In several European countries, is frequent at "tea time" or snack time to eat desserts based on fried dough. This is an old custom.
In Germany and Austria, "Krapfen" are common. "Krapfen" is spherical sweets filled with jam or custard. The "Krapfen" are cousins of the Donuts, they are made with the same dough, but this is not cut in the center.
Whenever we talk about snacks, the smell of freshly brewed coffee comes to mind. I must confess that I like to make a cup of coffee with freshly ground coffee, so I reserve instant coffee for desserts.
Today I want to share how to make a German coffee-flavored dessert using instant coffee. It is my version of Krapfen filled with coffee pastry cream.
This recipe has two parts, the dough, and the filling. Preparing the dough is easy! You need to have the patient give it the time it needs to rise well.
For the dough
- 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour
- 5 level tablespoons of dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup liquid milk
- 3 egg yolks
For the filling
- 2 cups fluid milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons instant coffee
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
Place the milk in a saucepan and heat it a little. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, and dissolve. Then add the yeast and mix well.
Pour the milk with the yeast and the egg yolks over the flour. Knead lightly to integrate the ingredients, and then add the butter.
Knead well until formed homogeneous dough. Do not panic if the dough is very sticky. A good work of kneading, you will make a good dough. Do not add more flour than the recipe. You risk that the dough will not be spongy.
Place the dough in a bowl and cover it. Let it rest for 90 minutes. After this time, place the dough on the counter and press it to degas it.
With the help of a rolling pin, stretch the dough to a thickness of 1 centimeter and cut it in a circular shape.
Place the circles of dough on a tray with waxed paper. Cover with a cloth and let it rest for 1 hour.
Fry in hot oil and place on a tray with absorbent paper. A fantastic trick to make the "Krapfen" fluffy is to cover them when they are frying. The steam generated during frying makes the "Krapfen" swell. Be careful that they do not brown too much.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until you have a creamy texture.
Heat the milk over medium heat. When the milk is lukewarm, add the egg yolks and sugar mixture. Stir constantly.
Add the cornstarch dissolved in a bit milk and cook over low heat. Stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
When the mixture thickens, turn off and cover with plastic wrap so that a thick layer does not form on the surface.
What remains is to fill the "Krapfen" for this, we put the coffee pastry cream once cold in a pastry bag.
These "krapfen" are very soft, and their flavor is amazing. Is it too much to accompany them with a cup of coffee? Am I at risk of a caffeine overdose? I don't know, but I can't help but think about pairing them with a cup of coffee 🤣🤣🤣🤣 if you are a coffee lover, you will surely understand me!
I loved sharing this recipe with you. If you love coffee, this is a different option than having it just in drinks. If you liked my recipe or have a recommendation, leave me your comment, I would love to read them.
Thanks for reading. See you in a future post!
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