Featured Product: Espresso Powder
ESPRESS-o Yourself!
Chocolate and coffee - what a great combination. With espresso power, oops, I mean espresso powder, you can highlight chocolate’s deep rich flavor. Add a little bit more and you have a wonderful mocha flavor. Espresso powder is made from ground, brewed and dried coffee beans. It dissolves easily and quickly. Add a teaspoon or two to your favorite chocolate recipes – baked goods, frostings and sauces - and enhance the chocolate flavor.
Here are two great recipes that use espresso powder. The recipes are courtesy of King Arthur Flour and used with their permission.
MOCHA WHOOPIE PIES
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
3 tablespoons espresso powder*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup King Arthur All-Purpose Baking Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
2 1/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup milk
*This amount of espresso powder makes the cakes very strongly coffee-flavored. If you're not a big coffee fan, cut the espresso powder back to a level you think you'll find acceptable.
Filling
2 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line with parchment.
2) To make the cakes: Beat together the butter, sugar, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until smooth.
3) Add the egg, again beating until smooth. Stir in the cocoa.
4) Add the flour alternately with the milk, beating until smooth, and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
5) Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2" to 2" between the rounds.
6) Bake the cakes for 10 to 12 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cool on the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
7) To make the filling: Heat the cream to just below simmering. Pour over the chocolate, let sit for 30 seconds, and stir until smooth, reheating briefly if necessary. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours, to set.
8) When ready to fill the cakes, beat the chocolate mixture until it's light and airy.
9) Spread the flat side of half the cakes with the filling. Top with the remaining cakes, rounded side up; press down gently.
Yield: 20 to 22 mini pies.
Recipe summary:
Hands-on time: 20 mins. to 30 mins.
Baking time: 10 mins. to 12 mins.
Yield: 20 to 22 mini pies
Tips from our bakers:
For a traditional-size whoopie pie, drop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the baking sheets and bake for 14 to 16 minutes until set. Finish as directed in the recipe.
The following recipe is for a flourless chocolate cake and is therefore gluten free.
GLUTEN-FREE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa preferred
Glaze
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8" round cake pan; cut a piece of parchment or waxed paper to fit, grease it, and lay it in the bottom of the pan.
2) To make the cake: Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the butter is melted and the chips are soft. Stir until the chips melt, reheating briefly if necessary. You can also do this over a burner set at very low heat. Transfer the melted chocolate/butter to a mixing bowl.
3) Stir in the sugar, salt, espresso powder, and vanilla. Espresso enhances chocolate's flavor much as vanilla does; using 1 teaspoon will simply enhance the flavor, while 2 teaspoons will lend a hint of mocha to the cake.
4) Add the eggs, beating briefly until smooth. Add the cocoa powder, and mix just to combine.
5) Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
6) Bake the cake for 25 minutes; the top will have formed a thin crust, and it should register at least 200°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into its center.
7) Remove it from the oven, and cool it in the pan for 5 minutes.
8) Loosen the edges of the pan with a table knife or nylon spreader, and turn it out onto a serving plate. The top will now be on the bottom; that's fine. Also, the edges will crumble a bit, which is also fine. Allow the cake to cool completely before glazing.
9) To make the glaze: Combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the cream is very hot, but not simmering. Remove from the microwave, and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is completely smooth.
10) Spoon the glaze over the cake, spreading it to drip over the sides a bit. Allow the glaze to set for several hours before serving the cake.
Yield: 8" cake, 8 to 12 servings.
We hope that you will enjoy trying these great recipes and that you will visit Grandma’s Pantry for all your King Arthur Flour products. Please stop in at our store or check us out at www.GrandmasPantryVA.com.
“So, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31
ESPRESS-o Yourself!
Chocolate and coffee - what a great combination. With espresso power, oops, I mean espresso powder, you can highlight chocolate’s deep rich flavor. Add a little bit more and you have a wonderful mocha flavor. Espresso powder is made from ground, brewed and dried coffee beans. It dissolves easily and quickly. Add a teaspoon or two to your favorite chocolate recipes – baked goods, frostings and sauces - and enhance the chocolate flavor.
Here are two great recipes that use espresso powder. The recipes are courtesy of King Arthur Flour and used with their permission.
MOCHA WHOOPIE PIES
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
3 tablespoons espresso powder*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup King Arthur All-Purpose Baking Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
2 1/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup milk
*This amount of espresso powder makes the cakes very strongly coffee-flavored. If you're not a big coffee fan, cut the espresso powder back to a level you think you'll find acceptable.
Filling
2 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line with parchment.
2) To make the cakes: Beat together the butter, sugar, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until smooth.
3) Add the egg, again beating until smooth. Stir in the cocoa.
4) Add the flour alternately with the milk, beating until smooth, and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
5) Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2" to 2" between the rounds.
6) Bake the cakes for 10 to 12 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cool on the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
7) To make the filling: Heat the cream to just below simmering. Pour over the chocolate, let sit for 30 seconds, and stir until smooth, reheating briefly if necessary. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours, to set.
8) When ready to fill the cakes, beat the chocolate mixture until it's light and airy.
9) Spread the flat side of half the cakes with the filling. Top with the remaining cakes, rounded side up; press down gently.
Yield: 20 to 22 mini pies.
Recipe summary:
Hands-on time: 20 mins. to 30 mins.
Baking time: 10 mins. to 12 mins.
Yield: 20 to 22 mini pies
Tips from our bakers:
For a traditional-size whoopie pie, drop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the baking sheets and bake for 14 to 16 minutes until set. Finish as directed in the recipe.
The following recipe is for a flourless chocolate cake and is therefore gluten free.
GLUTEN-FREE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa preferred
Glaze
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8" round cake pan; cut a piece of parchment or waxed paper to fit, grease it, and lay it in the bottom of the pan.
2) To make the cake: Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the butter is melted and the chips are soft. Stir until the chips melt, reheating briefly if necessary. You can also do this over a burner set at very low heat. Transfer the melted chocolate/butter to a mixing bowl.
3) Stir in the sugar, salt, espresso powder, and vanilla. Espresso enhances chocolate's flavor much as vanilla does; using 1 teaspoon will simply enhance the flavor, while 2 teaspoons will lend a hint of mocha to the cake.
4) Add the eggs, beating briefly until smooth. Add the cocoa powder, and mix just to combine.
5) Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
6) Bake the cake for 25 minutes; the top will have formed a thin crust, and it should register at least 200°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into its center.
7) Remove it from the oven, and cool it in the pan for 5 minutes.
8) Loosen the edges of the pan with a table knife or nylon spreader, and turn it out onto a serving plate. The top will now be on the bottom; that's fine. Also, the edges will crumble a bit, which is also fine. Allow the cake to cool completely before glazing.
9) To make the glaze: Combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the cream is very hot, but not simmering. Remove from the microwave, and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is completely smooth.
10) Spoon the glaze over the cake, spreading it to drip over the sides a bit. Allow the glaze to set for several hours before serving the cake.
Yield: 8" cake, 8 to 12 servings.
We hope that you will enjoy trying these great recipes and that you will visit Grandma’s Pantry for all your King Arthur Flour products. Please stop in at our store or check us out at www.GrandmasPantryVA.com.
“So, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31
