What is one of your fondest childhood memories? One of mine would definitely be having lattes with my grandma, who by the time I was 8 years old had introduced me to the wonderful taste and aroma of coffee. She would wait until I came back from school and make one for each of us (mine a very weak one) and we would have it with a piece of crusty baguette-like bread. That my friends, was how I fell in love with coffee. I grew up in a country where coffee is an experience. Never rushed, always cherished and forever treasured.
Those memories have stayed with me and throughout the years, I go back to those beautiful afternoons where I sat with my lovely grandma enjoying sips of coffee while catching up about our day. Fast forward to many years later and coffee has become one of my biggest passions. In every city I visit, one of my favourite things to do is to find a good coffee shop. Those that take coffee seriously, from how the beans are grown to how the grounds are tamped.
At home, coffee is how I start my day. A freshly brewed cup with a bit of milk and a touch of Maple syrup (try it and let me know!). It brings me comfort, as I often call it, a hug in a cup before working out and tackling my morning routine. Recently, I tried a new way to brew my morning cup using Melitta’s Pour-Over and let me tell you, it ‘s a game changer.
But first…Coffee
Especially Melitta’s Traditional Medium Roast. It’s rich, full bodied and balances a blend of Colombian and other high-quality beans. Plus Melitta’s roasts the beans in small batches which ends up delivering such delicious buttery flavour.
Flavour
I’ve always said that for me to have black coffee, it needs to be smooth, floral and with low levels of acidity. The pour- over method and its filters, maximize the absorbency of bitter oils and acids, resulting in a less bitter, richer, smoother cup of coffee. One that I’m happy to say, Ive enjoyed without any milk or sweeteners this week!
Easy To Prepare
And I mean it. One of the best things I found when making pour-over coffee is how simple it is. As easy as placing a filter with your desired amount of coffee ( I add 2 1/2 tablespoons in mine) into one of Melitta’s filter holders. Place it over your favourite mug and begin pouring boiling water over the coffee until it’s filtered through. It truly doesn’t get more convenient.
Bean-To-Cup
Melitta’s Fair Trade coffee gets brewed at the perfect temperature, which mantains its bold flavour. Their filters help to absorb its fatty oils so you can enjoy a healthier cup of coffee. Sign me up! Another plus, the filters are compostable and environmentally friendly.
You can shop for your Melitta Pour-Over coffeemaker and beans here, and use my promo Diala 15% for 15% of your purchase.
Coffee And Cake
Be it for an afternoon treat or brunch, Ive always loved a pipping hot cup of coffee with a slice of cake. The coffee cake in this blog post to be exact. This luscious bundt is spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and fragrant vanilla. I’ve layered and swirled the batter with a buttery streusel and poured a coffee and cinnamon glaze on top. The cake is irresistible as soon as it’s out of the oven, so invite a few friends over, enjoy some pour-over coffee and have a slice. It is moments like these that make like better.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons freshly brewed Melitta Traditional medium roast
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, unsalted
For the streusel
For the glaze
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F with a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with non-stickspray or grease with butter. Set aside
- Using a hand held or stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed until smooth and creamy- about two minutes- Scrape down the sides and and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium high speed until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, incorporate the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition until combined. Do not over mix, the batter will be slightly thick.
- To make the streusel, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the melted butter and mix with a fork until the mixture is uniformly moistened and crumbs form. Set aside.
- Pour half of the batter evenly into the bundt pan. Spoon the streusel on top and cover with the rest of the batter. Swirl the batter with a knife. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- If you see that the top of the cake is browning quickly, cover the cake slightly with aluminum foil.
- Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes inside the pan. Invert the slightly cooled cake onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Let cool for 30 minutes.
- Whisk the icing sugar with the cinnamon, vanilla, coffee and butter until smooth. Drizzle over cake, slice and enjoy.
