A Southern Grace: double dose

March 6, 2010

double dose

Yum

There are mornings when a mere cup of coffee just won't do it and you need a little something more to get yourself kick-started. Some mornings require an extra wallop to break through the fog.

Toffee goo.

This is cake for those mornings.

I often partake of baked goods with my morning dose of caffeine, but rarely are those treats a second source of that magical compound whose name disobeys the ol' i before e rule.

A view from the top.

Yes, I'm a coffee-lover. More truthfully, my name is Grace and I'm addicted to coffee. That said, when I saw this recipe making use of joltin' java, I almost immediately migrated to the kitchen to whip up a batch.

So true.

As is my wont, changes were made. I left out the espresso powder simply because it's an ingredient I don't own. I added more cinnamon (shocker!), a bag of milk chocolate toffee bits, and walnuts in an attempt to achieve a flavor akin to the toffee nut latte served seasonally at your local StealyourStarbucks. Also, I opted for mini loaves for one very important reason--they're just so darn cute.

Grr, I say.

This was a stellar breakfast goodie. It's the epitome of moist, with gooey spots from the toffee bits and crunch from the nuts. The coffee flavor was noticeable but subtle and melded wonderfully with the chocolate. Folks, this one's gonna be a repeat offender!

Toffee Nut Latte Loaves
(inspired by and based heavily on this recipe)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup strong coffee, cooled
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag milk chocolate toffee bits
1/2 cup walnuts

Preheat to 375°F and grease up your pan of choice, be it a 12-cup muffin pan or mini-loaf pan or something else entirely.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well, making sure all the brown sugary lumps are gone.
In a smaller bowl, mix together the coffee, melted butter, egg, and vanilla until well-combined. Pour this liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and gently but quickly stir to blend. Stop when the dry ingredients are just moistened and fold in the toffee bits and nuts.  Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups or loaf holes and bake for about 15 minutes for muffins, 30 minutes for mini loaves, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

73 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

What a terribly tempting treat! So scrumptious!

Cheers,

Rosa

Anonymous said...

MMM, The shot of coffee in this would work magically to enhance your coffee drinking experience. But I am the sort that takes a large wedge of breakfast cake and dunks it into my coffee. Guilty.

Peter M said...

I see a fish head..,kinda like the Jesus image on the piece of toast! ;)

shaz said...

Oh I love that last pic Grace! COuld have sworn you'd managed to take a pic of me before my first cup. And cake for breakfast - we're definitely speaking the same language :)

Pam said...

Oh, they look delicious and I wish I had one right now to go with my coffee! I'm a coffee addict also. Love that gooey spot of toffee! Yum!

Julia said...

Your caffeine curve is too, too funny.

Melanie said...

I'm not a coffee drinker myself (I hope we can still be friends) but that mean face coming from your coffee loaf has me pretty intimidated!

Velva said...

My name is Velva and I am addicted to caffeine :) There are plenty of mornings when a double dose is perfect and your cake would be perfect.

lisa is cooking said...

This was not good to have seen this before I've had breakfast or caffeine! I would very much like a piece now please.

Half Baked said...

Love your imagination! Those little loves look killer!!!

Nutmeg Nanny said...

These look great! I could go for some of this right now. As I sit here my stomach is rumbling.

kat said...

You crack me up!

Barbara said...

That should give you an extra kick in the AM! Why does it not surprise me you added more cinnamon?
Am sending both the recipe AND the caffeine curve to my daughter immediately. A coffee fiend if I ever knew one.

Bob said...

That cake sounds devastating! Coffee is one of the greatest things in the world.

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

If I contribute the espresso powder for your next batch, can I get a slice?

Lindsey @ pickyeatings said...

While I am not a coffee drinker (tea, I'm sorry), I am a sucker for a good coffee cake. Especially when I'm having trouble getting going in the morning.

vanillasugarblog said...

LOL!!
I'm addicted to coffee too. I need my 2 espresso's to function.
This toffee masterpiece is heavenly Ms. Grace.

DutchBakerGirl said...

Dare I say it? I drink Diet Coke for breakfast. Having admitted that shameful fact, your little loaves of coffee goodness would be really nice even with my beverage of choice.....

Lucie said...

Even for a tea-drinker like myself, this cake looks absolutely amazing. I would eat it morning afternoon AND night. And the mean little cake man is too too cute!

Laura said...

I am not a plain coffee fan, but when coffee is tempered by sweet flavors I am hooked. Chocolate (mochas) or sweet doughs and batter, either one, I LOVE it. Coffee is one of my favorite FLAVORS, I just don't like coffee, haha. So I am going to have to try this.

Dollhouse was weird. I cannot believe they never showed Epitaph 1 and then showed Epitaph 2 as the finale. How little sense would it have made. SO odd. Hooray for ITunes.

foodhoe said...

Oh yeah I can imagine that with the morning cuppa... I love gooey sweets with my coffee.

Jaime said...

oooh i LOVE toffee bits!! my hubby loves coffee too and i am sure he'd like this one

Kathleen said...

I love the growly picture! This look so incredibly yummy! I can't wait to try them!!

MaryMoh said...

Wow....1 cup of strong coffee! Must be awesome muffins. My children would love these. They are crazy over coffee cakes. I must give a try sometime.

Josie said...

HAHAHA That picture made me laugh out loud for a way long time :)

Sophie said...

I'd wake up early on a weekend morning for this :), especially if it's mini :D.

Sinful Southern Sweets said...

Girl, I could've used this extra boost this morning. I've been draging all day. But, I don't think 6pm is too late to get your caffeine on...do you???LOL! Have a great weekend!

Hungry Dog said...

IF this can't jumpstart your day, nothing will. Looks absolutely delicious!

pam said...

You and your cinnamon! This looks fabulous!

Lyndas recipe box said...

I'm not surprised you added more cinnamon Grace; I'm sure it was the perfect flavoring with the coffee/toffee thing going on. These little loaves look addictive, so I must make my own to go with my coffe this week! Thanks, I'll let ya know how they turn out. :)

Kerstin said...

LOL, that last picture cracked me up! Toffee bits make everything better and so perfect in your bread - yum!

Judy said...

Oh, my, this one is a diet breaker. Should I say thank you or darn you for posting?

Marcia Class of 77 said...

I HATE coffee anything; even with chocolate GASP.

So, I wonder what I could use for that 1 cup of liquid? Dare I use Earl Gray tea? No, but I have made a pound cake with Earl Gray in it.

Maybe chocolate soy milk?

Kate at Serendipity said...

LOL, Grace, I love your chart. This is how my husband drinks coffee. He only drinks espresso, though, so it works veryvery quickly. He'd love this cake. So will I! Thanks for the jazzing up. The coffee part and the recipe part....

oneordinaryday said...

LOL
Love the chart, Grace, and I surely wouldn't say no to a little loaf or two. ;)

Trissa said...

Hahaha... that picture where you put the mouth on the little man is hilarious...

Lovely treat - perfect for morning tea!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I'm not a coffee drinker but I am a coffee eater! :)
~ingrid

Chef Aimee said...

My name is Aimee and I am so addicted to coffee I wish it came in an IV drip! :) This is coffee heaven in terms of blog posts - thanks for sharing!

Sherry G said...

At the ripe ol' age of 17 I have only just become a coffee addict this past week! Of course I pour a heavy amount of white chocolate mocha creamer into it... But WALNUTS, TOFFEE BITS, and COFFEE, you've got to be kidding me. Looks divine!

Faith said...

Wow, that looks so amazingly moist and alltogether phenomenal! This is perfect for mornings when I really need an extra jolt. I think I'm making this today. :)

pigpigscorner said...

I'm not a coffee drinker but I would love some of that cake!

Marjie said...

I make a bar cookie thing that I dubbed "Coffee as an Ingredient." That's a big hit, too! Coffee is a great addition to everything. Think mocha if you don't believe me.

Lori said...

I love chocolate cake that has coffee in it. Adds a really ncie dimension. I am quite sure I would love this one too.

marla {family fresh cooking} said...

We could both go to a coffee anonymous meeting together and feel very comfortable (at least I would!) This cake with all the toffee, nuts & coffee sounds great! Love that caffeine curve....hilarious and so true.

Cara said...

Sounds heavenly!

PS I do recommend picking up some espresso powder if you come across it, it's really wonderful for baked goods!

Hornsfan said...

Wow, that looks delicious.

Maria said...

Love it. But what is not to love?

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I'd wake up to this anyday:D

sweetlife said...

cake with coffee- to have with my coffee!! yummy!!

Lisa said...

Sounds amazing and perfect for a morning breakfast treat!

Hilary said...

As a coffee lover all I can say is - this would go soooo well with my morning Americano. And I LOVE the recipe name.

Anonymous said...

I would love to have a slice of this cake every morning! YUM!

Pam said...

Woman, you have me drooling! I too am a coffee addict and I believe I would be a toffee nut latte loaf addict too.

Juliana said...

I love coffee, specially in the morning :-) Love your caffeine curve :-)

Cate O'Malley said...

oh man, you're killing me, this sounds absolutely scrumptious.

Amy said...

Hubs and Chloe girl will love these:) They look so moist, and probably improve with age...

Erica said...

Love your caffeine curve!!!!That looks wonderful!

Unknown said...

oooh yum! I don't drink coffee in the afternoon but if you handed me one of these mini loaves right now...I wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee as well

Jacque said...

Mmmm, those toffee bits look like the perfect touch (always!). Gotta love a piece of coffee cake.

Leslie said...

yes please..I will take some of that with my POT of coffee

Chef Fresco said...

Hahah that last picture is awesome!! And so is the caffeine curve :) I too can never get enough. And Michael loves cake for breakfast. In fact, he had some leftover birthday cake just this morning with his eggs. :)

Carolyn Jung said...

This sounds like my perfect Sunday breakfast treat to enjoy with a good, strong black cup of coffee and hours of lazily reading the NY Times. ;)

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

I can't do cake for breakfast-that includes muffins. It just feels like I should continue the rest of the day eating cake! :P

Livin Local said...

Mmmmm, such a lovely combination. You had me at the espresso and cinnamon!

Anonymous said...

This leaves me wondering.... how many extra steps would I have to take to work off one of these beauties if I ate them every morning? And more importantly... do I care? YUM.

LillSis said...

That looks like it would just melt in your mouth! I'm missing out on a lot of the baked goods with coffee combos because I can't drink coffee!

Albany Jane said...

I've had this tummy funk for a day or so now, with absolutely zero appetite. I am so glad I checked in today. Not only do I get to see coconut butterscotch cookie pie, I also get toffee coffee ooey gooey cake. Thanks for getting the ol' stomach back to where it needs to be. Hungry!

laura said...

I love the caffeine curve! I hit top of the peak after just a couple of shots of espresso, though... This morning my quirky espresso machine messed up three shots - heresy! Terrible. We drank them anyway. The cake sounds delicious - love the grouchy, coffee craving cake shot. (:

kimberleyblue said...

This has my name written all over it! I love toffee bits, cinnamon and walnuts...all inside a moist loaf? Mmmm!

Your photos for this are especially tempting...

Ms. Meanie said...

Cute post! I love your writing. I am not a coffee fan, but this cake sounds still sounds amazing. I LOVE your addition of the toffee and walnuts. Great combo with the coffee flavor I bet!

Teanna said...

How did I miss this post!!?!?! This looks awesome! And I am obsessed with that coffee chart!!! I almost died when I read all of the different points of coffee withdrawal or consumption throughout the day haha!

Rebecca said...

Ooh, my daughter and I made these as muffins when we went to Gatlinburg last weekend. Delicious & moist! The coffee flavor wasn't overpowering. Definitely a recipe to share with others. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I made this recipe again tonight. It's always a hit. Made me think of you fondly.
~Rebecca Durham