Featuring the rich, floral, nutty cocoa notes of ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters, the caramel-toffee flavour of demerara sugar and packing a flavoursome espresso punch, this coffee ice cream, a dessert adaptation of the Café Trinidad cocktail by ANGOSTURA® bitters, is certainly one for the coffee fans.

This recipe has been made in collaboration with ANGOSTURA® bitters, although all thoughts and opinions are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up our kitchen and share recipe stories.

Small white espresso cup with two large scoops of coffee ice cream in it.

Café Trinidad

The Café Trinidad is a non-alcoholic cocktail made by shaking espresso, demerara syrup, ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters and ANGOSTURA® orange bitters in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. This is strained into a flute glass and lightly whipped heavy cream is floated on top.

I spied this recipe on the ANGOSTURA® website some weeks ago and thought: that needs to be made into ice cream!

Image of a cast iron bread tin with coffee ice cream with one scoop half scooped out.

Coffee ice cream with espresso powder

For this coffee ice cream, I’ve made a rich coffee custard base with espresso powder and demerara sugar. Here, the sugar is heated with the milk so that it dissolves in the hot milk before being poured over whisked egg yolks to thicken.

This is chilled and mixed with heavy cream flavoured with ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters and ANGOSTURA® orange bitters.

The resulting ice cream packs a seriously coffee punch with the aromatics from the ANGOSTURA® bitters taking it next level. It’s very much one for the coffee fans!

ANGOSTURA® Cocoa Bitters

Using the world’s finest Trinitario cocoa beans from Trinidad and Tobago paired with 200 years of unparalleled bitters expertise, ANGOSTURA® have created a truly decadent, indulgent new flavour: ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters.

Flavour-wise, ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters boast top notes of rich bitter, floral, nutty cocoa with a bold infusion of aromatic botanicals. This provides endless possibilities to remix classic cocktails and put a luxurious spin on any recipe, from savoury main dishes to indulgent sweet desserts.

Top down image of coffee ice cream in a bread tin with a bottle of Angostura cocoa bitters to the side.

ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters pair perfectly with sweet vermouth or aged spirits such as whiskey, rum, cognac and tequila. Use it to add new layers of depth and complexity to your favourite classic cocktails, such as the espresso martini.

Available in 100 ml bottles, ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters can be found in all good wine shops and online through Amazon.

ANGOSTURA® Orange Bitters

The marriage of citrus oils from hand-selected oranges, carefully blended herbs and spices and nearly 200 years of knowledge, ANGOSTURA® orange bitters bring a unique orange flavour to any recipe they are used in.

They contain none of the ingredients found in the original ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters. Use them as a substitute for orange zest in all food and drink recipes, including ice cream.

Top down image of the ingredients needed to make coffee ice cream from scratch.

You’ll need…

(Jump to the full printable recipe)

Full fat milk – don’t be tempted to substitute this with a lower calorie option. Milk fat adds creamy richness to this recipe, just what we want in an indulgent dessert.
Demerara sugar – adds a delicious caramel-toffee flavour to the ice cream.
Espresso powder – for a full coffee flavour.
Egg yolks – to thicken up the custard ice cream base and give the finished ice cream a rich, thick, creamy consistency.

Heavy cream – the high fat content in heavy cream coats the ice crystals in the ice cream, resulting in a smooth creamy textured dessert.
ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters – a rich bitter, floral, nutty cocoa flavour with a bold infusion of aromatic botanicals.
ANGOSTURA® orange bitters – a versatile culinary ingredient that can be used as a substitute for orange zest in all food and drink recipes, ice cream included.

How to make it…

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Step one: place the milk, demerara sugar and espresso powder in a small saucepan and heat until just before the boiling point, between 82-85°C. Stir frequently so that the sugar dissolves.

Equipment: small saucepan, wooden spoon, digital thermometer

Step two: meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a mixing bowl until they reach the ribbon stage.

Equipment: mixing bowl, whisk

Step three: while whisking, pour the hot milk over the egg yolks.

Equipment: small saucepan, mixing bowl, whisk

Step four: return the coffee custard mixture back to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Equipment: small saucepan, wooden spoon

Step five: Add the ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters and the ANGOSTURA® orange bitters to the double cream, and chill along with the custard mixture, for at least four hours.

Equipment: measuring jugs, measuring spoons

Step six: combine the coffee custard and flavoured cream and churn in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Equipment: ice cream machine, freezer-proof container

Coffee Ice Cream

Watch this video on YouTube

Image of a bottle of Angostura cocoa bitters and Angostura orange bitters beside an ice cream machine bowl with freshly churned coffee ice cream in it.

Top down image of freshly churned coffee ice cream in an ice cream machine.

Tips for making this ice cream

Make sure the coffee custard mixture is as chilled as you can get it. Leave it in the fridge for at least four hours, preferably overnight, before churning in your ice cream machine.
Don’t overheat the milk as you’ll end up with scrambled eggs instead of a nice rich custard mixture. A digital thermometer helps.
Don’t overcook the custard after you return it to the pan either. Cook it gently over a low heat, stirring contantly until it coats the back of the spoon. A finger drawn down the back will leave a trail through the custard when it’s ready.
You can serve this ice cream right away out of the ice cream machine, but it will be soft. Transfer it to a freezer-proof container to freeze until solid if you prefer a harder ice cream.
Optional: decorate the top of the ice cream with chopped coffee beans.

Top down close up of coffee ice cream in a bread tin with finely chopped cocoa beans sprinkled on top.

Café Trinidad Affogato

The development of this recipe went through several stages, one of them being an affogato; an Italian coffee-based dessert.

To make an affogato, simply omit the espresso powder from the ice cream recipe and serve a scoop of the ANGOSTURA® flavoured ice cream with a shot of hot espresso poured over the top.

Top down image of a scoop of coffee ice cream in an espresso cup.

About ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters

ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters began in the town Angostura, Venezuela, in 1824 when founder Dr Johann Siegert created a medicinal tincture for soldier’s stomach ailments. By the 1870s, these aromatic bitters had become an integral ingredient in cocktails and food.

In 2007, ANGOSTURA® orange bitters were created, and this was closely followed by ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters.

In addition to being an integral component of your favourite cocktail, each of these aromatic bitters blends are versatile culinary ingredients. They will intensify the flavour of other ingredients so you can use them to add a layer of complexity to your favourite savoury and sweet dishes.

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