Coffee Crunch Cake

The Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have a 10-inch angel food tin for this. This is a center tube, loose bottom cake tin with the outside diameter of the top opening measuring 10 inches and with sides approximately. 4 3/8 inches high. Do not butter the tin. It is critical that when you "hang" the cake after baking, it must stick to the tin and not fall out. For hanging, you can use a wine bottle with a plastic band on the top neck that keeps the hanging cake tin from tilting.

Sift together into the bowl of an electric mixer:

1-1/4 cups cake flour (sift to measure)

3/4 cup sugar

Make a well in the center of the flour-sugar mixture and place in it:

6 yolks

1/4 cup cold water

Grated zest or rind of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

Mix together then beat to the ribbon stage. You can use a Kitchen Aid mixer with the balloon whip and set the speed at low/moderate or #4 out of 10 settings. It will take 8 or 10 minutes. Transfer batter to a large bowl then wash the mixer bowl well and place in it:

1 cups whites (7 or 8, with absolutely NO yolks)

1 tsp. cream of tartar (optional)

Using balloon whip at low/moderate speed, beat to soft peaks. Sprinkle in, one tablespoon a time:

3/4 cup sugar

while continuing to beat. When all sugar is in, beat mixture to stiff peaks.. It is important that the whites be beaten to the proper stiffness so don't stint on this. Fold 1/3 the whites into the yolk mixture, then fold in the balance. Pour the batter into the tube pan. With a thin knife, gently cut through the batter to break any air bubbles. Put into preheated 350¡F oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. The cake should rise to an inch or two above the rim. Sometimes it cracks or develops furrows. Immediately invert the pan over the thin necked bottle. Let the cake cool suspended. When cool, ideally the cake will have shrunk level with the rim of the pan. Carefully cut around sides and remove the cake from tin. If not using right away, freeze until the day before serving.

Coffee Crunch:

Use a 4-1/2 quart heavy saucepan for this, although a smaller one will do. Have a jelly roll pan ready or some other baking sheet with sides to receive the hot caramelized crunch. It is not necessary to grease the pan. Into the saucepan put:

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup strong coffee (use 'brewed' coffee, not instant)

1/4 cup light corn syrup

Bring to a boil slowly, stirring now and then to help dissolve sugar. After it reaches the boil and the sugar has dissolved, do not stir anymore. Put heat to high and boil until mixture reaches 290 degrees on a candy thermometer. You may have to put on mitts and tilt the pan to get a reading. Remove from heat and let boiling subside for just a few seconds then add:

1 tablespoon sifted baking soda

Sprinkle it over then beat long enough to really distribute the soda well. This will froth up and start to swell like a weird blob. Immediately scrape out onto the jelly roll pan. Do not spread it out. Just leave it in one big lump. As it cools it will shrink. When cool, remove from sheet then crack into 3 or 4 pieces and put into a plastic bag right away or it will get gooey. It keeps well out of the air for many weeks.

To Assemble: Slice the cake into three layers using a saw bladed knife. 4 cups heavy whipping cream (could use 3, but not as fabulous) Whip until very stiff, but perhaps not quite so stiff as for piping with a pastry bag.

Fold in:

2 teaspoon vanilla

Sprinkle over:

2 teaspoons instant coffee

Fold in well. Break up the coffee crunch saving enough rather large, quarter-sized pieces to cover the top of the cake. Crush the rest into a combination of fine and 1/4 inch coarse crumbs. Place the bottom layer on an attractive cake plate. Spread the whipped cream over the cake slice making a generous layer of cream about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with some of the finer crumbs. Add the second layer then repeat cream and crunch crumbs. Place the top layer on. Cover top and sides (can even fill in the hole if you like) with the remaining cream then use the finer crunch and smaller pieces on the sides and finish the top with the larger pieces. Cover the whole cake very well top and sides with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the next day.

To Serve: Can serve chilled right from refrigerator, but I prefer to bring it out to room temperature one half hour before serving. Unwrap as soon as you remove it from the refrigerator. Use a saw bladed knife to serve this.

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Coffee intake and stroke risk

A new study has revealed that drinking more coffee than usual could double your risk of a stroke. Prior research suggests a high risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death in the hour after coffee intake. However, the risk of stroke associated with exposure to coffee remains unclear. The researchers at Harvard Medical School hypothesised that caffeine intake is associated with an elevated risk of stroke. They examined 390 stroke victims from America (209 men and 181 women), comparing each one's coffee intake in the hour before their stroke with their usual consumption over the previous year. Around one in ten had drunk coffee less than an hour before falling ill.

Coffee consumption was linked with a risk of stroke in the subsequent hour twice as high as during the periods where there was no coffee consumption. No such association was found with caffeinated tea or cola. The risk was mainly confined to those who exceed their normal intake of a cup or so a day.

It was observed that light coffee drinkers who normally have no more than one a day are twice as likely to suffer a blood clot on the brain if they increase that by an extra cup or two. The risk of a potentially fatal stroke was highest in the hour following consumption. After two hours, the coffee's effects had worn off and the risk of a stroke passed. But the danger lies in occasional exposure to relatively higher caffeine levels, making light coffee drinkers more susceptible.

This could be because coffee-lovers who get through several cups a day become desensitised to the effects of caffeine, such as raised blood pressure, stiffening of the arteries and higher norepinephrine levels, a stress hormone that increases heart rate. Caffeine intake can contribute to increased blood pressure, the single biggest risk factor for stroke, but it is known that antioxidants found in certain foods and drinks, including coffee, can help in the prevention of stroke.

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Domestic coffee planters seek international certification

Domestic coffee exporters and planters are increasingly seeking eco-friendly certification from international certifying bodies like UTZ, Rainforest and Fairtrade in their bid to get higher premium over competing produce in the international market as well as a premium over prices. According to estimates, this crop year alone is expected to see an addition of around 10 per cent to the present certifying area of 50,000 acres in the country.

“International certification from organisations like UTZ, Rainforest or Fairtrade gives an eco-friendly tag to the coffee. So, exporters are able to fetch premium over international prices,” Sahadev Balakrishna, chairman of Karnataka Planters’ Association said. He, also, said that even individual coffee estates from major growing regions of Coorg and Chikmagalur were seeking such certification.

UTZ, Rainforest, Fairtrade among others are the international certifying agencies, which certify an estate on the basis of good agricultural and business practices, social criteria and environmental parameters.

Such certified coffee, in turn, fetches higher premium over competing produce from other nations and over current international prices. “While premiums are low at the time of high prices in international futures, it is usually higher by 20-30 per cent over competing produce from Brazil and Vietnam,” Balakrishna said.

He, however, said certification was done for getting long-term dividend as organisational rules, sound crop practices, efficient use of natural resources became a part of the coffee production process.

Usually, Indian arabica gets a 20-30 per cent higher price over Brazilian produce and robusta gets a 30-40 per cent higher price than Vietnamese coffee. So, certification will further help domestic coffee to get a higher premium than usual rates.

Some export houses are of the opinion that international certification will help domestic planters to get right price at the time of crisis in the international market. “While prices are high, certified coffee may not give planters a distinct price advantage, but it will definitely of help during crisis period,” a top official of Ned Commodities said.

He, also said, international certification process was still in an infant stage in India and should catch up fast to meet international standards. Ned Commodities is one of the largest coffee exporter of India and it facilitates the process of certification for small planters. About certification by small planters, he said small planters were certified under ‘group certification scheme’ to reduce cost of certification.

Referring to this matter, Jabir Asghar, vice-president of Coffee Board of India said, “ Coffee Board is trying to push certification of Indian coffee as it is classified under premium coffee and fetch higher price. However, this process is in an initial stage.” He, also, said that Coffee Board had no plans to come up with any new schemes for facilitating certification process.

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Uganda Arabica coffee exports jump on prices: UCDA

Uganda's exports of Arabica coffee surged 35 percent in the first two months of the 2010/11 coffee season due to higher prices, the state-run Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said on Tuesday. The east African country is ranked among the continent's three largest exporters of coffee and their earnings constitute a major source of foreign exchange.

According to UCDA's November performance report seen by Reuters on Tuesday, good prices for Arabica spurred farmers to release larger volumes of their stocks. Shipments of Arabica beans totalled 135,749 60-kg bags in October and November compared with 100,807 bags exported in the same months in the 2009/10 coffee year.

"The rise in Arabica is ascribed to the remunerative prices that have prompted farmers to frontload whatever was in their possession," the report said. Arabica prices, according to the report, averaged $3.2 per kg in November, having edged up gradually from $2.59 in July.

In contrast, UCDA said Robusta exports "continued to exhibit a gradual negative trend on account of weather and outbreaks of pests."Mealy bugs, twig borers and caterpillars have ravaged coffee trees, mainly in eastern Uganda. The region is at the peak of harvest. Uganda is forecast to export a total of 3.1 million bags in the 2010/11 coffee year.

Prices for Robusta averaged $1.51 per kg in November, maintaining nearly the same levels over the last three months, according to the report. UCDA forecasts bean shipments in December will rise 4.5 percent compared with the same month a year ago.

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Sugar and coffee hit multi-year highs

Sugar and coffee prices hit multi-year highs on Monday, further boosting food inflation concerns as supply problems mounted after a string of lower-than-expected harvests due to unfavourable weather, analysts said.

The surge in sugar and coffee prices comes as other agricultural commodities – from corn and wheat to soyabean and barley – trade near a two-year high. Analysts said sugar supplies remained tight after a low crop in Brazil, the world’s top exporter, and Australia due to bad weather and also export restrictions in India, the second-largest producer.

The European Union has delayed a decision about allowing further export licences, with officials in Brussels saying the priority is to supply the internal market. Last week, Portugal ran out of sugar briefly, the first European country to suffer a sugar shortage in at least 30 years.

In New York, ICE March raw sugar surged to a 30-year high of 33.5 cents per pound, up 3.1 per cent on the day and above the previous peak set in November.

“The highs posted nearly two months ago have been breached without any sign of a let-up,” said Thomas Kujawa, a sugar broker at Sucden in London. “Any retracement may prove to be short-lived,” he added.

Raw sugar prices later pared gains to trade up 1.1 per cent to 32.85 cents.

Since January, the cost of raw sugar has surged by 22 per cent and traders anticipate further gains in 2011 as demand outpaces supply by a large margin.

India said last week that it would tentatively allow unrestricted exports of 500,000 tonnes of sugar in the near term.

But the country has yet to make official its commitment and traders worry that New Delhi will only allow exports in a drip-by-drip fashion.

“India does not want any big amount of sugar to leave the country in a rush,” said Toby Cohen, head of research at Czarnikow, the London-based sugar merchant. Meanwhile, ICE March arabica coffee surged briefly to a fresh 13½-year high of $2.2695 a pound, up 0.7 per cent on the day.

The contract for the high- quality beans later moved down on profit-taking, losing 0.3 per cent to $2.2455 a pound. Analysts said that output in Colombia, the world’s top producer of high-quality arabica coffee, will be much lower than expected. The country’s output fell last season to a 35-year low of 8.1m bags, each of 60kg.

The market had previously expected that production would recover to 10m bags or even higher but most recent forecasts, after heavy rains hit the coffee areas, put Colombia’s output at 9m bags, nearly 2m bags under the 10-year average coffee production of 10.9m bags.

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Carol & coffee with Mamata at Xavier’s

Mamata Banerjee spent half an hour at a Christmas get-together organised by the St Xavier’s College alumni on Sunday evening, enquiring about the health of aged teachers, listing her favourite Christmas songs and requesting the band to play her a carol after it had packed up.

“I like to listen to Bengali songs even at this time of the year. But right now I feel like listening to an English song,” the railway minister told principal Fr Felix Raj as the band, Violin Brothers String Orchestra, reassembled their instruments on the dais on the Xavier’s playground to perform her choice: Silent Night, Holy Night.

Song over, Mamata proceeded to enumerate to the principal her playlist for the season. “I like Vishwapita tumi hey prabhu and Mangaldeep jwele. Yesterday, in the car, I was asking Derek (O’Brien) to give me a list of songs they sing on Christmas. He said he would give me a CD today but hasn’t kept his word,” smiled the Trinamul chief.

She refused to eat but insisted that the St Xavier’s fathers begin their dinner while she kept them company. After much coaxing, Mamata agreed to a cup of coffee.

When an alumni member asked her if she would like her coffee black, without sugar, she feigned anger and said: “Kalo coffee khabo keno? Khachhi jokhon sadai khabo, puro sada, dudh diye, chinio diye, kintu chinita ektu kom (Why will I have black coffee? Since I am having coffee, I might as well have it with milk and sugar, though not much of sugar). ”

Then it was her turn to be introduced to members of the alumni and some teachers, including the oldest, M.M. Rehman of the commerce section, who has been teaching for 51 years.

While being introduced to Fr Xavier, who teaches environmental science, Mamata quipped: “We’ve got a lot to learn from you. You must teach us sometimes too,” to a roar of appreciative laughter from those around.

When Rehman asked her if she was feeling nervous sitting amidst so many teachers, pat came the reply, punctuated with a smile: “No, I am not feeling nervous. I have a lot of respect for all of you and am wondering how to express it.”

Before leaving, Mamata did not forget to apologise for reaching the programme, to which many eminent Calcuttans had been invited, late. “I got delayed at a prize distribution ceremony. They had any number of prizes and wouldn’t let me leave until I had distributed all of them even though I was fretting about getting late here.”

When she was preparing to leave the campus around 9.30pm, mayor Sovan Chatterjee and party leaders like Madan Mitra in tow, Fr Felix Raj wanted to escort her to the gate but she would have none of it.

“Apni khub senior. Apni ashben na. Ami ek doure chole jabo (You are such a senior person. You don’t have to come. I will run along),” she said and set off on her customary brisk walk across the playground towards the Park Street gate of the college.

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Increasing coffee intake 'doubles stroke risk'

A new study has revealed that drinking more coffee than usual could double your risk of a stroke. Experts at Harvard Medical School in Boston found that light coffee drinkers who normally have no more than one a day are twice as likely to suffer a blood clot on the brain if they increase that by an extra cup or two.

The risk of a potentially fatal stroke was greatest in the hour following consumption. After two hours, the coffee's effects had worn off and the risk of a stroke passed. But the danger lies in occasional exposure to relatively higher caffeine levels, the findings said - making light coffee drinkers more susceptible.

This could be because coffee-lovers who get through several cups a day become ''desensitised'' to the effects of caffeine, such as raised blood pressure, stiffening of the arteries and higher norepinephrine levels, a stress hormone that increases heart rate.

Researchers examined 400 stroke victims, comparing each one's coffee intake in the hour before their stroke with their usual consumption over the previous year. Around one in ten had drunk coffee less than an hour before falling ill.

"Consumption was linked with a risk of stroke in the subsequent hour twice as high as during the periods where there was no coffee consumption," the Daily Mail quoted the authors as saying. They found no such association with caffeinated tea or cola. The risk is mainly confined to those who exceed their normal intake of a cup or so a day.

Read Full Entry