- Coffee
- 9 g
Proper hot chocolate, made with dark chocolate melted into milk, poured over an espresso and crowned with lightly sweetened whipped cream, as in the cafés of Vienna. A Christmas treat for four.
By Equipo Cocinoa
What you need
Tap each piece to see its catalogue entry.
- EssentialEspresso coffee makerWater to 9 bars of pressure through fine and pressed coffee. Here are the machine types, from the lever to the double boiler.€150–3500approx.View on Amazon
- RecommendedEspresso grinderElectric grinder with very fine adjustment, designed for espresso. It matters more than the machine itself.€150–700approx.View on Amazon
- RecommendedCazoThe oldest and most simple method: coffee and water in a bowl, rest and decantation. It serves for the puchero coffee, the cowboy coffee and even the Turkish.€10–30approx.View on Amazon
- OptionalSifon of creamPressurised bottle with gas loads to mount cream at the moment or prepare a home "nitro" with cold brew.€30–60approx.View on Amazon
- Optional0,1 g baseA scale with precision of 0,1 g and timer. Weighing coffee and water is the easiest way to repeat a good cup.€15–250approx.View on Amazon
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No Espresso coffee maker? This works too
- Italian coffee maker (moka)€20–60The life-long stove coffee maker: the steam pushes the water through the coffee. Intense, with body and very cheap.
- AeroPress€35–55A plastic cylinder with plunger: immersion and a soft pressure. Versatile, resistant and almost unbreakable. Ideal for travel.
- Portable espresso€130–350Hand and compact equipment, type Picopresso or Flair, that reach the pressure of the espresso without electricity. To travel or to begin.
Method
Whip the well-chilled cream with the icing sugar until it forms soft peaks: it should be light and only just sweet. Keep it in the fridge.
Heat the milk in a saucepan over a medium heat until steaming. Take it off the heat, add the chopped chocolate, wait 1 minute and whisk until it melts.
5 min
Put it back over a low heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly without letting it boil, until it thickens slightly and turns glossy. Taste and sweeten if needed.
4 min
Make four 25–30 ml espressos (see the ‘Espresso’ recipe) and put one in each warmed mug or glass.
Pour the hot chocolate over the coffee, top with a generous spoonful of cream, dust with a little cocoa and serve with a glass of water on the side.
Tips and warnings
In Spain, ‘a la vienesa’ means crowned with whipped cream, a nod to Vienna's coffee houses, where many drinks come with cream and are traditionally served with a glass of water. This one brings both together with an espresso hidden under the chocolate. It is an afternoon treat for winter: Christmas Day, St Stephen's Day or the evening of Twelfth Night, after the parade, with a roscón.
- Plan for guests: make the chocolate the day before; it keeps for 3 days covered in the fridge. Reheat it over a low heat with a splash of milk, whisking. The cream can be whipped up to 2 hours ahead; with a cream whipper, charge it just before serving.
- For children: the same chocolate without the espresso, or with decaf.
- Common mistakes: boiling the chocolate, which turns grainy and catches on the bottom, and oversweetening the cream: the contrast with the dark chocolate is the whole point.
- Check the chocolate label if there are allergies: many contain milk, soya or traces of tree nuts.
- No machine? A short coffee from a moka pot, about 40 ml per cup.
One last thing
Real chocolate, an espresso underneath and a cloud of cream on top. If it brightened your afternoon, crown it with a ko‑fi.