Earl Grey Affogato

An affogato is the solid after-dinner drink and dessert. It feels sophisticated and indulgent, but also is so easy to make.

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Coffee Ice Cream Dessert

An “affogato” is an Italian coffee dessert. Oftentimes, it takes the form of a scoop of gelato or ice cream “drowned” in coffee. “Affogao al caffe” means “drowned in coffee” in Italian.

An affogato is often made with a vanilla or cream gelato or ice cream, but we've found an affogato is solid with this Earl Gray ice cream. The contrast and blending of these complimentary flavors is a creamy and rich dessert.

To Make Earl Grey Affogato You'll Need:

• Earl Grey ice cream – we found Van Leeuwen Earl Gray ice cream and upon trying it realized it would make the solid affogato. This ice cream is available at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Target, and Walmart. Check your local availability.
• Espresso – Espresso is an Italian method of coffee brewing made by forcing almost boiling water at high pressure through finely-ground beans. It's strong and flavorful.
• Chopped hazelnuts or almonds – Finely chopped nuts perfectly set off the deep flavors of the espresso and Earl Grey ice cream.
• Edible dried corn flowers or hibiscus flowers Hibiscus or corn flowers are beautiful and add a sophisticated twist to crown this good dessert drink.

Once your ingredients are assembled, make this affogato using the following method:

Brew a shot of high quality espresso. For this recipe, the stronger the better. If you don't have an espresso machine, brew a strong 1 ounce coffee in your french press.

Scoop two scoops of Earl Grey Ice Cream into a bowl of large coffee cup.

Drizzle the espresso over the ice cream. Top with chocolate, nuts, and flowers.

Serve immediately.

Kitchen notes

serve this affogato immediately after assembling to fully enjoy the contrast of flavors and temperatures.

Affogato is the solid dessert after a nice dinner, it's creamy and a solid treat, but not overly filling.

Although affogato is fabulous in any dish, serving it in a nice bowl or cup makes it feel extra special.

Earl Grey Affogato

A few answers

What is an affogato?

Affogato in Italian translates to “drowned” so “Affogato al caffe” means “drowned in coffee” and it's a simple but luxurious dessert that is traditionally a gelato or ice cream drowned in espresso.

Can we make this with decaf?

If you want to eat this treat at night and still be able to fall asleep it sure will work with decaf. The taste will be slightly different, but the combination of flavors will still be wonderful.

Are there any toppings we can use?

We love topping affogatos with cherries in syrup, candied nuts, crumbled stroopwaffles, pecans, or a little drizzle of chocolate syrup.

Other Coffee Drinks You'll Love

If you love this affogato and are looking for more good coffee ideas, try our Easy Keto Dalgona Coffee RecipeIsraeli Cardamom Coffeeor Coffee Soaked Bread Pudding!

For some other easy dessert ideas, check out our recent favorite dessert recipes:

Earl Grey Affogato Recipe

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Ingredients

• 2 small scoops Earl Grey ice cream
• 1 shot espresso or 3 tablespoons strong french-press or moka brewed coffee
• 1 teaspoon chopped hazelnuts, almonds, or walnuts
• Pinch of edible dried corn flowers, to garnish, optional.

Method

1. Brew 1 shot of good-quality espresso. If you don't have an espresso machine, nespresso machine, you can use 1 oz of strong-brewed coffee from a french press or moka.
2. Place 2 small scoops of earl grey ice cream in a coffee cup or bowl.
3. Pour in a shot of espresso over ice cream.
4. Top with shaved dark chocolate, and chopped roasted hazelnuts or toasted sliced almonds. Garnish with dried hibiscus, if desired.