Cappuccino Muffins

I don't like Cappuccino, nor Espresso, nor Latte Macchiato... Simply I don't like coffee.
Now you are wondering why in the world is she making Cappuccino Muffins then? I'll tell you why: there are other people who desperately reach for any type of coffee. I am sure you know at least one person of that kind. Those people feel the deep desire of coffee as soon as they get up and it won't stop until there is almost as much coffee as blood in their veins.

The person I can contribute the the coffee-addicts is my mother. And she is the one I made those muffins for.
Somehow she became my dose of coffee-love. There is no other explanation why there is absolutely no sympathy between coffee and my taste buds.

Back to the muffins, they are not only consisting of coffee but also of little chocolate chips, who cooperate so well with the coffee taste (as I was told). Of course I tried half a muffin so I can one more time say that there won't be a deep friendship between the coffee and me. But the chocolate chips were good.
At least my mom loved every single muffin and if this is possible she bonded even more with the coffee.


Cappuccino Muffins
(Makes 12 medium sized muffins)

Ingredients:

Muffins
2 cups flour (190g)
2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 cup caster sugar (170g)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup milk (240g)
2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
1/2 cup butter (110g)
1 egg
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (100g)

Cappuccino Topping

6-8 oz mascarpone cheese (230g)
1 tablespoon caster sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon instant coffee powder
¼ cup hazelnut brittle (50g)

Directions:

Preheat the oven onto 375º F / 180ºC.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and leave to cool. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and sugar.
Crack the egg into a medium sized bowl and add the milk and coffee granules and stir until the coffee is dissolved. Pour this coffee mixture onto the flour/sugar and add the melted butter.
Stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Fill the muffin cases with the mixture, do not over-fill, about 2/3 full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until springy to the touch. Cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before putting the muffins onto a wire rack to cool.
For the topping: In a medium bowl, mix the mascarpone cheese, vanilla sugar and coffee powder together until blended. I just use a spoon to mix.
Spread onto muffins and sprinkle with the brittle.

Adapted from Cherrapeno

Raspberry Vanilla Coffee Cake

I love Coffee Cakes. They are so deliciously, crumbly and yet so easy to make. In my opinion you can eat Coffee Cakes every time of the day. It's not too sweet for breakfast (maybe I am the only person with this thought). As a dessert for lunch and dinner not too heavy. And of course for coffee - and - cake - time is this cake simply created for.
As a Coffee Cake lover I can't just bake a plain Coffee Cake  every time I feel like eating one. Then I start thinking about the perfect recipe. But I have to admit I am really lazy sometimes and don't want to be too creative in the kitchen. That doesn't mean the decorating and picture taking part. Just the thinking one. There is always so much to think of and the hardest point in life: decision making. Everything you do involves a decision, have you ever thought of that?

Anyways, enough about decisions, although there was the one of picking a recipe today...
But I managed this task in my life :)
And this cake even is a perfect breakfast treat. It has this super moist texture and is definitely not too sweet for a comfy weekend breakfast.

Raspberry Vanilla Coffee Cake
(makes 10 slices)

Ingredients:


1 cup milk of choice (240g)
1/2 cup vanilla-flavored yogurt (such as Wholesoy or Silk) (115g)
1 tbsp ground flax (5g)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (6g)
3 tbsp coconut or veg oil (30g)
2 cups spelt flour, all-purpose, or Bob’s gf (250g)
2/3 cups xylitol or sugar (or sucanat) (130g)
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/16 tsp pure stevia, or 2 extra tbsp sugar (or 2 NuNaturals packets)
1 2/3 cups raspberries (230g)
1/3 cup more raspberries (50g)
optional: chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease a 9 1/2-in spring-form pan. Combine first 5 ingredients and whisk. Set aside.
In a separate, large measuring bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except the final 1/3 cup raspberries, and stir well.
Pour wet into dry and stir until evenly combined (don’t overmix).
Pour into the prepared pan, then sprinkle the remaining berries on top.
Bake 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out relatively clean.
Cool the raspberry coffee cake in the pan on a wire rack, 15 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan.
Adapted from chocolate-covered Katie