This dessert is simplicity itself and a match made in heaven. Cold high-quality vanilla ice cream “drowned” in hot espresso coffee. What’s not to enjoy? Even my non-coffee loving friends love this dessert. You may be surprised at this but the sweet creaminess of the ice cream adds a different dimension to the coffee and somewhat softens the flavour.

I made this dessert recently for a group of friends. It went down a storm at the end of our lunch party and felt the need to share the recipe (if you can call it that) with you all.

I don’t know about you, but I love to finish a meal with something sweet but don’t always want something stodgy or heavy. Sometimes it’s fruit if I am trying to be healthy and sometimes it’s ice cream. Couple that with a shot of espresso and the ice cream transforms to another level. Try it. You won’t be disappointed. My friends at Roastworks Coffee provided the coffee for this dessert in the form of their Sumatran Coffee Capsules. The bold flavours of cocoa nibs and cedar with hints of orange oil and pepper softened with the cool, sweet vanilla ice cream. The perfect combination.

Obviously, the ice cream sweetens the coffee so there is no need for sugar lumps for your espresso. Try small cubes of fudge instead. I love Copperpots Fudge from St Ives for this. It’s deliciously creamy with the perfect texture. Here, I used their Christmas Pudding Fudge which gives a nod to the upcoming festivities.

What Is Affogato

Affogato is a coffee-based Italian dessert usually taking the form of a scoop of ice cream topped in espresso. The word affogato in Italian means “drowned”. You drown the cold ice cream in hot coffee! Some variations even include a shot of amaretto, Tia-Maria or other liqueur for that decadent twist.

Disclaimer: I was sent some Copperpots Christmas Pudding Fudge for this recipe. I was not paid for this post and all views are my own as always.