Baking with Coffee is Easier than You Think

It is easy to give your baked goods a boost of caffeine and bittersweet complex flavors.

One of my first solo baking projects, as a child, was to make a crunchy mocha cake. I can be forgiven for making a delicious cake, but I forgot to add coffee grounds to the recipe. The end result was delicious! There are many The coffee flavor was strong and the coffee grounds added texture. However, it did not look like the recipe photo. Also, it lacked the delicate texture of brewed coffee. Despite the mix-up, I learned a vital lesson: Baking with coffee can be delicious, but it’s important to pay a bit of extra attention when working with it. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about baking coffee with different flavors and when to use them.

How to bake with Brewed Coffee

You can use brewed coffee from any source, but it doesn’t matter if you’re using it from a French pressYour favorite electric coffee maker or even a programmable one. cold brewYou can easily incorporate coffee into your baking, by treating it like any other wet ingredient. Brew coffee can be used to enhance the flavor of your dough or batter, as well as hydrating it. Unsurprisingly, the kind of coffee you choose impacts the overall flavor of the recipe “In bread applications where water is a significant ingredient, I may use brewed coffee made from a dark roast which pairs well with a well-baked crust,” says Martin Phillip, Baking Ambassador of the renowned King Arthur Baking Company.

You can use yeasted doughs like the ones used to make bread. cinnamon bunsOr doughnutsThe texture of yeasted breads can be improved by using brewed coffee instead of water. When recently testing a coffee-based rye bread recipe, Melanie Wanders, King Arthur’s Research & Development Specialist, noticed that brewed coffee improved  the dough’s texture compared to the water-based control loaf. “Coffee’s slightly acidic pH most likely accounts for the bread dough being easier to work with because gluten networks strengthen in slightly acidic environments,” she says. Wanders believes coffee was responsible for a higher rise, crumb structure and a more toasty crust that is rich in bitter flavors.

Brewed coffee can also be added to high-moisture baked goods like brownies and cakes where the sweetness of the desert helps carry coffee’s flavor and aromas. “Let’s say you’re making boxed brownies and need one cup of water,” says Samuel Klein, Green Coffee Buyer from Partners Coffee, “you can replace 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup of that water with brewed coffee.” For best results, Klein recommends bringing your brewed coffee down to room temperature along with your other ingredients, so that they combine seamlessly.

How to Make Instant Coffee Cakes

Instant coffee is the best choice if you are looking for the same floral and nutty taste as instant coffee, but without the moisture. Although instant coffee has been considered inferior, coffee connoisseurs of the new wave have changed their minds and repositioned it as a quality product. “Many of our favorite roasters are gently freezing, dehydrating, and crystallizing their offerings to preserve those subtle, sweet notes that attract us to their coffee in the first place,” writes Oset Babur-Winter, Senior Drinks Editor

These high-quality nouveau producers are worthy of a place on your coffee station. However, they can also be used for baking. Wanders uses instant coffee, espresso powder, as well as very finely ground beans, to make low-hydration baked products like cookies, crackers and frosting. “Both instant coffee and espresso powder can be dissolved in small amounts of liquid, like vanilla extract or a liqueur to be added to doughs or frostings,” says Wanders. Her preference is to add finely ground beans in shortbread and crackers to enhance the texture and bitter flavor. Phillip agrees: “In a shortbread with no moisture beyond that carried by butter, I prefer finely ground espresso or espresso powder for the punchy, concentrated hit.”

:Your Morning Coffee Is Probably Made With Arabica Beans

Infusing coffee

You can add coffee flavor to baked goods by steeping coffee beans in sugar and water. For dairy-based desserts like panna cotta, flan, or ice cream, Wanders like steeping whole or crushed beans in milk or cream overnight.“Steeping whole beans in cold milk or cream (as opposed to crushing the beans and heating the mixture) is a great way to add subtle coffee flavor without changing the color of the final product,” she says. Infusing can also be done in sugar solutions. Try steeping whole beans or crushed beans in. simple syrup This easy coffee-flavored glaze is perfect.

The Best Coffee Flavors to Use in Baking

Coffee is a complex blend of floral aromas and bitterness. It can be difficult to combine it with other flavors. “Coffee brings depth to everything it touches, pairing well with chocolate, warming spices, savory rubs, crust treatments on [bread] loaves, or even treats like salty sweet pecan cookies,” says Phillip. “The flavor dials can be turned up high, bringing coffee to the fore, or, can be left at a lower level play a supporting role.”

Coffee can even enhance the chocolatey-ness of chocolate, because there’s no such thing as too much chocolate. For example, in her beloved Double Chocolate Layer Cake, Queen of the Kitchen Ina Garten relies on brewed coffee to balance the cake’s sweetness, and, of course, to amp up the chocolate flavor.

It could also be that the chocolate flavors don’t have to compete with the additional dairy notes from the milk. Wanders’ other favorite flavors to pair with chocolate include spices like cardamom, fennel, cumin, and caraway whose citrusy aromas enhance coffee’s florality. Coffee with orange zest or slightly bitter lemon is also a great match.

You can make a loaf of coffee-rye bread and fudgy mocha brownies or a coffee-scented ice-cream. Coffee adds its unique flavor to any food you prepare. “In broad terms,” says Philip “coffee can bring a wide range of flavor to baked goods with opportunities in both sweet and savory applications, [and] the baker can choose what and where to apply the diverse flavors of this delicious bean.” I’ll leave you with just one piece of advice: read your recipe carefully to choose the right form of coffee!