Made-with-Coffee Coffee Cake

If you knew me back in college, this cake may look familiar to you. It was one of my most requested baked goods, and it was on the short list of things I baked at the time. Until last month, I had always made this cake with instant coffee - it's what the original recipe called for, and it gave the cake its coffee flavor without hassle.


























Now, this coffee cake is different from all the ones I've made in the past. This one is made with Bolivia Fair Trade Organic coffee from the Coffee Foundry. When helping Norm and Wilson for the Bloggers' Coffee Cupping Event last month, I knew this was the perfect cake to offer at the event since it incorporate both loves of coffee and cake.


























The main thing I modified to make this cake with real coffee was replacing the regular yogurt with Greek yogurt. I mixed the brewed coffee into the Greek yogurt, creating a coffee yogurt to bake with. Pecans and chocolate chips are optional in this recipe, but they add nice texture to this moist coffee cake.

Thanks again to all the bloggers that came out to the event last month, and for those who asked for the recipe, here you go!

Made-with-Coffee Coffee Cake
adapted from previous recipe

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons instant coffee (optional - I added this for extra coffee flavor)
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup strongly brewed Bolivian coffee
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 8"x8" pan, dust with 2 teaspoons flour.
3. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and optional instant coffee in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Fold in strongly brewed coffee into Greek yogurt until well mixed.
5. In a stand mixer, cream together butter and granulated sugar.
6. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Then add in coffee yogurt and vanilla.
7. Add flour, baking soda, salt, mixing just until flour disappears. Fold in optional pecans and chocolate chips if desired.
8. Pour half of the batter into prepared pan, and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar mixture. Carefully spoon remaining batter over brown sugar mixture, and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar mixture.
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Bloggers' Cupping Event at The Coffee Foundry

I know I already mentioned it the other week, but I'll say it again. I'm proud to be friends with coffee geeks Norm and Wilson, and I want others to know what they're doing at The Coffee Foundry is very cool.

























A couple Saturdays ago, Esther of Ambitious Deliciousness and I held a Bloggers' Cupping Event at The Coffee Foundry to do just that. We invited a few bloggers to come out and experience what coffee cupping is all about. What happened exactly? Norm led us through a sensory journey as we sniffed and sipped their coffee in different stages it went through from bean to drink.








































I had the pleasure of supplying breakfast for the event, which included pumpkin cardamom scones, pecan coffee cake, Greek yogurt parfaits, and fruit salad. Visit back because I'll be posting the scone and coffee cake recipes!
























During the cupping, we tasted a Brazilian Cerrado and an Ethiopia Sidamo and were asked to describe the aroma, acidity, body, flavor and finish in terms like carbony/nippy/fat/rough. Luckily we were supplied with a whole glossary of terms to choose from (because I wouldn't normally describe the taste of coffee as nippy or fat), and those terms were just among dozens of others.

















We learned about all that goes into the science of brewing coffee well. New to me was the fact that ground coffee blooms when hot water is poured over just as it should if the grounds are fresh. Also, speaking to freshness of coffee, Norm taught us about the Rule of 15. The Rule of 15 refers to three rules about coffee:

1) Green coffee should be roasted within 15 months of harvest, or it goes stale.
2) Roasted coffee should be ground within 15 days of roasting, or it goes stale.
3) Ground coffee should be brewed within 15 minutes of grinding, or it goes stale.

















Coffee geeks might already know that rule, but it was new to me. I think I can speak for most of the attendees that we all learned a significant amount about coffee last Saturday. It's easy to overlook the complexity it can take to arrive at your daily cup of coffee, so participating in a coffee cupping was a refreshing way to understand the precision (and balance of art and science) in making a good cuppa joe.

















The Coffee Foundry is having special promotion for blog readers! Get $1 off any beverage when you mention "Foundry Coffee Cupping" upon ordering. This promotion is good until April 15, 2011. And if you're interested in participating in future cupping events, either comment below or send me a quick email.

And a big thanks goes to Albert Cheung Photography for supplying the photography for this post!

Coffee Foundry

Here's a blurb I use when describing my interests: I love coffee, cake, and coffee cake. Cake and coffee just go so well together, right? Well, meet my friends Norm and Wilson. They've been roasting single-origin coffee locally for the past several years, but within the last year, they opened shop at The Coffee Foundry in the West Village. This video by local menswear label 3sixteen highlights cool things being done in their jeans (and they did a whole series featuring other creative professionals).

Singularities: The Coffee Foundry from 3sixteen on Vimeo.

Now, I've definitely come a long way from my hatred of coffee at first taste. Me - hate coffee? Yes, I was 8 years old, and what I thought was a glass of iced Coke was in fact my mom's glass of olieng, or sweetened black coffee. But since then, I've had quite the coffee journey, and it looks a little like this:








My coffee journey can be summarized as disguising the coffee with sugar and cream to learning to appreciate the coffee itself and simply experience it. Last year I discovered a lot of West Coast roasters with the help of Citizen Bean, but I'm also lucky to have access to locally roasted beans by Norm and Wilson. The Coffee Foundry is a place where I can sit back and have their roasts brewed on the spot, and like 3sixteen, I think what they're doing is really cool.

The Coffee Foundry
186 West 4th Street
New York, NY 10014
coffeefoundry.com

If you're an NYC blogger interested in joining a cupping event at The Coffee Foundry please email me at talidabakes at gmail dot com.

Paris Breakfasts

Next to family, breakfast is the most important thing. For all the walking Tim and I did, it was important to start our day right with a Parisian breakfast. While staying in the Montmartre area, we started our days with a cup of café crème* and either a pain au chocolat or a croissant. They were perfect; those flaky, buttery layers of pastry. I woke up every morning looking forward to the croissants.

























On our last morning in Paris, we only had time to get breakfast because we had to make our way to the airport to catch an early afternoon flight. There were several things still left on our list of things to eat, so that morning we decided to forgo the simple croissant breakfast in search for a croque monsieur. We couldn't go too far, so we walked around our hotel near the Porte Maillot station in the 17th arrondissement and knew we found our place when we saw a chalkboard sign advertising croque monsieur! The bistro was lovely, with chairs lined up to watch over Avenue de la Grande Armée; it made for a fine last meal in Paris.












































We ordered a café crème each, and a croque monsieur for the monsieur and a croque madame for the madame. Tim ate all of his and half of mine, but that happens at most meals for us. They were fantastic sandwiches, and when eaten with some mustard, mmm, even better. I was satisfied, Tim was stuffed, and we were both happy.

Our last meal was at Tabac Le Maillot, and the name makes sense after I mention that there was a large tobacco stand in the bistro. Does it? I'm not sure. I'm just the girl who asked "Ou est la toilette?" properly but could not understand the response spoken back in rapid French. It turned out I had to pay 20 cents to use la toilette.


Tabac Le Maillot
78 Avenue de la Grande Armée
Paris, France 75017
01 45 74 41 42


*I'm italicizing words I like to pronounce the French way now. Please oblige me by doing the same.

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread

I saw this recipe featured by Deb at Smitten Kitchen a few days ago and knew I had to make these as part of my holiday collection. I'm spending Christmas in the D.C. area this year, so I wanted to bake sturdy goods that won't end up in a crumbled mess in my luggage. I'm bringing these, and I look forward to testing how well they travel.

The shortbread was easy to make, and I agree with Deb - the rolling-in-a-bag is the best part! I didn't have gallon-sized bags on me, so I used 4 quart-sized bags. It worked out wonderfully since I had even less cookies to cut. No, I'm not lazy... I just love shortcuts. And this shortbread.

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (plain, or a toffee variety), finely chopped, or 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions:
1. Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, and set aside to cool to tepid.
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla and espresso, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a sturdy rubber spatula.
3. Using the spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.
4. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
5. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet.
6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack.
7. If you’d like, dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving. Makes 32 cookies.