Pairing Coffee and Baking!

Coffee and baking, do they belong together? Many times when you go into a cafe to get some coffee, there are also lots of baked goods like muffins, donuts, cookies, brownies, biscotti, etc. Coffee is commonly served with desserts and commonly used as a flavor in desserts, including coffee ice cream, espresso brownies or cookies, and tiramisu.

In many restaurants, drinks like coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, and espresso are offered with dessert; I’ve noticed this, especially at nicer restaurants or Italian restaurants. There is a reason as to why restaurants serve coffee with dessert; we crave something sweet when we drink coffee because caffeine dulls our receptors, making us want something sweet. This is why many restaurants offer coffee drinks to accompany your dessert. Many people enjoy drinking coffee with their desserts. When asked how she feels about drinking coffee with dessert, Emily Osborne said, “The flavors are very complimentary together, especially if it is chocolate and coffee, and for adults over 21, like myself, an espresso martini is very delicious, especially with ice cream or a nice cookie”. There are many ways to combine coffee with dessert, whether that is drinking coffee with it or eating coffee-flavored pastries.

Different types of coffee drinks go better with certain desserts, too. Black coffee can go well with most desserts. However, the best desserts to drink black coffee with are chocolate and nutty flavors. Cheesecake is not recommended to drink coffee with because the flavors don’t go very well together. When eating desserts with fruit or dark chocolate, espresso is the best drink to pair with it. This is because espresso has an equally bold flavor to go with these desserts; you want to avoid pairing espresso with a subtle dessert because the bold flavor of the espresso will overpower it. For more subtle desserts like cookies and tarts, cappuccinos and lattes are the way to go because of their milk content. The subtle flavors of the lattes/cappuccinos will pair nicely with the subtle desserts!

The most popular dessert that contains coffee is tiramisu. It is a classic Italian dessert that many love. Tiramisu contains lady fingers, egg yolks, sugar, coffee, mascarpone cheese, and cocoa powder; it is a simple and easy dessert to make. There are also a variety of other desserts that you can make that contain coffee, like cake, cupcakes, and more; the possibilities are endless. Taylor Lelli, an experienced baker, says, “I have an amazing chocolate cake recipe that has coffee in it, along with the cake, it has a delicious mocha buttercream”. The great thing about baking is that it offers a different taste and experience of coffee to those who don’t like to drink a cup of coffee, “I don’t drink it on its own; I love it in desserts, though, ” stated Lelli. There are many people that love tiramisu, coffee ice cream, etc., but would not particularly enjoy it on its own because it can taste too bitter for their liking.

Coffee and baking blend so well together; there are so many different combinations that you can try out. Whether it is enjoying a homemade muffin or scone with a nice, hot cup of coffee or making a yummy chocolate and coffee cake, there are always ways to enjoy the two together!

Sources:

https://www.tastingtable.com/740289/why-you-always-want-coffee-and-dessert-together-according-to-science/#:~:text=As%20Reader’s%20Digest%20explains%2C%20caffeine,to%20satisfy%20your%20taste%20buds.
https://theyorkshiredeli.co.uk/coffee-and-cake-the-best/#:~:text=Science%20has%20discovered%20that%20coffee,sweet%20to%20go%20alongside%20it.