Apart from coffee for hot drinks, when we think of coffee recipes, for many, tiramisu or a really sumptuous coffee and walnut cake comes to mind.

To call tiramisu an Italian trifle belittles it rather. It is an exquisite Italian sweet made with everything that is good about Italy; namely mascarpone cheese, savoiardi biscuits and good Italian coffee, and nothing less will do.

In order for the desserts to be perfect, I would suggest using the best ingredients such as Cello, Lavazza, Kimbo, Maury or Illy coffee brands, savoiardi lady fingers,the best Italian mascarpone cheese you can find,sugar, eggs, Cognac and cocoa power all mix. Everything works rather like an English trifle where the espresso is put into a shallow bowl, cognac and cocoa rather than sherry and jam added and the biscuits then soak it all up. The eggs yolks, sugar and mascarpone are then beaten together like custard, and the whole assembled together with sprinklings of cocoa power on the top.

Another top recipe using coffee would be something Austrian, like a rich coffee and walnut cake. Again ingredients are everything in this cake. Toasted walnuts are used, again the very best espresso coffee and lots of softened butter. All the ingredients including the eggs, butter, caster sugar, and flour are whisked together, then freshly made espresso coffee and the toasted shredded walnuts are added. The mixture is then divided into two sandwich tins and cooked for 30 minutes.

When cooked, the cake is left until cold, and then coffee syrup made of freshly brewed espresso mixed with demerara sugar is drizzled over both halves of the cake. Finally the frosting and filling made with caster sugar, mascarpone, full fat fromage frais and some more espresso is spread over the top and through the middle of the cakes and whole toasted walnuts placed on top for decoration.

Both tiramisu and coffee walnut cake would make sublime desserts to end those special dinner parties with friends.