About a year and a half ago, my husband and I bought a real “fixer-upper.” While my amazingly talented and industrious man has taken on the vast majority of tasks, there’s no question that this epic project has been a group effort, thanks to a trusty team of friends and family members who have given up a number of their evenings and weekends to help create our beautiful little love nest.

Now, as much as I personally wanted to be mrs-fix-it, I have discovered that home-improvement is not my forte. Aside from some staining and painting (and by paining, I mean I may or may not have just primed one wall), I’ve been predominantly involved in making only some of the esthetic decisions like tile and countertops. All that being said, I’m a big believer that you should stick to what you’re good at and channel your efforts where they’re best suited and most needed. Seeing as though our house has been a revolving door of hardworking and subsequently hungry humans, I decided my contributions were more effectively constructed in the kitchen. Every time we have a helping hand, I showered them with lunches, beverages, and of, course a buffet of baked goods.

Not wanting to get overly redundant I’ve had to really exercise my creative side and sometimes with a missing ingredient here and there, had to make do with what was on hand…like cold coffee forgotten in the pot. I’ve made chocolate cake with leftover coffee before, but wanted to make something a bit denser and loaf-like that would pair well with some melty butter and a warm beverage of sorts. Plus, I was missing the baking soda and a portion of the almond flour from my Chocolate Espresso Cake recipe and had some leftover coconut cream on hand that I was itching to use up.

So there you go! Another example of how it doesn’t matter if you have all the ingredients of a recipe you’re wanting to try out. Seeming limitations pave the way for new and exciting creations! And like I always say, there’s no such thing as a failed dessert, just a new pudding recipe (just in case this one doesn’t quite turn out how you’d hoped).

Leftover Coffee Loaf (grain-free/gluten-free, dairy-free)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

Makes about 7 thick slices

Ingredients

5 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil (you can also use extra virgin olive oil, or grass-fed butter if you’re not DF)
1/2 cup thick coconut cream
1 cup cold coffee
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup almond flour
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350F.
Grease a loaf pan and line the bottom with strip of parchment paper with the edges hanging out the sides for easy removal.
In a food processor, electric mixer, or by hand, whisk together the wet ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
Slowly add dry mix to wet, and combine thoroughly.
Spoon the batter into the loaf pan, and smooth out the top.
Option here to top with additional coconut sugar, cinnamon, chocolate chips etc.
Bake for 30-40mins (check to see if it’s done by sticking a long toothpick or thin knife in the centre. If it comes out clean, you’re good to go!)
Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Lift the edges of the parchment paper to remove from the loaf pan, slice, and serve warm!
Store leftover in the fridge or freezer.