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RecipesWhipped Up

Italian

Affogato

Hot espresso is poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream so the edges melt into the coffee. A little sugar, salt, vanilla, and chopped chocolate finish the cups.

Prep
5 min
Cook
5 min
Total
10 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Small glass cup of vanilla ice cream with espresso pooling around it and chopped chocolate on top

Why you’ll love it

  • The ice cream should be scoopable but not melted, or the espresso just makes a thin milk coffee.
  • Dissolving instant espresso in a small amount of hot water keeps the shot strong.
  • A pinch of salt steadies the bitterness against the sweet ice cream.
  • Pouring the coffee at the table means the contrast of hot and cold is still there when you eat.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat the water in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is just under a boil, with small bubbles at the edge.

  2. 2

    Take the pan off the heat. Whisk in the instant espresso powder, sugar, and kosher salt until the powder dissolves.

  3. 3

    Stir in the vanilla extract. The coffee should be hot and strong, not watery.

  4. 4

    Place one scoop of vanilla ice cream in each of four small heat-safe cups.

  5. 5

    Sprinkle the chopped dark chocolate over the scoops.

  6. 6

    Pour the hot espresso over each scoop, about 1/4 cup per cup.

  7. 7

    Serve right away with a spoon.

Pro tips

  • If you have a moka pot or espresso machine, use 1 cup of fresh hot espresso and skip the instant powder and the water.
  • Do not pour the coffee early. The ice cream should still hold a shape when it hits the table.
  • Small cups work better than wide bowls because the espresso stays around the scoop.

Easy substitutions

Instant espresso powder
1 cup brewed espresso
Vanilla ice cream
Fior di latte or coffee ice cream
Dark chocolate
Chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped

Storage and reheating

Storage

Brew the espresso up to a day ahead and refrigerate it, then rewarm it. Do not store a poured affogato.

Reheating

Rewarm leftover espresso on the stove until hot, then pour it over fresh scoops. Do not reheat ice cream.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
228
Protein
4 g
Carbs
26 g
Fat
12 g
Fiber
1 g

Moderate · Stovetop

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Ingredients