Mocha Frappé
موکا فراپے
Mocha is the pairing of coffee and chocolate, and as a blended it is the drink for anyone who finds plain coffee too bitter. Cocoa gives it a deep chocolate taste and a darker colour, while chocolate syrup adds sweetness and gloss. The trick is to dissolve the cocoa and coffee together in hot water first, so the cocoa blooms and doesn't float in dry lumps, then blend with plenty of ice until thick and smooth.
- ⏱ Total: 13 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 3 min
- Easy
- Serves 2
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Whisk the chilled cream with the icing sugar in a cold bowl for 2–3 minutes, until it holds soft peaks. Keep it in the fridge.
In the blender jar, stir the instant coffee, cocoa and sugar into the hot water for 30–60 seconds, until it forms a smooth, glossy paste with no dry cocoa left.
Add the cold milk and 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup.
Add the ice and blend on high for about 1 minute, until thick and smooth with no ice chunks.
Streak the remaining chocolate syrup inside two glasses and pour in the frappé.
Top with the whipped cream, scatter over the grated chocolate and serve straight away.
Kitchen notes
Always make the cocoa paste with hot water first. Cocoa powder repels cold liquid and stays as bitter dry lumps even after blending.
Taste before pouring. Cocoa and coffee are both bitter, so you may want another spoon of sugar or syrup, especially for children.
Ordinary packet cream won't whip. Use whipping cream with at least 30 percent fat, or a ready-made topping.
Coffee meets chocolate
Mocha drinks take their name from the old Yemeni port of Mocha, once the centre of the coffee trade, though the link to chocolate came much later. Today a mocha simply means coffee with chocolate, and the blended mocha frappé is one of the best-selling cold drinks in cafés worldwide. In Pakistan it is a popular pick for people who like coffee but not its bitterness, and for long summer afternoons when a drink doubles as dessert.
Blooming the cocoa
The most common problem with homemade mocha drinks is grainy, floating cocoa. Cocoa powder is fatty and fine, so it clumps when it meets cold milk. Stirring it with the coffee, sugar and a little hot water first turns it into a smooth paste and also brings out its flavour, much like dissolving coffee for cold coffee. After that, the frappé follows the usual rule: about a cup of ice per glass, blended on high for a full minute.
Variations
- White mocha: replace the cocoa and chocolate syrup with 3 tablespoons of melted white chocolate.
- Mint mocha: add a few fresh mint leaves or a drop of peppermint essence before blending.
- Mocha shake: swap half the ice for two scoops of chocolate ice cream for a richer, creamier drink.
- Stronger: use 3 teaspoons of coffee and freeze coffee into ice cubes.
Serving
Serve a mocha frappé the moment it is blended, because the ice separates within about 15 minutes. The cocoa paste and whipped cream can be made a few hours ahead and chilled, which makes it easy to blend a fresh batch when guests arrive.
Questions people ask
What does mocha mean?
Mocha was the name of a port in Yemen that once shipped much of the world's coffee. Today it simply means a coffee drink flavoured with chocolate.
Can I use only chocolate syrup instead of cocoa?
Yes, use 4 tablespoons of syrup in total and skip the sugar. The frappé will be sweeter and lighter in colour, with a milder chocolate taste.
Can I make it without coffee?
Yes. Leave out the instant coffee and you have a chocolate frappé that is fine for children. Add an extra tablespoon of milk to keep the same consistency.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 335
- Protein
- 6 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
