell of fresh coffee. Replace the dish daily.

If your beans are too stale to use, grind them and use them as plant fertilizer. Ground coffee mixed with soil will gradually release nitrogen. Alternatively, brew the coffee grounds with plenty of water and use the resulting liquid as a plant food. Once you’ve poured off the liquid, you can use the wet grounds as a pest repellent in the garden. Spread thickly around plant stalks, it keeps off slugs and snails without the use of harsh chemicals.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company we’ve got a full range of coffee beans, suitable for all commercial and domestic purposes, and you can choose from ready-roasted or green coffee beans, and a variety of blends. All our coffee beans are available in catering-sized packages at great wholesale prices, and we’re always happy to help with any suggestions or advice. For more information, please visit the coffee beans page of our website.

 

Five simple steps to the perfect cup of coffee

Posted on by Sara Walker

beansAs a dedicated coffee drinker, the chances are you’ll already have a domestic coffee machine and be brewing your own fresh coffee at home. We’ve got a few simple tips to improve the taste of your daily cuppa and raise it from delicious to absolutely perfect.

1. Use the best quality coffee beans you can.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we source and supply the best, freshest coffee beans at great wholesale prices. So whether you need espresso beans or roast-your-own green beans, we’re sure to have something you’ll love.

2. Grind your own coffee beans

Coffee beans taste better the more freshly ground they are. After grinding, they start to deteriorate and lose their flavour quickly, so for the best results grind them immediately before using. Grind for the type of brewing method you have in mind, for example espresso requires a very fine grind, cafetieres normally require a coarse grind, filter coffee machines need a medium grind and for your vacuum machine you should use a fine grind. Try to grind the beans fresh each time, but if you do have any left over they can be stored in an airtight container for a short while.

3. Keep your coffee machine clean

Whatever type of brewing method you use, keep your machine clean. Wash it thoroughly with warm soapy water at least once a week, and if necessary disassemble it and clean the constituent parts.

4. Use purified water

To remove any minerals from tap water that could affect the taste of the finished drink, pass the water through a water purifier before boiling it. This can be a simple jug system, or a more sophisticated system fitted to the tap itself.

5. Use a natural filter

If your coffee machine requires a filter, try to source natural filters rather than those made from bleached paper, for the ultimate pure taste.

 

A coffee treat for Pancake Day 2014

Posted on by Sara Walker

pancakesThis year, Pancake Day is on March 4th 2014. We’ve put together the perfect recipe for coffee lovers with this rich chocolate and coffee sauce for your pancakes.

 

 

 

You’ll need:

For the pancakes:

  • 110g flour
  • 2 freerange eggs
  • 275ml milk
  • 25g butter

For the sauce:

  • 340g granulated sugar
  • 570ml water
  • 2 good tablespoons ground coffee
  • 180g cocoa powder
  • 60g good quality dark chocolate

Start by turning the oven on to a low heat. Break the eggs into a measuring jug, and whisk them lightly. Sieve the flour into a large bowl, and make a well in the middle. Pour in the eggs, and beat them roughly together with the flour. Carefully pour in the milk, a little at a time, whisking the mixture together until it’s the consistency of pouring cream.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, and add the butter, shaking the pan until the fat covers it evenly. Add a small quantity of batter, and rotate the pan to spread it out evenly. Fry for half a minute, then use a fish slice to flip it onto the other side. Fry until cooked through, then slide it onto a heatproof plate, cover with a square of greaseproof paper and put in the oven to keep warm while you make the next one. When you’ve made all the pancakes, move onto the sauce.

Put the sugar and a third of the water into a pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar melts, then continue to boil until the sugar takes on a golden tinge and thickens to syrup. Carefully add the remaining ingredients, and allow to boil for a minute. Remove from the heat, and pass through a fine sieve before serving with the pancakes.

For a wide range of coffee beans at great wholesale prices and suitable for use in all recipes, please visit our coffee beans page.

 

 

Flavoured coffee

Posted on by Sara Walker

cafetiere 2Flavoured coffee beans are not perhaps as popular in the UK as they are in the US, but you can sometimes find them on the shelves of speciality shops or on cafe menus. The flavouring’s been added to the beans after roasting, and the more common variations beans include vanilla and spiced flavours.

Pre-flavouring the beans in this way has several disadvantages. One is that the strong flavours have a tendency to taint storage jars, coffee grinders and coffee machines, leaving a hint of flavour behind when you’re preparing plain coffee. Another is that pre-flavoured coffee beans can be of poor quality, the manufacturers relying on the added flavour to mask any weakness in taste.

Probably the safest way to get a great cup of flavoured coffee is to brew it first then add the flavouring afterwards, so that you can be sure of the quality of the beans. The easiest way is to use a small quantity of flavoured syrup, such as chocolate, caramel or mint. Add the flavouring after the coffee has been brewed and is in the cup, and if possible add it before the milk so so that it dissolves properly.

Another alternative is to make your own natural flavourings. Store vanilla pods with your roasted coffee beans, add a little ground cinnamon to a cappuccino or add dried orange zest and ginger to the beans before grinding. Add the spices a little at a time, and increase the amounts to your taste.

Certain coffee beans lend themselves more to flavouring than others. Very strongly roasted beans, such as those intended for espressos, will overpower any flavouring, so a mild to medium blend and roast would be a better choice. The exception to this is chocolate flavouring, which works with strong coffee flavours and can be used to enhance espresso.
Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’ve got a great range of beans suitable for all uses, all at wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our coffee beans page.