5 Coffee Dessert Recipes

While we’re huge fans of drinking coffee, there are other ways in which we can consume our favourite beans! One of the best ways to use coffee, aside from in your cup, is to turn it into a delicious dessert.

The complex taste of coffee, including bitterness and acidity, make it a perfect partner for a sweet treat, as it helps to balance out the sugary flavours.

There are hundreds of different ways you can use coffee in desserts, from flavouring a cream to incorporating it into a bake. In fact, we’ve even shared our favourite coffee and walnut cake recipe before on our blog.

To celebrate the deliciousness of coffee-based desserts, we will share some more tasty treats you can make using this drink.

Coffee Macarons

Macarons are a delightful bite that can be adapted to suit many different flavours, from strawberry to pistachio and from chocolate to coffee! Here we share a recipe for coffee macarons, which will make around 30.

You will need:

4 egg whites

200g icing sugar

120g ground almonds

100g caster sugar

2 tbsp espresso (one for the macarons, one for the ganache)

125ml double cream

150g dark chocolate, broken into chunks

A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Whisk the egg whites and the caster sugar together until they form stiff peaks.
2. Sieve the almonds and icing sugar into the same bowl as the egg whites and fold these into the egg mixture. Slowly add 1tbsp of espresso as you fold.
3. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag. Place baking paper onto a baking tray and begin to pipe small circles of the egg mixture onto the tray.
4. Leave the macarons for around half an hour, until they form a slight crust, as they should be dry before they go in the oven.
5. While you wait for the macarons, preheat the oven to 150C and start work on the ganache. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it starts boiling, then remove from heat and add in the espresso and dark chocolate.
6. Let the chocolate melt and then stir until it forms a ganache. Leave the mixture to cool.
7. Bake the macarons for 20 minutes. Leave to cool for a few moments then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack.
8. When the macarons are completely cool, add ganache onto one macaron and then sandwich it together with another macaron.

Coffee Gelato

A cool treat for the warmer weather, this gelato is a delicious after-dinner dessert – plus, it is vegan!

You will need:

30 ml espresso

2 tins of coconut milk

150g sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Add all ingredients into a saucepan and warm over a low heat until all of the sugar has dissolved. Leave the mixture to cool.
2. If you have an ice cream machine, pour the mixture in and follow the instructions of your machine.
   
   If you don’t have an ice cream machine, place the gelato in the freezer and remove it every 30 minutes and beat it with a hand mixer. Repeat this process until it becomes fully frozen.

Coffee Panna Cotta

This recipe takes a bit of time and patience but is relatively easy to achieve. The creaminess of the panna cotta works wonderfully with the coffee flavour, creating a delicious dessert. This recipe creates six panna cottas.

You will need:

250ml strong coffee

300ml milk

300ml cream, thickened

60g caster sugar

6 (titanium-strength) gelatine leaves

1 ½ tsp instant coffee granules

Vanilla seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Method:

1. Place the coffee and 25g of the sugar in a pan and heat over a low heat. Stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved and then set aside.
2. Take two of the gelatine leaves and soak in cold water for five minutes so that they soften. Squeeze any water out of the gelatine and then mix the gelatine in with the coffee mixture.
3. Pour the coffee mixture between 6 ramekins or glasses and leave for 1 hour in the fridge, until it has set.
4. For the panna cotta, mix the milk, cream, vanilla seeds, instant coffee and remaining sugar (35g) into a saucepan and heat until it almost comes to the boil.
5. While the mixture is heating in the saucepan, soak the remaining gelatine leaves for five minutes. Take the milk and cream mixture off the heat and stir in the gelatine leaves.
6. Remove the vanilla pod and leave the cream mixture to cool for around 30 minutes.
7. Make some light scratches into the coffee jelly so the panna cotta will stick. Then pour the cream mixture equally between the six ramekins and leave to set for around 4 hours.

Tiramisu

A classic coffee-based dessert, tiramisu is a decadent dessert flavoured with espresso.

You will need:

6 egg yolks

4 egg whites

115g sugar

450g mascarpone

12 ladyfinger biscuits

350ml espresso, cooled

Cocoa powder to sprinkle

Method:

1. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl.
2. Add 1/3 of the mascarpone in at a time, beating the mixture well.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.
4. Soak ladyfingers in the espresso and lay them at the bottom of a serving bowl.
5. Spread about 1/3 of the mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then carefully place another layer of ladyfingers and repeat. The tiramisu should be finished with a layer of cream on top.
6. Leave to refrigerate for at least one hour. When ready to serve, dust a little cocoa powder on top.

Affogato

The simplest coffee recipe of all, but one of the most well-loved coffee desserts, the affogato is the perfect post-supper treat for coffee lovers. This recipe makes two servings.

You will need:

120ml freshly brewed hot espresso

4-6 scoops vanilla ice cream

Method:

1. Place 2 or 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream in each bowl.
2. Pour the freshly made espresso over the ice cream and immediately serve!

We hope you can create something scrumptious to enjoy alongside a fresh cup of coffee! For the best-tasting desserts, use the AeroPress UK to create your brew, for rich and smooth quality coffee that will improve the taste of any treat!