Home baking with fresh Blend 34 coffee

Our enjoyment of fresh coffee continues to increase. To highlight the numbers, an increase of 25 million cups of coffee a day over the last 10 years means we now consume over 95 million cups of coffee a day.

You don’t think twice about brewing freshly ground coffee as your favourite coffee drink; but did you know an espresso coffee shot made from freshly ground coffee is an ingredient that can work magic in many baking recipes.

A quality freshly roasted and ground coffee can add depth to your dish and help balance sweetness. Fresh coffee compliments sweet bold nutty ingredients to give a balanced taste combination. We all know Mocha ( the unique and desirable combination of chocolate and freshly ground coffee) is a favoured dessert combination for many chefs.

3 coffee espresso shots of Blue J Coffee Co ‘s Blend 34 freshly ground coffee

(Blend 34 coffee beans or ground from Blue J Coffee has a unique taste balance and depth of flavour that makes it a great addition to recipes.)

1 cup of melted unsalted butter

2 cups of granulated sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups of self raising flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.

1. Pull 3 perfect espresso coffee shots, using Blue J Coffee Co ‘s Blend 34 freshly ground coffee beans which can be purchased through our online shop here.The online shop also has ready ground coffee for sale if you don’t want to grind the coffee beans yourself.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Leave the 3 fresh coffee espresso shots to cool.
3. Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the shots of fresh coffee espressos slowly and mix until combined. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Add the flour and cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add a pinch of sea salt which compliments the fresh coffee and a handful of chocolate chips or pecans if you’re feeling ambitious.
4. Transfer the fresh coffee brownie batter to a 9×13 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes or until set in the middle (if you want more chewy brownies, go for 35-40 minutes).
5. Eat and enjoy your Blend 34 fresh coffee brownies!

1 cup of whipping cream

1 cup mascarpone cheese (at room temperature)

1/3 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon Amaretto liquor or brandy

2 cups Strong freshly brewed blend 34 fresh coffee espressos (at room temperature) This is where Blend 34 coffee really shines with its strong balanced depth of flavour.

1 pack of lady fingers

Cocoa powder for dusting the top

1. Beat the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract together until soft peaks form.
2. Add the mascarpone cheese and amaretto and continue to whip to form stiff peaks.
3. Dip the ladyfingers in the freshly brewed strong coffee and place in an 8×8 tray to make the first layer (you can fit about 7 into each layer.) Don't let them soak too much as they will fall apart, just a quick dunk in the freshly brewed strong Blend 34 coffee is enough.
4. Spread half of the whipped cream mixture on top of the first layer of ladyfingers. Repeat process with the second layer of Blend 34 fresh coffee dipped ladyfingers and cream mixture.
5. Dust the top of dessert with cocoa powder using a sieve. Refrigerate for about 2-4 hours (it improves the flavour of the coffee in the fridge and is a perfect make-ahead dessert).

A fresh coffee glaze of Icing sugar or chocolate powder mixed with strong cold fresh coffee, preferably espresso, can enhance any finished bake.

Recipes can still be baked after adding freshly ground coffee espresso shots without upsetting the balance of wet and dry ingredients. Why not try stirring into an espresso shot into your cake mix, biscuit dough or even meringue.

They say you should only cook with wine you would drink yourself. The same is to be said for coffee; Blend 34 from Blue J Coffee Co. is outstanding and the depth of flavour from the fresh coffee will shine through in your cooking. ( Blend 34 espresso shots were the go to choice of the professional chefs for their demonstrations when we were exhibiting at the Great British Bake Off’s - Cake and Bake show Manchester.)

To get the best results use your home espresso coffee machine to deliver the espresso coffee shots. If you do not yet have a good home espresso machine then “Aeropress” and “moka pots” produce strong low volume coffees that are also very good. Cafetieres can also be used but increase the amount of ground coffee and decrease the amount of hot water to produce a strong coffee.

Even without any of the above you could still grind a small amount of coffee beans using a pepper mill before adding hot water and then filtering out the grains.

A marinade can also be prepared with the use of freshly ground coffee due to the natural acidity in the fresh coffee, this helps tenderise the meat, enhances the flavour and becomes caramelised and sweet when it hits the heat.

1 small shallot chopped

2 cloves of chopped garlic

1 cup of strong Blend 34 coffee at room temperature.

4 tbls balsamic vinegar

4 tbls Dijon mustard

4 tbls light brown sugar

2 tbls olive oil

salt , black pepper

Mix together and place 1/2 the marinade into a plastic bag with your meat and marinade in your fridge for about an hour. Bring to room temperature then remove the meat and discard the marinade. Cook and baste your meat with the remaining 1/2 of marinade.

1 tbls sea salt

1 tbls freshly ground Blue J Coffee Co Blend 34 fresh coffee beans

1 tbls hot smoked Spanish paprika

A dry rub is great rubbed into meat or chicken; this enhances the flavour of the meat and becomes caramelised and sweet when it hits the heat.