When Thor hit theaters in 2011 everyone was excited at the growth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The God of Thunder and his ever so charming adopted brother The God of Mischief were on everyone's minds.
When Thor quite literally slams into Earth, after being banished by his father, King of Asgard he doesn't have the easiest times adjusting to earthly habits. Stripped of his powers and deemed unworthy of his almighty hammer, Mjolnir, Thor must navigate the world around him alongside scientist Jane Foster, her mentor, and assistant. Like all Marvel movies, Thor features some wicked fight scenes, well timed humor, and of course that Marvel magic. But, one of the most memorable scenes happens while Thor is at a dinner with Jane. In case you don't remember Thor happened to enjoy coffee a bit too much, slamming it onto the floor when he finished, demanding the waitress or "wench" in Thor's words for another. Check out this hilarious clip below:
So in honor of Thor's love for coffee, I thought it was only right to create a coffee cake this week.
Thor's Espresso Chip Pound Cake
Ingredients
1 cup of butter, softened
1 cup of brown sugar
2 tsp of vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/2 cup of brewed espresso (no grounds)
1 &1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
1 & 1/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a baking bread pan. Set aside.
2. Use a handheld hand mixer to beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl until the batter appears to be smooth. Beat in vanilla and add all the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each new addition. Carefully add in 1/4 cup espresso, flour, baking powder, 1 cup of chocolate chips, and salt until the mixture is once again completely smooth.
3. Spread batter evenly into your prepared pan. Bake pound cake at 350 degrees for between 55 and 60 minutes or until a toothpick test comes back clean. Halfway through take the loaf out of the oven and top with remaining chocolate chips. Brush warm cake with remaining 1/4 cup brewed espresso.
4. Let the loaf cool in the pan for no less than 20 minutes then move to a cooling rack to cool completely. Finally, lightly dust the top with your powder sugar (to taste, I personally prefer it on its own... dipped in coffee).
This recipe is so simple and so tasty you too may just feeling like demanding a second slice. But, no coffee cake isn't complete without the perfect cup of coffee to go with it, and the Thor film isn't complete until we see Loki, so with that being said here is a bonus drink recipe made for the likes of the God of Mischief.
Loki's Mischievously (Pepper) Minty Iced Coffee
Ingredients
1 cup of brewed coffee
1/2 oz of creme de menthe
1/2 oz of chocolate liquor
2 tbsp of heavy cream
1/2 tsp of sugar
Whipped cream (homemade)
Green food dye
1 bag of green candy melts
Instructions
1. Melt 1/2 cup of green candy melts in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Be patient, it may take awhile to melt them down correctly. Be sure to take it out and stir it for a smooth constancy. Be careful not to over heat too quickly, the hotter these candy melts get the clumpier and thicker the become. Once melted and cooled place the mixture into a ziplock bag. Cut a hole 1/4 inch up from one corner of the bag to create a piping tool. Coat the bottom of the glass fully then allow some green to drizzle on the sides of your cup.
2. In a separate cup, prepare you brewed coffee. Add in the creme de menthe and the chocolate liquor. Stir well in order to combine efficiently.
3. If you are looking for something even sweeter, to perhaps take away some of that coffee flavoring, add 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 1/2 teaspoon sugar, for a sweeter final product
5. Pour the drink mix you've just stirred into the highball glass.
6. Next you will want to prepare your whipped cream. You can follow this simple and delicious guide from Food Network for the perfect homemade whipped cream. When you see the whipped cream mixture begin to stiffen, add in 3-4 drops of green food dye. Any left overs can be preserved if stored in an airtight container and rewhipped.
7. Finally the fun part... decorating! Place one candy cane on each side of the highball glass so that the curve of the cane is hanging off of the side and the canes are directly across from one another. These will represent the horns on Loki's helmet. Add and sprinkles of hard candy bits to garnish the top.
This drink is so tasty and sweet that you'll forget that it's boozy coffee, Loki would be proud to see something so innocent looking turn out to be the life of the party. Once again, thank you all for going me this week! I will be taking a brief hiatus from the blog while I get settled in for winter break, but I will most definitely be back with some new recipes by the end of the month. After all, Iron Man 3 is our next culinary quest and I could never abandon Tony Stark.
Until next time,
- Excelsior
Comments