Recipes

UNIQUE COFFEE DESSERTS

Berry, Coffee, and Walnut Cake

Recipes by Gavan Knox. Follow him on Instagram and TikTok.

Piglicker Brewnies

Piglicker BREW-nies

Makes 9

Ingredients

BREWnies

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, cubed
  • 6 ½ oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 1 cup (cold brew) coffee concentrate
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups brown sugar
  • 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • ½ cup pecan pieces

Ganache

  • 2oz semi-sweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

Bacon shards

  • 3 strips of unsmoked bacon
  • 2 Tablespoons pecan pieces
  • 2 Tablespoons golden yellow sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Station Cold Brew Concentrate

Directions

BREWnies

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and grease, or line, a 9 x 9inch baking pan.
  2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thickened, fluffy and increased in volume.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
  5. Add the cold brew concentrate to the cooled chocolate/butter mixture, and stir to combine. Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
  6. Sift in the dry ingredients and fold until almost combined. Add in the chocolate chips and pecan pieces and fold until combined.
  7. Pour your mixture into your prepared pan and gently spread to level the surface.
  8. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, checking at 25-minute mark. Using a skewer, test about 1 inch from edge – there should be some light mixture/ crumb on it.
  9. When done remove from oven and leave to cool completely in the pan before removing or cutting into squares.

Bacon

  1. While the BREWnies are baking you can prepare the piglicker (bacon) toppers. Cut each bacon strip into 3.and place in a bowl. Add the cold brew concentrate and mix with the bacon pieces. Set aside and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
  2. Chop the pecan pieces until fine. Add to a bowl with the sugar and mix. Set aside until needed.
  3. Set your oven to medium high broil.
  4. Remove the bacon pieces from the cold brew concentrate and dredge in the pecan/ sugar mixture, pressing so the mixture sticks.
  5. Place the coated bacon pieces on a foil lined baking tray, top each piece with any additional pecan/ sugar mixture and place until the broiler grill under they start to crisp and bubble. DO NOT leave unattended as they won’t take long and you don’t want them to catch!
  6. Remove from under the broiler when done and leave to cool.

Ganache

  1. Place the chocolate pieces into a small bowl.
  2. Gently heat the heavy cream in a small pan until just simmering. Don’t let it boil- you want it just hot enough to bare putting a finger in.
  3. When ready, remove it from the heat, pour over the chocolate pieces. Leave to rest for 4-5 minutes.
  4. Stir until the mixture is well combined and glossy. It will look a little separated and mottled at first but if you keep stirring it will come together in a uniform mixture. Set aside to cool and thicken.

To finish

  1. Once all components have cooled you are ready to assemble.
  2. Smear/ Pipe the top of each BREWnie with some ganache and top with a bacon piece.
  3. Serve and enjoy!
Berry, Coffee, and Walnut Cake

Berry, Coffee & Walnut Cake

Serves 12-16

Ingredients

Bundt Cake

  • 3 ¼ cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 cup butter, softened and cubed
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 4 eggs
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ (cold brew) coffee concentrate
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1 cup blackcurrant conserve or jam

Syrup

  • ¼ cup (cold brew) coffee concentrate
  • 1/8 cup maple syrup

Candied Walnuts

  • 14 walnut halves, lightly toasted
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/8 cup (cold brew) coffee concentrate

To serve (optional)

  • Fresh blackberries

Directions

Bundt Cake

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
  2. Prepare a 10-cup bundt pan by coating either liberally with softened butter and flour, or cake release spray. Ensure every crevice receives ample coating!
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Set aside until needed.
  4. In a skillet over a medium height, lightly toast the walnuts. Stir them frequently to make sure they don’t catch and burn. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate and once cool roughly chop. Set aside until needed.
  5. In a jug, combine the sour cream, coffee concentrate and vanilla extract. Set aside until needed.
  6. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Once the butter/sugar is creamed together, reduce the beater speed to slow and add the eggs one at a time, alternating with 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture.
  7. Increase the speed to medium and continue to add the flour mixture 2-3 tablespoons at a time, mixing well in between. The mixture will get quite thick and stiff.
  8. Once all the flour mixture has been added, pour in the liquid coffee mixture in a steady stream. Continue to mix on medium speed until just combined.
  9. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the cooled, chopped walnut pieces.
  10. Fill the bundt pan with half the cake batter. Using a teaspoon or small spatula create a shallow trough in the middle of the batter, all the way around the pan.
  11. Pipe, or spoon, the blackcurrant jam into the trough all the way around the tin.
  12. Add the remaining cake batter ensuring that the jam ring is completely covered. Gently level the surface of the batter.
  13. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 mins. You can test with a skewer but be aware that you may hit the jam ring so some jam may come out on the skewer. You just don’t want any cake batter. When baked remove from oven and set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. After this time invert to remove the cake from the pan. Once it has successfully been removed, return it to the pan for adding the syrup.

Syrup

  1. While the baked cake is cooling prepare the syrup. In a jug, add the coffee concentrate and maple syrup, and whisk well to combine.
  2. After 10 mins of the cake cooling use a skewer or cocktail stick to make random holes over the surface of the cake.
  3. Drizzle it over the cake 1 tablespoon at a time until it has all been added.
  4. Allow the cake to cool fully in the pan.

Candied Walnuts

  1. While your cake continues to cool, make the candied walnuts to top the finished cake
  2. In a saucepan add the dark brown sugar, coffee concentrate, walnuts and heat over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved
  3. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to high and continue to heat for 5-8 minutes – stirring frequently to ensure the walnut laves are coated in the sugar mixture
  4. Remove from the heat and carefully place the mixture on a lined parchment tray. Using forks separate each of the nuts, allow to cool and set. *Please be extremely careful here as the molten sugar mixture can burn. DO NOT attempt to separate the nuts using your fingers!

To finish the cake

  1. When the cake has fully cooled, invert and remove it from the tin onto your serving plate.
  2. In a large jug, combine the powdered sugar and coffee concentrate. Whisk until you have a smooth, viscous liquid.
  3. Drizzle the glaze over the bundt cake in a desired pattern. You can cover the cake surface completely or drizzle in strands. Using a spoon may help you here.
  4. When the glaze has been added, place the candied walnuts on the surface in a pattern to your liking. Optionally you can also fill the bundt hole with additional blacknerries.
  5. Serve and enjoy!
Early Bird Cinnamon Rolls

Early Bird Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12

Ingredients

Roll dough

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons quick rise yeast
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ stick unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup (cold brew) coffee concentrate
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/8 cup fine sugar
  • ½ cup whipping/heavy cream

Filling

  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar

Glaze

  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • ¼ stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (cold brew) coffee concentrate
  • Zest 1 orange

Directions

Rolls

  1. In a pot, gently heat the milk and butter over a medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Remove and leave to cool.
  2. When cooled, add in the cold brew concentrate and olive oil, stir to combine and set aside until needed.
  3. In a bowl of a stand mixer (with dough hook attachment in place) combine the flour, yeast (to one side) and salt (to opposite side).
  4. Add the egg and start the mixer on a low setting.
  5. Pour the milk/coffee  liquid mixture into flour mixture in a steady stream.
  6. When all the liquid has been added increase the setting to medium and mix for 7 minutes, until all the mixture comes together into a dough ball and the bowl sides are clean.
  7. While the dough is mixing lightly oil a large bowl.
  8. After the mixing time, move the dough from the mixer bowl into the pre-oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling wrap. Leave to rise until doubled in size.
  9. While the dough is rising, make the filling.

Filling

  1. In a bowl combine the softened butter, brown sugar, cardamom and cinnamon.
  2. Beat (either by hand or electric beater) until fully combined and fluffy. Set aside until needed.

Filling and Baking

  1. When dough has doubled in size, tip out onto a lightly oiled surface.
  2. Punch and knead the dough, for about 5 mins, until all the air has been expelled from it.
  3. Stretch and shape with your hands into a long rectangular shape, approximately 16” x20”.
  4. Spread the butter mixture over the dough, covering the entire surface.
  5. Starting from the long edge, roll the dough into a tight log shape.
  6. Trim off the uneven ends and then slice the remainder into 12 equal slices.
  7. Place the roll slices into your prepared tin, cut side up, in a 3 x 4 arrangement.
  8. Cover with oiled cling wrap and allow to rise until double in size again, about 45- 60 minutes.
  9. Preheat your oven to 350F.
  10. Just before placing the rolls in your oven pour the ½ cup of whipping/cream evenly over the rolls. While baking, the rolls will absorb the cream for an extra rich texture.
  11. Bake the risen rolls in your preheated oven for 25- 30 mins, until golden. If the rolls start to brown too quickly at the edges, cover with foil and continue to bake until all are baked.
  12. Remove from the oven when baked and set aside to cool in the pan while you make the glaze.

Glaze and Finish

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with paddle attachment, combine whip the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
  2. Add in the cold brew concentrate, orange zest, 1 cup of icing sugar and whip until well combined.
  3. Add in the second cup of icing sugar, slowly increasing speed to medium-high, and whip until smooth and well combined.
  4. Spread the cream cheese topping over the warm rolls to your preferred thickness.
  5. Serve warm and oozing the topping!
Espresso Eclair Cake

Espresso Éclair Cake

Serves 12-16

Ingredients

Cake Layers

  • 2 x 3.4oz packages instant vanilla pudding
  • 2-3 Tablespoons espresso powder
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 x 8oz container whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 x 25.6oz box graham crackers

For the Chocolate Topping

  • 6 ½ oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ¾ cup whipping cream
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Cake Layers:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mix, espresso powder and milk until smooth. Add the whipped topping and use a flexible spatula to gently fold together until well combined.
  2. In a 9×13-inch baking dish, arrange a single layer of crackers on the bottom. (You may have to break a few crackers to cover the dish without overlapping them).
  3. Top with half of the pudding mixture. Arrange another layer of graham crackers over the pudding. Repeat with the remaining pudding and top with a final layer of graham crackers.
  4. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Chocolate Topping:

  1. Place the chocolate chips, whipping cream, corn syrup, and salt into a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH in 15-second increments, stirring after each increment, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is completely smooth, about 1 minute total. (Alternatively, heat in a small saucepan on the stovetop over low heat.)
  2. Pour the chocolate mixture evenly over the top layer of graham crackers. Smooth it out with the spatula.
  3. Chill for a few hours or overnight, giving the graham crackers time to soften. Slice into squares to serve.
Wide Awake Krispie Treats

Wideawake Krispie Treats

Makes 12 squares, or 24 bars

Ingredients

  • 10oz miniature marshmallows
  • 6 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 Tablespoons espresso powder (…3 if you want a real coffee kick!)
  • 6 cups puffed rice cereal
  • 1 cup chocolate-covered espresso beans, coarsely chopped and divided
  • 2 cups dark chocolate chips, melted

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt marshmallows and butter together, stirring until smooth. Don’t be tempted to heat on a high heat (this will give you hard bars)- think low and slow here.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in espresso powder.
  3. Stir in cereal and ½ cup of chopped espresso beans. Press mixture into a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking pan, using well-oiled hands or a greased spatula.
  4. Cool to room temperature. Spread melted chocolate on top; sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of espresso beans, leave to set fully.
  5. Cut into bars, serve and enjoy!