I recently told you about my fab new coffee gadget, the Minipresso. Whilst playing with it and looking for recipes that would make a quality shot of espresso shine, I was reminded of the traditional Italian dessert of affogato.
“Affogato” literally translates to “drowned” and gets its name from the method used to create it. In essence, it’s a hot shot of espresso poured over rich vanilla ice cream. It can then be left as per the traditional recipe or jazzed up with a variety of toppings. It is the perfect combination of hot and cold, bitter and sweet. A joy to eat.
I ALWAYS have vanilla ice cream in the freezer and will always have coffee too, so this will be the perfect dessert for those last minute dinner guests. It could even be a really fab addition to afternoon tea or a nice sweet treat to enjoy in the summer sunshine.
I’m almost embarrassed to call this a recipe, because it really is super simple but I’ll give you all the info anyway, just in case you need it to refer to!
Affogato
A traditional italian dessert of ice cream and coffee. Simple yet divine!
Ingredients
- 1 scoop good quality vanilla ice cream
- 1 shot strong espresso coffee
- Various toppings such as toasted almonds and crushed amaretti biscuits (optional)
Instructions
1. Scoop the ice cream into a glass or cup. Try to keep it in a tight ball so that it melts slowly in the coffee.
2. Optional: Place in the freezer to completely firm up for an hour or so. This will ensure the ice cream stays cold once the coffee is poured on top.
3. Brew the espresso and immediately pour over the cold ice cream. It will start to melt.
4. Quickly top with anything you want; in my example I've used toasted almonds and crushed amaretti biscuits. Delicious!
5. Eat quickly while the coffee is still hot and the ice cream is still cold. If you have lots to prepare, it's worth brewing the coffee in one go and then pouring over really quickly so the first one doesn't melt too quickly.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 1 affogato
For more great ideas involving espresso, check out these links from other bloggers:
- Ultimate Tiramisu Cupcakes and Skinny Coffee Smoothie from The Petite Cook
- Coffee Biscuits from Tin and Thyme
- Gluten-Free Tiramisu from Family, Friends, Food
- Espresso Coffee Cupcakes from Mostly About Chocolate
I love affogato Kevin! Yours looks delicious!
What a fab idea! Just love this – such a simple but stunning dessert. Thanks for sharing! x
Simple but effective! Looks so great with the biscuits crumbled over 🙂
One for the coffee lovers I think. I may not be much of a one for coffee, but I'm loving those gorgious photos.
Being italian the word "affogato" sounds just music to my ears! Love the pictures and the toppings, yumm! Thanks for adding my skinny coffee smoothie 🙂
Thank you for sharing, this recipe look so delicious.
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Oh I adore Affogato! You've reminded me how much. It also feels not too naughty to me as it's so simple?!
Yum yum yum! How simple is that yet so delicious. I've only had it a handful of times before and never tried recreating it myself. Your photos are stunning yet again Kevin 🙂