Fudgy Cocoa Avocado Brownies (Butter, Egg & Flour-Free)

I've been trying to healthify some of the foods I make quite often recently. And sometimes I still can't believe that healthy food can taste so good. There's no surprise that the web is full of recipes with strange ingredients, for example, brownies with black beans or applesauce. No way, how can you make brownies without butter? And, how can you put avocado in it? It should taste horrible. But, you know, I think it's unbelievable how healthy ingredients can be incorporated in our favourite fatty desserts without any unwanted taste. Science! And then, one day, I decided to make avocado brownies. While they were in the oven, I was very sceptical. But I was so curious to try them that I didn't even let them cool down. When I tasted them, my mind was blown out. They were the fudgiest and the most amazing brownies in the world! With no eggs, no flour, no refined sugar, no butter!! The next day I made them again and I will be making them again and again! The most surprising thing was that they came out perfectly on the first attempt. There's nothing to be added. And believe me, you can't taste any avocado. You better stop reading and mix up a batch of these.

Fudgy Cocoa Avocado Brownies (Butter, Egg & Flour-Free)

2 avocados, ripe

200g light brown sugar

2 tsp coconut oil, melted
50g unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp instant coffee granules

50g ground oats

1) Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare a 8x8 inch/20x20cm sicilone baking dish (or if using a metal one, line with parchment paper). Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, mix together mashed avocados, brown sugar, and melted coconut oil. Add cocoa powder, instant cofee, salt, vanilla sugar and mix to combine. Add ground oats and mix just until combined. 

3) Bake for 20 minutes. Cool at least one hour before slicing. ENJOY!

Recipe by collecting memories

Coffee Cupcakes

I couldn't remember when I made cupcakes for the last time and it was a great excuse to try coffee flavoured cupcake recipe which has been in my to-bake list for a long time already. This recipe is a keeper! The muffins came out moist, soft and as delicious as I expected. It is a good dose of coffee because both the cupcakes and the frosting have coffee inside. If you are a coffee addict like me, this is the recipe you've been looking for.

Coffee cupcakes

250g/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
120ml/1/2 cup boiling water
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
60ml/1/4 cup milk
113g/1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
110g/1/2 cup white sugar
100g/1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs

1) Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).

2) Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3) Combine together instant coffee powder and boiling water. Let cool and mix in the milk.

4) In a large bowl, beat butter, white and brown sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the coffee mixture, beginning and ending with flour.

5) Divide the batter among 12 muffin liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centres comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes. Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

Coffee buttercream

113g/1/2 cup butter, room temperature
190g/1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
2 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 2 tablespoons of boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk (optional)

1) Beat butter and instant coffee mixture on high speed until light and fluffy.

2) Reduce speed and add confectioners sugar in 2-3 additions. Beat until incorporated. Add vanilla extract. If the mixture looks too thick, add one tablespoon of milk. Beat until you reach the desired consistency.

3) Frost and enjoy! 

Cupcake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.

Coffee Meringues

Meringues! One of a thousand sweets that I'm in love with. Light, airy and melt in your mouth. And of course, coffee flavoured! I probably have to try putting coffee in everything I bake. These meringues came out as good as I expected. And what I like most, they are super easy to make and such a small amount of ingredients make so much meringues! Sounds good, doesn't it?

3  large egg whites

1/2  tsp  cream of tartar (I used vinegar)

170g/3/4  cup  sugar

1/2  tsp  vanilla

1 1/2  tbsp instant espresso powder

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until thick and foamy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until mixture holds stiff peaks. Beat in vanilla and espresso powder.

2. Spoon meringue in 3-5cm wide mounds, about 2,5cm apart, onto parchment-lined baking sheets. 

3. Bake in a 93°C preheated oven until meringues are light brown. 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn off heat and leave meringues in closed oven for 1 hour.

Coffee Eclairs

I think I have already told you how much I like eclairs. (I know, I keep saying that every time I post a new recipe.) I've been craving eclairs for a long time. It's probably not a surprise that I made them coffee-flavoured. 
So at first I had some difficulties with the filling. It came out too thick. Maybe 2tbsp of cornflour were too much but instead of decreasing the amount of cornflour I added more milk and slightly more sugar (the recipe below is already modified) and finally it turned out well. 



Coffee Eclairs

Pastry 
65ml milk
65ml water
50g unsalted butter, softened
½ tsp sugar
pinch of salt
75g flour
2 eggs, beaten

Coffee custard filling
350ml whole milk
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
80g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 tbsp cornflour
25g butter, diced into small cubes

Coffee glaze
                              100g icing sugar
                              2 tbsp strong coffee
 

1) Preheat the oven to 180C and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Place the milk, water, butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a large pot, and bring to the boil over a high heat. Remove from the heat, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Return to a medium heat and cook for 1 minute until the mixture comes away from the sides and forms into a ball.


2) Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the eggs till you have a smooth batter. Leave the mixture to cool.

3) Fit a large piping bag with a 1cm nozzle, fill with the cooled mixture and pipe 12 éclairs onto the baking tray, spaced 5cm apart. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

4) Meanwhile for the custard filling, place the milk, coffee powder, sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt in a pot and heat to just under the boil. Remove the milk mixture from the heat, cover, and leave for 10–15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg and cornflour in a small bowl and set aside.

5) Strain the milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Return the mixture to the pot and heat again to just under the boil. Whisk 2 tablespoonsful into the egg mixture. Pour this back into the pan and whisk constantly over a low heat until you have a thick custard.

6) Strain the custard and stir in the butter cubes. Leave to cool.

7) Cut each eclair lenghtwise and fill with custard.

8) For the coffee glaze, sift the icing sugar into a small bowl and whisk in the coffee. Spoon the glaze over the éclairs. Let them set at least for an hour before serving.

Coffee Fudge Tart

Coffeeee!! When I first saw the recipe called "coffee fudge tart" - I was sure I'm going to try it. For me, coffee flavoured desserts are even better then the chocolate ones. Every coffee lover will like this.Such a rich coffee flavour and a chewy fudge-like consistency. There's nothing better. Though I was a little bit worried when after 25 minutes the tart was still undercooked, at the end I wasn't disappointed. I was happy! Because the tart was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Try this out and you'll see that.

P.S. I post some of my photos I made last year because today the sun is shining and it feels like spring!

For the pastry
175g salted butter, softened
50g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
250g plain flour

For the filling
125g butter
250g brown sugar
10g instant coffee
90ml Kahlua liqueur
2 eggs, lightly beaten
50g self-raising flour

For the pastry, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and stir until fully incorporated. Add the flour and mix until the pastry forms a ball.

Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and chill for around 20 minutes. Roll out the dough to fit the tart tin and refrigerate until needed.

Preheat the oven to 180C while you prepare the filling.

Heat the butter and sugar together in a saucepan over a low heat, until melted. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the coffee grounds and Kahlua. Stir in the beaten eggs and then the flour. Mix until everything is well combined, smooth and glossy.

Pour the mixture into the chilled pastry case and bake for 20-25 minutes. (The baking time looks ridiculous - Fow me it took an hour! That's why be careful with it - check the tart with a toothpick.) Remove from the oven and cool. You can serve it with ice-cream.

Coffee Syrup Cake

Coffee Syrup Cake

185g unsalted butter
185g caster sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon lemon zest
250g sour cream
60g plain yoghurt
235g self-raising flour
25g ground almonds

Syrup:
250ml strong coffee
125g caster sugar
2 tbsp cognac

1) Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 23 cm fluted ring tin. Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks; add the lemon zest. Beat well. Add the combined sour cream with the yoghurt alternately with the sifted flour. Stir in the almonds.

2) Beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Using a metal spoon, fold them into the flour mixture. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160C. Bake for another 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Cool completely.

3) To make the syrup, combine the coffee, sugar and cognac in a saucepan over a low heat without boiling until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 3 minutes to reduce. Remove from heat and cool slightly. 

4) Skewer random holes on top of the cake. Spoon the syrup over it. 

You can serve this with whipped cream and chocolate curls. But I preferred it plain.


Enjoy!

Cappuccino Cheesecake

Cappuccino Cheesecake

For the base:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp butter, melted*

For the cake:

500g cream cheese, at room temperature 
125g brown sugar
50g white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur 

For the topping:
50g dark chocolate (I used 62%)

1/3 cup sugar

50g butter

¼ cup strong coffee

1 tbsp coffee liqueur

For the base:
1) Mix the graham cracker crumbs with espresso powder and cocoa. Melt the butter and add to the mixture. Press into bottom of a pan and place in refrigerator.

For the cake:
2) Heat oven to 160 degrees. Fill a kettle with water and bring to a boil. Wash bowl of food processor, and combine in it the cream cheese, brown sugar, white sugar, espresso, eggs, egg yolks and liqueur. Process to make a smooth mixture with no coffee powder visible.

3) Cover outside of a pan with a protective layer of plastic wrap covered with a double layer of foil. Fill with cake batter, and place in a roasting pan. Pour boiling water into roasting pan to come about halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until middle of cake is set but not firm (it should still wobble), 40 to 50 minutes.

4) Remove cheesecake from water bath and place on a rack. Remove outer layers from pan and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

5) Remove cheesecake from refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes** before serving. To remove from pan, slide a knife around inside edge of pan, then release sides. Place cheesecake on a platter.

For the topping:
6)  In a small saucepan, combine 25 grams of chocolate, butter, sugar and coffee. Heat the mixture and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add liqueur. Let cool a bit and pour over the cheesecake. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate shavings.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

*I needed more butter. 

**I didn't use a water bath so maybe because of that I had to bake the cake much longer. It took about 1 hour 25 minutes. 

Yum!