Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, however the opinions expressed are honest and entirely my own. This post is brought to you by Nuffnang and Harris Coffee.

Do you believe in ‘waking up and smelling the coffee’? Or are you like me..the other way round? That’s right! I need to smell my coffee  to wake up. A freshly brewed cup of coffee is what it takes to get me moving in the morning.  And sometimes during the day too.

Admittedly, I am no coffee connoisseur. Neither am I addicted. But I do appreciate a good cup of coffee.  If I trust something to kick start my day, it has to be great, doesn’t it? By that I mean, coffee that not only tastes great but is of a superior quality, crafted and handled by experts and produced locally. Why local? Because local means it’s source is known to me, the processes it goes through are familiar to me and the coffee beans have travelled fewer miles to reach my cup.

All of Harris’ beans are roasted and blended in Australia which drastically enhances everything about the bean, including the taste, quality and freshness, shelf-life and flavour dynamic. With great reverence for the bean, Harris takes considered care from bean to cup and the Master Roaster and Blender is part of the process every step of the way. And they have been doing so over the last 130 years to suit Australian tastes.

The Harris range consists of both ground coffee and fresh beans in six varieties- Espresso, Premium, Black Label, Signature Blend, Reserve Colombian and Decaffeinated. There’s one to suit every kind of taste. Isn’t that amazing?

My personal favourites are the Signature Blend and the Premium. To check out the Harris range and for more information, visit http://harriscoffee.com.au

It’s not hard to get your caffeine fix at your local coffee shop or espresso bar. But the truth is that it can turn out to be an expensive habit especially if you are used to drinking several cups in a day.  Don’t get me wrong! I do enjoy a bit of latte art on my cuppa but I certainly won’t nurse a habit when I know I could be potentially blowing away hundreds of dollars on something that I can experience at my own convenience, within my own kitchen and more importantly that suits my personal taste.
Harris Coffee offers carefully crafted locally roasted blends that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, so can make the perfect cuppa for a fraction of the price.

Here are a few useful tips to make the perfect cup of coffee at home that Daniel Vergnano, Harris Master Roaster and Blender has shared with us. I have to say that these tips have helped to create a world of difference in my coffee.

1.   It all starts with the machine. Whether you are using a plunger, percolator, grinder or espresso machine, you need to understand what works best for what you have!
2.    From there, it’s all about the bean. The beans need to be fresh, and the grind has to be perfect for your machine. If you’re grinding, only put the amount of beans you plan to use at the top of the grinder, and don’t grind them until just before you’re about to extract the coffee – it’s best to use your coffee grinds within 10mins of grinding them, to keep them fresh. If you are using a plunger or percolator, grind your beans coarsely. This is key – if your grind isn’t big enough, your coffee will be over-extracted and will be too bitter.
3.    Always use fresh coffee – rather than buy in bulk, buy in small quantities, as this drastically changes the taste
4.    Heat up your cup, but keep your milk cold! The colder your milk, the longer you will have to get the spin required from a steamer (if using) to make those creamy, thick micro bubbles. To heat your cup, fill it with boiling water before making coffee to pre heat it.
5.    For a plunger, scoop your coffee into the plunger and heat your water separately. You should use around 15mL (1 tablespoon) coffee for about 90mL water (you can adjust to your taste though).
It’s better to use full cream milk – light or skim doesn’t have enough protein, but the key is to make sure you don’t over heat it. The ideal temperature is around 60 degrees, anything over that will get a ‘burnt’ flavour
6.   Keep your equipment clean! Wipe it down thoroughly between each use and wash it regularly
7.  It’s best to store your coffee in an opaque, air-tight container in a dark, cool and dry place, like a pantry. Try and keep it away from moisture, especially wet spoons.
8.  Don’t refrigerate or freeze your beans because it will affect the coffee’s oils and absorb flavours from other foods

The lovely people at Harris Coffee have decided to give away a Harris Coffee pack to one lucky reader of Sugar et al. This would include

Harris Espresso Ground 200g
Harris Premium Beans 500g
Harris Black Label Ground 200g
Harris Signature Blend ground 200g
Harris Reserve Colombian Beans 1kg

To be eligible you have to be 14 years or above and have an Australian address. To win the coffee pack, all you have to do is

a)‘Like’ the Sugar et al page on Facebook.
b)’Like’ the Harris Coffee page on Facebook
c)Leave a comment below in 2 or 3 sentences before 6th June 2014, how you would best enjoy a cup of Harris Coffee.

The entry with the most creative answer will be selected as the winner and announced on 10th^th June 2014. Please do ensure you leave a valid email address for me to contact you if you win.
View terms and conditions of the giveaway here. Good Luck!

Now, let’s talk about cake which is my favourite way of enjoying Harris Coffee at home. A double dose of coffee, basically… in my cup and in the cake. There are several ways of using coffee other than drinking it and one amongst that is to use it is cakes and desserts. This mud cake is not only easy to make (all you need is a bowl and a whisk), it celebrates coffee and chocolate and is perfect for someone who loves coffee. So, as you can imagine, the flavour will depend entirely on the quality of coffee and chocolate used. A good quality coffee like Harris Coffee is necessary to make a fantastic mocha mud cake. You can skip the ganache if you want to keep things simple but it only takes a couple of minutes

Mocha Mud cake with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting (Mud cake recipe adapted with variation from Taste.com)
Serves 12

250g butter, chopped
200 g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
11/4 cup freshly brewed strong Harris coffee
11/4 cup castor sugar (or more depending on the strength of the coffee you are using)
2 eggs, lightly whisked
300 g (2 cups) plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Chocolate ganache, for icing (recipe below)
10-12 vanilla flavoured marshmallows, to decorate

Chocolate Ganache

200ml pure (thin) cream
200g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped

Place butter, chocolate and Harris Coffee in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool.

Pour chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Add sugar and egg, and use a wire balloon whisk to whisk until well combined. Sift flour and baking powder over chocolate mixture and stir with the whisk until well combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 1  1/4 hours or until crumbs cling to a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake (cover with non-stick baking paper halfway through cooking if it browns too quickly). Remove from oven and set aside for 1 hour to cool.

Once cooled pour the Chocolate Ganache over the cake. Place marshmallows on top. Using a blow torch toast the marshmallows.

To make the chocolate ganache :  Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to just below boiling point. Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour over the hot cream. Stir together until melted and smooth. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before pouring over the cake.