Italian Coffee Cream | Crema al Caffè (2024)

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Italian Coffee Cream is an easy, cold, frothy, eggless coffee dessert you can enjoy at the end of a meal or as an afternoon treat.

Thanks to this very quick recipe made with only 3 ingredients - whipping cream, espresso and powdered sugar - you can make an iced sweet Crema Caffè at home. Like the one you can find in an Italian coffee bar!

There are many traditional Italian coffee desserts. For example, the famous Tiramisu recipe, Coffee Mascarpone Cream or Coffee Affogato made with Gelato.

Espresso has a deeply rooted tradition in Italian culture. Drinking espresso after a meal is almost a ritual for many Italians. Many consider coffee cream a summer alternative to the common espresso.

In fact, in Italy, during the summer, traditional coffee bars usually serve an iced, creamy variation of espresso called "Crema Caffè," "Crema Fredda al Caffè," or "Caffè del Nonno." It's a popular tradition enjoyed at the bar, in a small cup, on hot summer days.

Italian Coffee Cream differs from Coffee Gelato because, although it has to be eaten very cold, it does not have the low temperature of Italian Gelato. The processing method is also different.

The secret to a perfect Crema di Caffe is to use all the ingredients very cold. Just whip them all together with a mixer and you're done!

The result is an extraordinary Italian coffee cream with a thick, frothy and velvety consistency.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Storage
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
Tips
Origins
Recipe Recap

Ingredients

Prep Time: 5 Min
Cook Time: 5 Min to make espresso
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6-8

PLEASE NOTE: Amount for about 6-8 servings, depending on serving cup size (about 250 g/1 ⅓ cup of coffee cream)

200 ml (¾ cup) of heavy whipping cream
about 80 ml (⅓ cup) of Espresso or strong coffee
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

Instructions

Step 1) - To make the authentic Italian coffee cream recipe, first you need to make a strong, thick and creamy coffee. We recommend making Italian espresso, using either an espresso machine or a moka (caffettiera). The coffee should be rich and strong in flavor, not watery.

Step 2) - Pour the coffee into a glass. Add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and stir. Let cool completely at room temperature. Finally place in the refrigerator to lower the temperature more quickly.

Storage

You can store Italian coffee cream for a couple of days in the refrigerator. But it's best enjoyed freshly made.

Needless to say, to make the best Italian Coffee Cream you have ever had, first you need to make an excellent coffee. The coffee must be creamy and strong. ESPRESSO IS BEST for this recipe.

ESPRESS MACHINE: So, you need a good Espresso machine with single-dose capsules.
MOKA: Or the traditional - and always loved in Italy - Italian moka, ("Caffettiera" as we call it) with ground coffee.
CUPS: Italian espresso cups are also important for serving this cafe crema. So check out these Espresso cups for a little treat after dinner, in place of the classic espresso. Also take a look at these Italian-style Moka Cafe Espresso Cups.
BOWLS: Glass bowls, better if transparent, for a bigger and more substantial dose of crema di caffe, a real dessert.
MIXER: You will certainly find it very useful to have a cream whipping machine. Either a stand mixer or simple electric hand whisk mixer with a bowl.

Tips

Cold Ingredients

Very important for the success of this simple crema di caffe recipe is that all the ingredients are well chilled.

So, in addition to chilling the coffee in the refrigerator and leaving the whipping cream in the refrigerator until it's time to whip it, we recommend that you put the bowl in which you will be whipping the cream for about an hour in the freezer.

Granulated Sugar vs Powdered Sugar

Another suggestion concerns the use of the sugar. If you use an already sweetened whipping cream (there are many on the market), you do not need to sweeten the coffee as well or at least halve the dose.

Also, you may have noticed that we recommend powdered sugar and not granulated sugar. This is because the preparation of crema di caffe is very fast and takes place completely cold. Therefore, if you use granulated sugar, you might feel the grains of sugar not dissolved in the cream.

In pastry making, powdered sugar is used both for decorations and for cold and quick preparations, where it is necessary to dissolve the sugar without mixing for a long time.

Type of Coffee

As for the type of coffee, you can use whatever you prefer. Espresso, mocha, even decaf, or instant coffee dissolved in two espresso cups of boiling water. The important thing is that the coffee has a rich and intense taste.

A maximum of 80 ml (two espresso cups) can be used for this. If the coffee is too watered down, it would spoil the texture of the whipped cream and the coffee taste would be barely noticeable.

How to Serve "Crema di Caffè"

Crema di caffe is usually served simply as it is, in a little glass or espresso cup.

Of course, it can be enjoyed with a teaspoon, but often, depending on the consistency, they insert also a straw.

Origins

Like the Italian espresso, coffee cream also has Neapolitan origins.

In fact, it seems that coffee cream was born among the alleys of Naples thanks to some housewives.

They found a way not to give up the coffee tradition even when the temperature outside made it prohibitive to enjoy the hot drink.

Working the coffee with cream and sugar, they found a way to serve the cold espresso in the form of crema.

In time, the homemade preparation became professional and today it is served in every bar and restaurant in Italy.

In Naples they call this coffee cream "caffè del nonno" (grandfather's coffee), and originally it was prepared only with the Neapolitan coffee maker.

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