The Coolest Coffee & Tea Recipes of the Summer

Wednesday, August 1st, 2018 by

You may not know this, but August is National Coffee Month. Our world revolves around coffee and we’re not alone. Whether it’s brewed in a French press, autodrip machine, or espresso maker, your favorite brew is undeniably a centerpiece of life. Coffee brings people together, and for National Coffee Month, we wanted to bring you some recipes to make your get-togethers extra-special!

In celebration, we took it to the next level by freezing, blending, shaking, and mixing our hearts out to bring you these tasty warm weather treats. Here are our favorite concoctions, tested on our guinea pigs (aka employees) for your enjoyment.

 

For Coffee Buffs:

 

No-Churn Coffee Fudge Ice Cream

Nothing says summer quite like ice cream, and this no-churn treat is like bringing your local creamery home.

Vietnamese Coffee Popsicles

This treat fuses a strong blast of coffee, creamy sweetened condensed milk, and a velvety vanilla finish.

Dark Moon Cocktail

A coffee cocktail with a bold, heavy body. Brew a big batch and make any occasion more festive!

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Coffee is the secret ingredient in this luscious, indulgent treat.

Chocolate Lovers Coffee Shake

A fudgy, creamy dessert (or meal!) – perfect for cheat day

Affogato

This simple 2-ingredient summer treat keeps your taste buds guessing with blasts of creamy, cold gelato and steamy espresso.

 

For Tea Enthusiasts:

 

Iced Chai Bubble Tea

We love a little texture in our tea! The tapioca pearls make this spicy, sweet treat one of a kind.

Watermelon Mimosa Green Tea Popsicles

The refreshment of iced green tea meets sweet, juicy watermelon flavor. A sweet, tart way to cool down in the heat!

Jasmine Honey Tea Granita

A simple, flowery homemade dessert with a sweet, refreshing flavor

Tea Sangria

Brew up a tangy, fruity glass of this fresh, warm weather cocktail.

Rum and Lemon Ginger Green Tea

A refreshing, bubbly twist on the traditional Dark and Stormy

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Tuesday, May 8th, 2018 by

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake. What more could we possibly say? This incredibly tasty recipe was prepared by our resident programmer’s extremely thoughtful mother, Ellen. It’s a simple, low-effort desert featuring a rich chocolate fudge sauce that forms during the baking process. WARNING: do not taste test as you will end up with chocolate sauce all over your face. If you’re like us, you might also end up without any cake left. Serve with some ice cream for a nice balance of cold dessert and warm cake! Now, let’s get down to business.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups of brewed coffee, cold (our Grandfather’s Blend works great, but you can use whatever you prefer.)
  • 6 tablespoons of butter, extra for greasing the cake pan
  • 1/3 cup of chocolate chips (chopped semi-sweet chocolate also works)
  • 2/3 cup of cocoa powder, divided
  • 1 cup of white sugar, divided
  • ¾ cup of flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla
  • 1/3 cup milk (preferable whole milk)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/3 cup of brown sugar

Directions:

  • Heat your oven to 325 degrees, and take an 8 inch square or round cake pan that is at least 1 ½ to 2 inches deep and grease it with butter. Combine the 6 tablespoons of butter, chocolate chips, 1/3 cup of cocoa in a double boiler over simmering water. Melt them together. Watch it carefully and stir frequently until combined. Remove from heat (alternatively, this can be done in a microwave on half power. Again, watch carefully and stir frequently.)
  • Whisk together 2/3 cup of white sugar, vanilla and milk. Add egg yolk and whisk it to combine. Add this mixture to the melted chocolate and whisk together. Add flour and baking powder. Stir to combine. Pour this mixture into the cake pan and spread evenly. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 cup of cocoa, remaining 1/3 cup of white sugar, and brown sugar, breaking up any clumps with your fingers. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the cake batter in your pan. Do not stir.
  • Pour the coffee over the cocoa/sugar mixture. Do not stir. Bake until the cake is puffed and bubbling and just beginning to pull away from sides the sides of the cake pan, about 35-45 minutes.
  • Cool for at least 15 minutes before spooning into bowls to serve.
  • Magically, there will be a nice chocolate cake on top of a rich pudding sauce underneath! Make sure to store at room temperature.

 

This is not an elegant cake, frankly it looks like a mess. But it’s a mess of chocolate that you can eat, and you bet it is delicious. In our opinion it’s one of the easiest most impressive desserts you’ll ever make. Enjoy and let us know in the comments below how it turned out!

Behind the Flavor: Black Forest Cake

Monday, June 22nd, 2015 by

Black Forest Splash

We unveiled a new flavor this month: Black Forest Cake, inspired by this delicious rustic version the traditional German dessert. While we feel Black Forest Cake coffee does the flavor justice, we did eat the cake pictured above in the name of research and feel slightly guilty that we didn’t share. So, here’s the recipe, adapted loosely from Butter and Brioche, baked by our shipping supervisor Lori.
While kirsch liqueur is traditionally used in the cherry topping, we skipped that step with store-bought cherry pie filling, but gave it a hillbilly twist, adding moonshine-soaked cherries on top. Consider it the rural New Jersey version.

Black Forest Cake Newsletter

Ingredients
For the cake (three layers):
  • 2-1/2 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup + 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1-1/3 cup sour cream (room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup (one stick) butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup + 3 tbsp boiling water
For the frosting:
  • 17.5 oz mascarpone cheese
  • 6-8 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 2/3 cup + 3 tablespoons cup heavy whipping cream
For the cherries:
Directions
Bake the cake:
  1. Heat an oven to 350 F. Grease and line three 7 inch cake pans.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir to combine.
  3. Add the sugar, eggs, sour cream, butter and hot water. Stir gently until the batter is uniform and smooth.
  4. Divide between the three prepared cake pans.
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes then let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Let the cakes cool completely before leveling any domed tops and assembling.
Whip the cream:
  1. Beat the mascarpone and confectioners’ sugar until creamy. Add the cream and whip until thickened and spreadable, being carefully not to over whip and split the mixture.
Put it all together:
  1. Place the first cake layer on a serving platter. Spread a thick layer of the mascarpone cream frosting on-top. Place cherry topping over the frosting and gently press in to indent.
  2. Place the second cake layer over the first and repeat the layering process as before.
  3. Top with the third cake layer. Decorate with a generous amount of cherry filling, adding some moonshine cherries (recommended) to the mix. Refrigerator before serving.