KEY POINTS:
It's the smell that does it. Nothing quite matches the irresistible aroma of coffee - especially first thing in the morning. For most of us it's utterly addictive and a day without at least one cup would be unthinkable. Today, however, we are not concerning ourselves with brewing the perfect cup, let's leave that to the baristas. Instead we're looking at recipes that embrace coffee as the main flavour. They will all go perfectly with a cup of coffee, however.
Cupcakes are so fashionable at the moment and having an entire wee cake to yourself has a lovely sense of the indulgent about it. Make with a little sour cream to keep them deliciously moist and then drizzle with a sticky espresso syrup.
The Mexican peanut biscuits, inspired by the great Robert Carrier, match salty roasted peanuts with a little cinnamon and coffee in a crisp buttery biscuit which beats a normal old peanut brownie any day. Lastly, we tempt with a shortbread-type cake where prunes are simmered in coffee until juicy and soft, and then folded through a cake mix that is enriched with ground almonds, baked and topped with melted dark chocolate.
A slice makes for an elegant dessert, although it's pretty good at any time of the day.
Chef's tip
Use the best quality coffee you have in these recipes to get a true flavour. If you have a machine, make a short black or grab one from a cafe. Failing that, ground instant espresso from the supermarket will work fine mixed with a little boiling water.
