Need way to get intense coffee flavor

[Frito Ray]

I’ve got an icing recipe that calles for 1/4 cup of strong coffee.

Tried using coffee from standard Bialetti moka pot and it wasn’t strong enough to my liking.

I have a moka pot, percolator, Bodum and one of these Melitta filter cone things that go over a cup like the picture below:

I was thinking of passing moka pot coffee through the Melita cone filled with a lot more grounds than usual or perhaps cold steeping grounds for a long period of time.

I’m open to suggestions.

 

[gpjoe]

Might want to have this moved to "The Cafe" forum where you will reach more caffeine heads.

I can't help you since the strongest coffe I've drunk at home came from my moka pot.

Lastly, you don't say what coffee you've tried, but maybe some espresso roasted beans or grounds will give you the intensity you seek.

Good luck

 

[Old Hippie]

Kitchen tip: instant coffee.

Just use two or three times what you'd use to make a cup. Of course, if you don't use instant you may have to experiment, or at least read the label to find their recommendations.

Look for a better brand like one of the instant "espresso" brands.

O.H.

 

[SinCityAg]

Maybe just buy a cup of dark roast coffee or espresso at a cafe.

 

[EdHeart]

If you're after a strong coffee flavor. You might try a double extraction. Make your coffee strong via a pour over method (your Melita cone).

Take the same grounds and steep them in something grain neutral, i.e.: vodka for 1-2 hours.

Use as little water as possible.

Use enough vodka to cover the grounds.

Strain the vodka soaked grounds through a strainer and then through a coffee filter.

Combine the two extractions.

Concern: If you extract in alcohol, you might end up with a very bitter end product.

Since you're making an icing adding sugar will be a necessity. That said, I would only add as much sugar as necessary to find balanced flavor.

To your icing recipe I would consider using a touch of vanilla and a pinch or two of salt.

Sugar and salt are flavor enhancers when used judiciously.

Let us know how it turns out.

Disclaimer: I'm a cook/baker enthusiast. I've also been a craft bartender. This is my approach to this. I've tossed quite a few things into the compost pile just experimenting.

 

[Frito Ray]

…you don't say what coffee you've tried…

I used Lavazza whole grain espresso beans I milled beforehand. It is plenty strong to drink, but not so when added to a recipe.

Kitchen tip: instant coffee…Look for a better brand like one of the instant "espresso" brands

That’s what my mum used to do. The little pot of Nescafé was used exclusively for icing. It made very good icing when the pot was new, but as the pot aged, it suffered a bit.

What was available in the 60s and 70s was not really drinkable…maybe instant coffee has gotten better these days. Might reticently look into it.

…Take the same grounds and steep them in something grain neutral, i.e.: vodka for 1-2 hours…

That’s interesting, and the end result might be storable for a little while. I guess rum or whiskey could also be used to impart a different taste…but that is another rabbit hole!

 

[Hercule]

Instant coffee is the way to go.

 

[DrakeMegrim]

Instant coffee for sure. You might look into some boutique brands for a better taste. Like suggested you can add some vanilla or salt to hide some of the bitter taste you're going to get from instant coffee.

James Hoffman, YT coffee person, has a video reviewing a bunch of brands. Might be worth checking out.

 

[Hercule]

Be careful considering what Hoffman has to say. He has some pretty odd ideas as to what good quality coffee should taste like. In my opinion of course.

 

[DrakeMegrim]

That's a great comment and I should have led with that. He's a bit strange and super picky. TBH, I keep a stache of Nescafe when I'm feeling lazy or want a frappe.

 

[Frito Ray]

I just watched the video. He tested 38 and I counted 29 at my usual grocery store. It seems funny to have so much choice of so-so coffee. Not really encouraging. But it’s for baking not drinking, I’ll keep an open mind.

 

[Hercule]

As i think back, most if not all the things I've baked called for instant coffee crystals, either straight from the jar of strongly reconstituted. I just don't think you can get the necessary flavor intensity with fresh brewed coffee. Espresso maybe, but that's generally the sort of thing the average person makes at home.

All this talk of coffee in baking has me craving Tiramisu. Too bad I'm on a carnivore diet! I'm enjoying too much success (down 10 lbs in the first month) to give in to temptation. But its Tiramisu...

 

[EdHeart]

I used Lavazza whole grain espresso beans I milled beforehand. It is plenty strong to drink, but not so when added to a recipe.

That’s what my mum used to do. The little pot of Nescafé was used exclusively for icing. It made very good icing when the pot was new, but as the pot aged, it suffered a bit.

What was available in the 60s and 70s was not really drinkable…maybe instant coffee has gotten better these days. Might reticently look into it.



That’s interesting, and the end result might be storable for a little while. I guess rum or whiskey could also be used to impart a different taste…but that is another rabbit hole!

Yes indeed using something other than grain neutral will impart differing flavors to the icing, which quite frankly is a very definite option depending on the cake. For instance, a pineapple cake would be a natural using rum, though I'm not sure how it would go with coffee.

If the cake were chocolate or vanilla or some other fruit, whiskey, rum, tequila would go quite handily. Chocolate is extremely versatile when it comes to pairing, as is vanilla, though vanilla is a more subtle flavor and could be overpowered by the coffee.

Instead of making a whole cake, consider making cupcakes. You could make smaller portions of the icing or experiment side by side more readily using this method.

I'm doing this off the top of my head. There is a couple of books on the market, "The Flavor Bible", if memory serves. There's one general book and I think one for vegetarian fare. These books are a tremendous resource for flavor pairings in the culinary world.

Don't slip into sugar shock!

 

[Old Hippie]

Aside from the standard answer of "instant coffee" (and look for the good stuff, often that's Italian) I've also had good luck using a coffee extract. My personal rule of thumb on that is to use about three times the usual amount of coffee for a given amount of water. Or wing it. I have been known to put a bunch of ground coffee into a 500ml/1 pint jar, fill it with hot water and let it steep overnight before straining it the next morning.

Brings back some memories; I used to make a coffee-cream cheese icing for dark, dark chocolate cakes. Caramel between the layers, too. With apologies to @Hercule...

I think I just gained a kilo thinking about that cake!

O.H.

 

[DrakeMegrim]

All this talk of coffee in baking has me craving Tiramisu. Too bad I'm on a carnivore diet! I'm enjoying too much success (down 10 lbs in the first month) to give in to temptation. But its Tiramisu...

That's incredible progress. Congrats on the weight loss! Don't do it and stay strong.

 

[jaro 101969]

I agree about the instant coffee . If it's okay though , I might add , why not make a super strong cup with your regular coffee and then add the instant coffee to that to "kick it up a notch" as Emeril would say... That might get it as strong as you want and you might could use less instant coffee that way...

 

[Hercule]

That's incredible progress. Congrats on the weight loss! Don't do it and stay strong.

Thank you, its a tough diet to do. It gets old really fast! It's not all ribeyes all the time. Cures cravings quite wonderfully and for me really curbs the appetite. I just try to keep any extraneous carbs to under 20.

Anyway back to coffee in baking. I suppose letting grounds soak/ bloom overnight will extract a lot of flavor. But adds a lot if liquid ad well. But who puts that much time into a baking project. Id suggest espresso if you've got it but instant as a rule.

That flavor book mentioned above sounds interesting.

 

[Frito Ray]

Thanks for the replies guys. This week I’ll explore what can be done strictly with ground coffee then if that fails I’ll concede and go instant.

All this talk of coffee in baking has me craving Tiramisu. Too bad I'm on a carnivore diet! I'm enjoying too much success (down 10 lbs in the first month) to give in to temptation. But its Tiramisu...

Congratulations, that is great news. Don’t forget to treat yourself though. About two months ago I was able to retake possession of my grandmother’s old (30’s or 40’s) cookbook and have been going down memory lane with essentially butter and sugar baked goods recipes. To my surprise I went down a belt hole. I find my sweet tooth is satisfied a lot quicker with these recipes than with store bought cookies and deserts. I don’t know maybe food made with real ingredients also “passes” through the system better. I’m not complaining!

 

[Hercule]

Thank you -

I've certainly enjoyed many sweets in my day and the thought of something coffee/mocha-like has my mouth watering. A few years ago my wife's boss's daughter, then maybe six, had an interest in baking and lofty aspirations of pursuing that vocation/avocation. So to help her out I commissioned a birthday cake. It wasn't the greatest but it was made with tremendous love and care and I was happy to boost her confidence with it. She was going to invoice me for the cake when she delivered it but chickened out. I gave her $40 in an envelope when she left, but the mom returned from the car while still in the driveway, with change, as her original invoice was for $6! She set up a private website to take orders, and other's from my wife's work subsequently commissioned cakes, cookies and cupcakes. All along she's done just about everything by her self with minimal supervision (her brother is the guinea pig and the mom is the delivery driver.) Her Mocha cupcakes are simply to die for!!! As are her "Hot cocoa" cupcakes. She's really creative too. When the mom refused to make an emergency trip to the store for food coloring, she improvised using beets and spinach! - You wouldn't have known by the flavor. Beautiful pastel colors (that was another commission) She improved in her skills and quality greatly but, sadly, she's gotten away from baking as she entered middle school. She's into archery now and apparently is first in her age-class in the state of Ohio.

But What I've long had a craving for is my mom's chocolate applesauce cake - HOLY DENSE!!!! And with the gritty (it's the sugar), scalded milk whipped frosting ... Someday I'll try to make myself.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I think I would try extra freshly ground coffee beans in your Bobum. How much more? I would probably start with adding 50% over your regular recipe. I am not a fan of instant or extracts. This is completely subjective, of course.