Coffee Cake as a Dessert

Even though it is always called coffee cake, not all cakes actually contain coffee as an ingredient. Instead, a coffee cake is usually defined simple as a dessert that is most often served with a cup of coffee and enhances its flavor. Take a look at the following recipe for coffee cake that does not contain any actual coffee.

There is an incredibly wide variety of recipes out there, many of which are made with some type of fruit. Coffee cake can be made creamy and designed to eat with coffee or intensely sweet so that it blends well with the bitterness of coffee.

Coffee Cake Ingredients

The coffee cake that will be outlined here requires these ingredients: 2/3 cup of all purpose flower, 1 cup of packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup of butter, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 egg, 1 cup of blueberries, 1/2 cup of milk, 1 cup of white sugar, another 1/2 cup of butter, another 2 cups of all purpose flower, and some confectioner's sugar to be dusted on top.

Coffee Cake: Baking the Mixture

Start the cooking process by spraying cooking spray on a pan. Your oven will need to be preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then you can begin mixing the 2/3 cup of flour together in a bowl with your 1 cup of brown sugar and your cinnamon. Next, you will add a 1/2 cup of butter into what you have mixed together until it starts to get crumbly. This can then be set to the side, since you will use this to top your coffee cake.

The 1/2 cup of butter that is left over now gets beaten to a creamy consistency, after which you can add your white sugar to it and continue beating. Once it gets fluffy, add your egg and vanilla. After you have beaten that for a while, continue by whisking together your salt, baking powder, and 2 cups of flour. Next, add the milk slowly. Do not stop beating the entire mixture. It should get creamy. Once that is ready, you can spread half of the mixture onto your pan. The other half will be saved for later. Now you will spread your blueberries over the batter that you placed in the pan with a spoon and cover that with the rest of your batter.

Let it bake until it has turned golden brown. Next, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool. When it comes time to serve it, sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top and enjoy it with a cup of coffee.

How to Buy Good Quality Coffee?

Oh, there is truly nothing more frustrating than buying coffee that is not as good as it seemed. It can definitely ruin your day to take a sip of a cup of Joe that doesn't live up to its reputation, so you do need to make sure that you heed these purchasing tips when buying your coffee for home use.

First of all, find out the roast date. This is something important for you to understand the freshness of the roast of your coffee since coffee should be consumed 10 to 14 days after roasting. As a rule of thumb, it is not a good idea to purchase coffee from a grocery store because it will be stale. Also, if you are someone that drinks decaf coffee, it is best to purchase from a roaster because decaf coffee can sit on the grocery store shelves for up to six months because it is less often purchased. Shocking! As a rule of thumb, it is best to enjoy your coffee a few days after it has been roasted, and make sure to seal it in an opaque, airtight container for maximum freshness.

The next tip is to grind what you will brew. You also must freshly grind your coffee beans every time that you brew because freshly ground coffee beans will go stale within 30 seconds. This is imperative to protect the essential oils within the coffee beans since they will become damaged when they are oxidized and exposed to air. Once the essential oils are damaged, there goes the flavor of your coffee along with it. As soon as you grind the coffee beans, they will start to lose their natural flavors. There are different grind consistencies necessary for various brew methods. As an example, if you are using an automatic coffee maker, the grind consistency should be medium, like granulated sugar. If you are using a French Press, the coffee grounds need to be very coarse. You will need a very fine ground for espresso or Turkish coffee that is similar to a powder.

Lastly, make sure to store your coffee beans with the right method to have a better taste in your brew. Although rumor has led many people to store their coffee beans in their freezer, do not do it! Coffee beans are porous and delicate, and they will absorb the flavors of what is around them. The coffee can begin to taste bad if you have fish or other foods in your freezer, and freezing coffee will also damage the essential oils to completely ruin the natural flavors of the coffee beans. You must store your coffee beans in a dry and cool location in an airtight and opaque container.

So there you have it! These are the best methods for storing your coffee beans so that you can protect their delicate flavors and constantly enjoy a delicious and rich cup of Joe. Even these subtle changes will make a dramatic difference in the coffee that you buy, and you will notice a much fresher flavor in your cup of Joe!

The Best Single Serve Coffee Makers

Single serve coffee makers are my favorite. I can make a cup of coffee whenever I need one and they really only take about 2-3 minutes to make. Now, the downfall with your regular based coffee makers is that you're going to find out that you're going to have to wait 20 minutes and half the time, you're going to have to let the pot go to waste.

You will want to just think about this one for a second. Think of the times when you have wasted, say 6 cups? You could have had 6 cups of coffee in the future. We all know that coffee grounds and filters cost a few bucks, so why think of saving?

They are great for dorm rooms, apartments, and even homes. Sure, if you're going to be feeding the whole office, you're going to have to get a commercial based one, but if not, let me give you the upsides, as well as the downsides.

The Upsides...

• Quick and easy: Most of them are going to make your pot within 5 minutes.
• Very clean: Many use a permanent filter where you don't even have to worry about replacing them. It's going to ease the waste.
• Solo cups: Instead of measuring the grounds and doing things such as that, you're going to find that some come with individual pods, making it super easy to measure out.

The Downsides...

• Not enough cups: If you have a party and people want to drink some coffee, this won't do the trick.
• Not as many features: Some have all the features that you want, but they are going to cost an arm and leg, but many complain that they want more. This is a personal choice though.

Now, onto the top 5. There are many brands that make individual coffee makers. You're going to find some such as Black and Decker, Cuisinart, as well as a few others make great makers that are going to work for you. Check out a few mentioned below, as they may be what you're looking for.

1. Keurig B40 (around $120)
2. Black and Decker DCM18S (around $20)
3. Keurig B70 (around $170)
4. Delonghi Drip Maker (around $50)
5. Brew N' Go by Black and Decker (around $27)

Tips for Making the Perfect Latte

Making a perfect latte is actually really easy, provided you have some basic equipment and know what you're doing. A latte is made up of two ingredients; milk and espresso coffee. For the milk, ideally you will need a steaming wand, something that shoots steam into a pitcher of milk, creating something that is known as microfoam. You can however still achieve almost the same effect using a microwave or saucepan and stovetop, and a small, very low cost foaming wand.

The espresso is critical, so make sure that if you can only afford one piece of kit, you get a decent espresso maker. They take on all different shapes and sizes, ranging from things like the pod based machines offered by almost all of the major manufacturers, to your more traditional coffee shop style portahandle machines where you literally pull your own shot of espresso.

To begin with, froth your milk. Many people often assume that you start with the shot, but you want to be able to add your shot to your drink as quickly as possible, so don't waste time leaving the shot on the side to get cold or stale. You want to literally pour it, add it to the drink and serve, so start with your milk first. You want to heat the milk up to around 65 degrees C and at some point you will want to do a small bit of frothing.

It's worth pointing out the difference between a cappucino and a latte however. A cappucino is one third steamed milk, one third foamy milk and one third coffee. A latte is about one eighth coffee and about six eighth steamed milk, with maybe one eighth foamy milk to top the latte off. Bear this in mind when you are heating up your milk!

Once you have your milk hot and good to go, you want to pour a shot. The way you do this will vary depending on your machine. It might require grinding some beans, tamping them off in the portahandle and pulling a shot the traditional coffee shop way, or it might just involve putting a pod in the machine and pushing a button. Either way, you need to add your espresso to the mix! The ideal brewing time for an espresso is between 18 and 21 seconds. If you let the drink brew for less than that, if will come out watery, if you let it brew for longer than that, the coffee becomes burnt and overly bitter tasting.

Finally, take a tall latte glass, add your hot milk and pour in your shot. Stir to mix up well, and serve!

Chocolate Covered Gourmet Coffee Beans

Chocolate covered gourmet coffee beans make truly interesting and unique gifts for men whether the man belongs to you or to someone else and the caffeine it contains will kick start the man too.

Unique corporate gifts for men are harder to find than for women, but you can solve that problem, by making up your own unique gift basket that contains the following.

• Commercial one cup coffee maker, with a special message engraved on it or your company logo or both.
• A variety of gourmet coffees, the selection available is huge since there are seventy coffee producing countries and the coffee from each country has its own distinct flavor.
• A personalized coffee mug, the variety is endless and the ready available messages on these mugs are funny, inspiring even romantic or you can have your company logo placed on the mug if you cannot find something that is to your liking.
• Last but not least add the chocolate covered gourmet coffee beans to your gift basket, the possibilities are endless, you can make your own, which will really make it a very unique gift for him or you can buy some.

Wrap it elaborately with, beautiful gift paper that fits the occasion, cellophane and bows, remember to add a beautiful card. You can make it even more unique by making your own card from handmade paper, there are many sources available online and offline that will show how. This gift basket will be well received as a unique Christmas gift for him, unique gifts for men of all ages, stages and positions and your unique gift basket will even be appreciated as a unique birthday gift.

If this gift is meant as a unique birthday gift for the sunshine of your life, you can make a wonderful dinner for two at home and really go wild and elaborate on the coffee theme of your gift basket or reserve a dinner for two at your favorite restaurant. Restaurant owners are very helpful and go out of their way to help you create an evening that you will remember for the rest of your life.

Restaurant owners have a lot of experience in creating special evenings for special occasions, do not be afraid to ask for some help to ensure that you get more than your monies worth.

Decaffeinated Coffee Beans and Its Advantages

"Coffee is the next best thing after water!" That statement may be a coffee lover's battle cry, but coffee is indeed the most popular beverage next to water. What is it in coffee that has made it an essential part of our daily lives?

Coffee is said to have been discovered in Ethiopia and brought to Arabia by the traders. The Arabs were the first to boil the coffee beans and make it into a drink similar to tea because of its stimulating effect that keeps one awake. This mild stimulant is of course, the caffeine in coffee that gives us that kick when we feel laggard. From Arabia, coffee was introduced in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire and then it reached Italy where the very first coffee house was opened. That would probably explain why the Italians make the best espressos. Today, coffee has become one of the biggest industries worldwide, and Brazil, and the neighboring South American countries are the leading suppliers of the best coffee beans. It was during the early part of the 20th century that decaffeinated coffee was introduced in Europe.

The caffeine content in the coffee is the main component that gives one the jolt, especially at the start of the day, or when one needs to stay up late at night. But coffee is not enjoyed because of its caffeine, but it is the pleasure from the aroma, then to the pleasant intensity of its taste from the first sip down to the last gulp that makes coffee so enticing. But for those who are wary of the caffeine in coffee, decaf coffee beans are the best substitute. As much as 97% of the caffeine is taken out from decaf coffee beans. And although there are several methods of taking the caffeine out from the coffee such as the water-only process, the carbon dioxide process or the solvent process, what matters most is the taste that gives you the most pleasurable feeling. Coffee is not only a sought after beverage, it is also a highly traded commodity next to fuel. That is why it continues to be a highly debated health issue, and there is a barrage of information out there with regard to its fitness value.

Studies have proven that coffee is a good antioxidant that helps protect our cells, especially as we age, from the harmful by-products of our metabolism. Current findings show that coffee may delay the onset or prevent diseases associated with aging such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia, type 2 diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver. However, a good thing will always have its drawbacks. Coffee as a stimulant may cause increased heart rate and blood levels, and too much of coffee can stain the teeth, may contribute to the weakening of bones such as osteoporosis, and can be addictive as well. There is no fast and quick rule on how little or how much coffee we should drink. It will all depend on how much your body can tolerate coffee without compromising your health. Perhaps one can be guided by the dictum, "Too much of a good thing is bad."

But for those who can't have enough of the hot or cold java and is conscious of their wellness or you need to stay awake, but don't want too much of the caffeine, take decaffeinated coffee from decaf coffee beans. There are several choices out there now, and a cup or two can give you the health benefits that coffee has been proven to possess. Decaffeinated coffee will not give you the same jolt that will keep you awake like the ordinary coffee, but the taste and aroma will let out the feel-good sensation that will certainly keep you alive and kicking.

Two Sweet Coffee Recipes

Honey Butter with Hazelnut Latte Recipe

Honey Butter mixing with Hazelnut, are you sure is a good combination? Try this out yourself to find out.

Ingredients
Enough for 1 person (tall glass)

1. 2 tablespoons of Hazelnut syrup
2. 1 tablespoon of Honey Butter
3. 1 shot of organic espresso
4. 0.75 cup of low fat steamed milk

Equipments Needed
Espresso maker and electronic blender

Steps for preparation

1. Take an empty blender cup and pour all the ingredients into the cup.
2. If you like cold latte, you can add in few cubes of ice before you start to blend it.
3. Blend it for 1 minute until all well mixed.
4. Bring an empty tall glass and pour your latte into the glass.
5. You can enjoy your cup of latte now.

 
Classical Honey Butter with Cinnamon Latte Recipe

This latte is for someone who likes Cinnamon mixing with coffee. If you are belong to that group, try this out and you will like it.

Ingredients
Enough for 1 person (just nice for one tall glass)

1. 1 tablespoon of honey butter
2. 1 shot of organic espresso
3. 0.75 cup of low fat steamed milk
4. 3 to 5 ice cubes
5. 2 tablespoons of Cinnamon syrup
6. 1 small tablespoon of Cinnamon powder as garnish

Equipments Needed
Espresso maker and electronic blender

Steps for preparation

1. You need an empty blender cup to pour all the ingredients except cinnamon powder which we need to use at the later stage.
2. Start to blend it for 55 seconds until all evenly mixed.
3. Take an empty tall glass and pour the latte into the cup.
4. Spread the cinnamon powder on top of the glass as garnish.
5. You can now serve your latte.