It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas…

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 🙂

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Coffee Cups in Coffee Shops

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.

Coffee

The blue of the cup and saucer, the mocha brown of the table and the beans, the COFFEE and the biscuits. It's almost too close to heaven.?,.Wintertime

 

 

 

A Winter Kick

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!

http://66.147.244.139/~thepale8/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG_1947.jpg

Raw Chocolate Truffles for Your Coffee

Raw chocolate truffles for your coffee is quite a treat and a healthy one at that. Naturally, if you want to keep it healthy you shouldn’t over indulge – one truffle twice a day is plenty. Although for Christmas you may want a few more…

What makes these raw truffles healthier than regular truffles is the use of raw ingredient which contain more antioxidants. Cacao contains some of the highest levels of antioxidants in the world, so when raw it’s truly a super food. Cacao is also a stimulant, which is why it’s rumoured to be an aphrodisiac. Especially when raw cacao can be very potent, so if you combine it with coffee you are likely to get a real kick. For the same reason you shouldn’t indulge though, nor eat it close to bedtime.

We find this the perfect treat to have with your coffee. Our fresh roasted coffee beans combined with raw chocolate is truly scrumptious. We love treats here at the Wholesale Coffee Co., but we don’t necessarily want to eat too much sugar, so keeping it to a truffle rather than eating an entire muffin is great. Oh and just so you know – coffee beans contain a whole lot of antioxidants too (if nowhere near what cacao contains).

We sourced this perfect match for coffee at the Alkaline Sisters.

Raw Hazelnut Truffles
Yield: Approx 20 truffles
1  1/2 cups raw cacao powder
1/3 to 1/2 cup organic agave syrup (adjust to your liking)
3  drops liquid stevia-optional
1/4 tsp ground vanilla or alcohol free liquid vanilla
pinch of Himalayan salt
1/2 cup raw hazelnuts soaked approx 2-3 hours, drained
1/4 cup raw cashews soaked approx 2-3 hours, drained
1 tsp hazelnut oil-optional
1/3 cup unrefined organic coconut oil
1/3 cup cocoa butter, finely chopped
1 recipe of raw dipping chocolate-see below

Method
Prepare and measure out all ingredients and set aside.
Place cocoa butter in a double boiler pan over boiling water to melt the cocoa butter for 1-2 mins. Remove from heat before all the pieces have melted leaving the top pan over the hot water and then add the coconut oil to the melted cocao butter allowing it to melt.  Add all other ingredients to bowl of food processor and then add the oils and process immediately until smooth and creamy, forming a heavy mixture.  Using spatula, scrape mixture into a bowl and chill for approx 45 mins.  Once mixture is chilled, scoop by heaping teaspoon fulls and roll into balls and chill again for at least 10 mins on a parchment lined tray.  These can now be dipped into the liquid chocolate- recipe is below- or rolled into raw cacao powder or fine dried coconut.

Dipping Chocolate
Yield:  enough chocolate to dip approx 24-30 truffles
1 cup cacao butter, finely chopped
1/2 cups raw cacao powder
1/4 cup agave syrup or less- adjust to taste
pinch of Himalayan salt
1/4 tsp ground vanilla or alcohol free liquid vanilla

Method
Place cacao butter in a double boiler pan over boiling water bath to melt the cocoa butter for 1-2 mins. Remove from heat before all the pieces have melted.  Add remaining ingredients to the pan and stir until smooth, then remove from water bath.

Take one flavour of truffles from fridge and place a toothpick in each.  Dip each one into the liquid chocolate allowing the excess to run off, then placing the truffle on a tray lined with parchment or wax paper.  When all are dipped carefully remove the toothpicks by twisting and gently pulling upward.  In order to cover the toothpick hole add a garnish of a nut by dipping the nut in chocolate just enough to make it stay on tops or place fine shredded coconut or cacao nibs on the top of each before the chocolate hardens.  If the dipping chocolate becomes too thick you may place it over the hot water for a minute or two.  Once all truffles are dipped you can speed up the hardening process by chilling for a wee bit-say 10 mins.  Do not leave them in the fridge too long as they will form condensation when removed from the cold and this will leave an unwanted finish on the surface of the chocolate. If you run out of dipping chocolate you can roll the truffle centers in cocoa powder or fine dried coconut. Voila, you have world class chocolates now!

Last Minute Cake for Your Coffee

You’re having friends over for coffee when suddenly you realize you have nothing to serve with the coffee (or tea, or chocolate…). You may want to serve something home made, but that doesn’t mean you have an hour to spare. So what do you do? You make these apple pies.

We found this recipe at Yammie’s Noshery and there are plenty of other recipes there that could put you in a food coma, of the nicer kind.

 Two Minute Apple Pie Parfaits

1 firm apple
1 tablespoon brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (more or less, depending on what you like)
Granola and/or ice cream for topping (This is my favorite granola recipe. Here’s a healthier version)

Peal and chop the apple. Toss it with the brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and cinnamon. Microwave for about 1 minute or until the apples are tender. Top with granola and ice cream if desired.

You can multiply this recipe for as many parfaits as you want. You can either mix it all up and divide it into the glasses and cook them each separately, or you can mix it all up, cook it and then divide it into the glasses. If you cook all the apples in one bowl for multiple servings, just stir after each minute until the apples are done.

Of course you still have to serve proper coffee with the pies. If you don’t have one already make sure that for next time you get some fresh coffee beans, a coffee grinder and a French press if you don’t have an espresso machine. If you want to go the extra mile, roast your own green beans. If you are reading this because you want to save time finding an easy recipe we are guessing you aren’t the type though. You can, however, buy coffee online from us, saving you trips to the shops.

‘Tis the Season

‘Tis the season…to drink coffee. Naturally. It’s always the season to drink coffee. However, in Christmas time you can add some extra spice to those fresh roasted coffee beans of yours. You can do so by adding traditional Christmas spice into your regular blend, like cinnamon and nutmeg for example. You can also try candy cane lattes, or why not eggnog lattes?

Below we have listed some recipes we found. Of course you need to buy coffee online from us and then it’s just to get started. And if you really can’t buy from us then we recommend truly fresh roasted coffee beans that you grind at home. The fresher the better. You can even buy green coffee beans and roast them yourself.

Eggnog Latte – recipe from Mother Nature Network

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 1 minute
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup 2% milk
• 2/3 cup eggnog
• 1 shot (1.5 ounces) brewed espresso
• Nutmeg (optional)
Directions
1. Pour milk and eggnog into a steaming pitcher and heat to between 145-165 degrees F, using the steaming wand.
2. Brew the shot of espresso, then add to mug.
3. Pour the steamed milk and eggnog into the mug, using a spoon to hold back the foam. Spoon foam over the top. Sprinkle ground nutmeg (or grind fresh nutmeg yourself) on top of the foam. Serves one.

Candy Cane Latte

1 cup almond milk or regular organic milk
1/2 cup brewed coffee or 1 shot espresso
2 tbsp crushed peppermint candy canes + extra for decoration

Whipped cream (optional

Mix the coffee with the candy cane, then add the steamed milk (if you can’t steam it at home, whip it whilst heating it to get it frothy. Almond milk, however, does not really froth). Potentially add some sweetened whipped cream. Sprinkle some crushed candy cane on top and serve with a candy cane to the side.

Who doesn't want to wake up to a yummy peppermint latte on Christmas morning??

Educating Your Coffee Shop Clients

Have you ever heard about educating your clients? If you haven’t, you might wonder why you should educate them? Why do you tell your clients you sell fresh roasted coffee beans if they don’t have nose enough to figure it out themselves (like hello that scent should say it all)? Why tell them that if they buy the green beans they can roast them at home to come up with their own roasts and blends? And why tell them about the laborious process of harvesting and roasting coffee? Why not just serve them the coffee and the associated products and hope they like them?

There are two reasons why you educate your clients: passion and money. If you sell the best fresh roasted coffee beans in the vicinity chances are you are passionate about it. Likewise, if you are selling fairtrade coffee, knowing that the farms your coffee comes from have properly paid employees, you are probably passionate about letting clients know so that next week they don’t buy coffee that came from slave trade.

So where do the money come in? Well, if someone knows for sure that your coffee is fairtrade, chances are they are prepared to pay more for it. Likewise, if you describe the elaborate process of finding the best beans, roasting them yourself and making unique blends, it will sound like you are selling something valuable. If people know it’s valuable, they are happy to pay more. When they know the hard work and expertise that’s gone into something they are usually prepared to pay more.

If you manage to really impress someone, or make an impression there is also the possibility of them telling their friends about it. If they tell their friends then they might end up your customers also. You will also find that the more someone thinks about coffee the more they want it – the more engaged you get in something the more you wanna try everything around it.

So let us tell you right now: we’re passionate about coffee and the coffee we sell is great. For example we have various different green coffee beans for roasting. Perfect if you have a coffee shop and want to make your own blend. Try our Forte or Caribana for example. Of course we also sell Nespresso. In case you have too much to do to spend time perfecting your espressos. So if you want to buy coffee online, check out our shop!

Specialty Coffee Drinks An Illustrated Guide by letteredandlined

Coffee drinks

Apricot-Espresso Glazed Roast Pork Loin

Now you always hear about cacao used for savory food, but coffee a little less so. It’s most commonly known as a meat tenderizer. We found a recipe using it for roast pork though and as it’s coming up to the weekend, why not try? Personally I don’t eat pork, but I have a feeling it might work well for chicken too. It’s definitively a flavour I have not tried previously.

One might scoff at the freeze dried instant coffee if one is food connoisseur enough, but the only other option (unless you want freshly ground coffee beans in the actual glaze) would be to cook the apricots with coffee when making the jam and somehow we believe the instant coffee will do just fine. After all we sell it. It’s easy to use and has it own unique flavour that some actually prefer.

So fresh roasted coffee beans aside, we are looking forward to try this recipe. Let us know what you think!

Ingredients

  • 1 3-pound boneless pork loin, trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup apricot preserves
  • 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with foil.
  2. Tie kitchen string around pork in two or three places so it doesn’t flatten while roasting. Rub oil, salt and pepper all over the pork. Place the pork in the prepared pan.
  3. Roast pork, turning once, for 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, combine apricot preserves, espresso powder, mustard, Worcestershire, garlic and cloves in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.
  5. After the pork has cooked for 30 minutes, brush all over with 1/2 cup of the glaze. (Leave the remaining glaze in the pan.) Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the meat registers 140°F, 20 to 40 minutes more. Transfer the pork to a clean cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, add broth to the remaining glaze in the pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove the string and slice the pork. Serve with the sauce.

Healthy Coffee

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
  1. 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!

A way to supercharge coffee and make it healthy and great for your skin The Only Way I Drink Coffee...

Mocha Cake

There is this saying: “I love you more than coffee, but please don’t make me prove it.” Right, especially not at 8am on a Monday morning when the waft of coffee made from fresh roasted coffee beans reaches your nostrils. This could prove lethal. At least in the “love you more” section in any relationship, because coffee might just win.

For some of us it’s not coffee you need to battle with for quality time, but rather chocolate. Maybe you don’t need it first thing in the morning, but after a long day you chocolate pralines and a hot bath may just be on top of your priority list. You have no energy to deal with anyone else until you have had your chocolate fix. And potentially, just potentially, a coffee to go with it. To wake you up.

So for those coffee and chocolate lovers out there we found a new recipe for you. (And don’t forget, if you are running out of coffee beans or hot chocolate at any time, our shop offers you plenty of options, delivered to your doorstep. Perfect during winter storms.)

Mocha Frappe Pie adapted from Pillsbury

Uploaded by Monica H at www.lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com

Crust:

  • 1-1/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs

  • 3 Tablespoons sugar

  • 1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:

  • 1/2 lb. (about 35-40) large marshmallows

  • 3 Tablespoons sugar

  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk

  • 3 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder

  • 1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

To make the crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended.

Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes until set. Cool completely.

To make the filling: In top of a double boiler, combine marshmallows, sugar, evaporated milk and instant coffee/espresso powder.

Cook over boiling water, stirring occasionally,until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat. (This can be done in the microwave, but be sure to keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t boil over.)

Stir in chocolate chips until well blended. Cool completely.

Spread 3/4 cup of the cooled filling into the bottom of the cooled crust.

In a separate bowl, beat heavy cream until thick. Fold whipped cream into the remaining chocolate mixture. Pour over chocolate layer.

Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Top with additional whipped cream, chocolate curls or chopped pecan if desired.

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