Tasty Morning Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
7 sweet dinner rolls
1 box (1 lb.14 oz) cinnamon swirl coffee cake mix -
or regular vanilla mix if needed,
just add 1 level tsp powdered cinnamon to batter
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 10-cup Bundt pan.
Slice 1 inch off tops of rolls and tear tops into 1-inch pieces; set aside. Place bottoms of rolls, cut sides up, in prepared pan.
In large bowl, combine coffee cake batter mix, water, oil and 2 eggs. Beat until well blended. Pour half of batter over rolls. Sprinkle with cinnamon swirl packet from coffee cake mix (just lightly dust top with cinnamon spice if using the regular cake mix). Pour remaining batter over rolls.
Whisk remaining egg, milk and sugar in another bowl to blend. Add reserved roll tops to milk mixture; set aside until milk mixture is absorbed. Pour roll top mixture over cake batter in pan. Swirl batters together with a skewer.
Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 25 minutes. Invert cake onto cooling rack; remove pan. Place cake, right side up, on platter.
Slice cake and serve with coffee !! :)
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Easy as Pie: Espresso Brownies
Simple Ingredients:
1 tbsp espresso powder
1/4 cup hot water
1/2cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 fudge brownie mix package
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Simple Method:
1 Dissolve espresso powder in hot water in a 1-cup glass measuring cup, stirring with a small whisk. Cool slightly. Whisk in oil and eggs until blended.
2 Place brownie mix in a large bowl; break up large lumps with the back of a spoon. Stir in espresso mixture until blended. Then stir in the chocolate morsels and walnuts. Spoon mixture into 38 lightly greased miniature muffin cups or use a 'regular cupcake' sized tin.
3 Bake at 375° for 12 to 14 minutes or until tops are shiny and crusty and centers are set. Cool completely in pans on wire racks.
Enjoy with Coffee, of course ! :)
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Instant Decaf: A Micro-History
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| Instant or Decaf? Coffee all the same? |
Funny, after coming accross a shipment of sea-water soaked Coffee Beans, a German man by the name of Ludwig Roselius begins to develop & invent Decaf Coffee! He gave the bags to scientists to work on extracting the caffeine with steam & chlorine-based solvents without removing the be-loved coffee flavor.
He then patented the process two years later in 1905 and thus began marketing Caffeine-Free Coffee under the name of "Kaffee Hag". Finally the product was introduced to the United States in 1923 as the infamous "Sanka" - sans caffeine. It became an obvious hit with the all-too-ready Americans anxious to enjoy the flavor of Coffee without the caffeine. The rest "became History" in the tasty marketing campaign of Sanka!
Instant History:
An American-Japanese Scientist named Satori Kato invented the Coffee "powder" in 1901! Among the first to use this strange new Coffee creation were people of an Arctic Expedition - as the soluble substance was easy to prepare and no longer produced the messy grounds to dispose of. Just instant "coffee" to enjoy! Quick to catch on for the Armed Forces of American Soldiers serving in England during World War One.
Also a "weaker" resolution to the ever-rising Brazilian Coffee surpluses when Nestle introduces the now infamous "Nescafe" to the world - specifically into Switzerland in 1938. A year later it lands on the market in Great Britain to excite the lacking coffee habit again.
Then eventually...America...and of course, an even bigger 'fad' as well!
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Coffee Whiskey Bundt Cake: A Recipe
1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder +3 tblspns for dusting pan
1/2 cup Brewed Coffee
1/2 cup Whiskey
2 cups Unsalted Butter - cut into 1inch pcs
2 cup Sugar
2 cup All-Purpose Flour
4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
Confectioners Sugar for dusting
_______________________________________________________1 Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F
2 Butter Bundt Pan then dust with 3 tblespns cocoa powder, knocking out excess
3 Heat coffee, whiskey, butter & remaining cup cocoa powder in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, whisking, until butter is melted
4 Remove from heat, add sugar and whisk until dissolved, about 1 minute
5 Transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool 5 minutes
6 While chocolate mixture cools - wisk flour, baking soda & salt in a bowl
7 In a smaller separate bowl: Wisk eggs and vanilla together - then wisk that into cooled chocolate mixture until combined well
8 Now add flour mixture and whisk until just combined to be thin and bubbly
9 Pour batter into Bundt Pan and bake 40 to 50 minutes - test with wooden pick or skewer
10 Cool cake completely in pan on a rack 4 about 2 hours
11 Once released & removed from pan - dust with confectioners sugar on serving/presentation plate
*Note: This cake improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead & kept - in a cake keeper or wrapped well in plastic wrap - at cool room temperature undusted w/ conf sugar. Dust only after placed onto presentation plate. Also: It can be made up to 5 days ahead & chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving. Dust with the confectioners sugar.
To Bid Farewell & Evolve in Change
In preparation to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year - something bold (my favorite type of coffee) and new revealed by Starbucks. No not a new coffee: but a new logo. I along with tons of other things, I am just obsessed with logo's ! The Starbucks logo has been one of my favorites for all these years...
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| Through the years in Design: 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s...Now ! |
About two weeks ago during a webcast meeting the Seattle-based coffee giant unveiled a new logo that no longer includes the 'Starbucks Coffee' name. It is still a circle logo and it is still the bright green hue that I love. It now depicts only the mermaid: the symbol of the original Starbucks logo that was in dark brown-black. Ironically thru the years, she too has evolved in design and now 'emerges' out of the 'circles within.'
..."Even though we have been and always will be a coffee company and retailer, it's possible we'll have other products with our name on it and no coffee in it,"Chief Executive Howard Schultz said. He added that any noncoffee products Starbucks sells will adhere to the same standards the company applies to its coffee. "We're not going to put our name on things that dilute the quality of Starbucks." - Schultz added...
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| Time to say "good-bye" and evolve in Business ! |
So Starbucks is now - all of the sudden - focusing on becoming more of a "consumer packaged-goods company." According the heads at the huge corporation: the updated logo reflects the company's new emphasis on selling Starbucks-brand products in supermarkets and other channels beyond its retail stores. I believe the key word is "emphasis" - as Starbucks has been selling tons of 'products' along with the actual coffee at supermarkets and stores for years now ! Am I wrong ?
At Christmas time each year I make sure to scour the shelves and bins of my fav Walgreens looking for great stylish Starbucks gift-sets, as I absolutely love (loved) the logo. There have been great items at the actual stores and online too. I do feel, however, that in the past years - the items and selection have been lacking in style ! I am glad to have at least two gigantic porcelain cappucino cups gracing the now "old" logo. It goes without saying that I now will covet & search for any "old logo" products in my many shopping travels.
It seems so naked to me ! It is basically the inside circle of the logo now "out" - sans the type and extra circles. Say good-bye to the two great stars that were on it that I really liked as well. Wow, I will sooo have to get used to it and still think it's strange - but I am somehow warming up to it, no pun intended. Change is good and sometimes requires adjustment. I do realize that to some this is a "nothing" matter - but to me: interesting in Business & in Design, in Coffee & in Life.
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Introducing The New Model: "Tentra"
No, not a new foreign or domestic gas saving vehicle. But a new size option in drinks at [my fav] Starbucks! Economical in gulps & a huge time saver in the long line and process to re-pay for a refill. A great 31oz capacity! Caloric aspects in the new larger size concerns? None for me: I take the strongest roast in Black. Just add sugar. Just add a splash of cream. Good for me :)
...wonder if the 'baristas' will correct me with the new name when I order it as the "extra large"...or "the new size large"...
The Power of Coffee & Donuts: An Article
Coffee and donuts: Breakfast of champions? It turns out caffeine and glucose could make you smarter.
BY Rosemary Black - DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Breakfast of champions? It turns out a morning meal of java and a donut, a favorite of office workers everywhere, could actually make you smarter.
The combo of caffeine and glucose revs up the brain, according to a study published in the journal "Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental," reported by MSNBC.com.
Researchers found that pairing the two oft-maligned ingredients helps both attention and memory.
The study, conducted at the University of Barcelona in Spain, examined a group of 72 women and men between the ages of 18 and 25, who were given doses of either water, water with caffeine, water with glucose, or water with both caffeine and glucose.
The subjects then took a variety of tests on attention, memory and manual dexterity.
Some of the tests involved simple tasks such as remembering a list of 15 repeated words, or removing pegs from a cup and putting them quickly into a hole.
Others consisted of repeating back a batch of numbers both forward and backwards.
Participants who had been given water with caffeine or glucose had better reaction times than those who drank plain water.
And when the study subjects drank the water with both substances, they displayed impressive results on attention, learning, and consolidating verbal memory.
While the findings are noteworthy, researchers hope to perform more studies to investigate "the effects of caffeine and glucose, alone and in combination, with repeated doses."
In the meantime, hold the nutritious breakfast, please, and bring on the double mocha lattes and French crullers.
Stylishly Sleek in Design & Form: Illy Affordable
Illy Francis Francis Y1 Espresso Machine: Only $125
The rich espresso & crema derived from the new Y1 can almost pass for those drinks cranked out of the thousand dollar+ machines found at your basic "barista" bistro. Cleaning and cost aside - this affordable model uses the standard mess-free capsules packed with Illy's famous Arabica coffee. Pour a double espresso over vanilla ice cream for an 'affogato' - dessert of a coffee lover's dream...
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