Affogato might have a fancy Italian name, but it is perhaps the EASIEST of all desserts EVER. Yes it’s a decadent contrast of coffee and ice cream, hot and cold, sweet and bitter, but it’s also just a 2-ingredient, 5-minute job with big results for after dinner indulgence.
There are times when I want to serve up dessert and need something low-effort and quick – once I discovered Affogato, I have never looked back!
Affogato is a classy, grown-up, traditional Italian dessert, which in my book makes it perfect for even fancy dinners.
In case you’re not yet familiar with this dish, Affogato means ‘drowned’ in Italian, and for this we ‘drown’ the vanilla ice cream (or gelato) in espresso coffee. Such a delicious contrast of flavour and hot/cold!
While it is super easy to make (watch the step-by-step videos below to see how it’s done), the beauty of this dessert is that we can dress it up to make it special, while still keeping it simple.
This is down to how we present it, and most importantly the quality of the ingredients we use, especially as there’s only 2 – we should make them count. (Similar idea to my Lemon Posset recipe, which only has 3!)
While you can always use regular vanilla ice cream for this recipe, we’d highly recommend using a proper vanilla bean gelato (or ice cream) for the best flavour.
In the UK, Jude’s and Yeo Yalley make delicious options which are in most supermarkets now, or Häagen-Dazs is a good option too. Better yet, if you have a local gelato or ice cream shop, they will usually sell tubs for you to take home!
When it comes to the coffee we use, a strong espresso is essential. (The gelato softens with the coffee’s heat, in turn the coffee gets sweetened by the gelato.)
Got a coffee machine? Simply use one shot of your favourite espresso.
If you don’t, you could use a moka pot (stovetop espresso maker) instead, which will get you that rich, intense flavour we’re looking for (feel free to make it a little stronger than the instructions. We’re mixing it with ice cream after all).
You could use this to serve the whole table at once with this.
Why you’ll love this Affogato recipe
⭐️ Super quick and easy dessert
⭐️ Rich, hot, creamy and cold all at once!
⭐️ Impressive and elegant
