Café Trinidad Coffee Ice Cream

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 was created in collaboration with ANGOSTURA® bitters, but all thoughts and opinions are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.

What is a Café Trinidad cocktail?

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. The mixture 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!

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 serious coffee punch, with the aromatics from the ANGOSTURA® bitters taking it to the next level. It’s very much one for coffee fans!

ANGOSTURA® Cocoa Bitters

Using the world’s finest Trinitario cocoa beans from Trinidad and Tobago and 200 years of unparalleled bitters expertise, ANGOSTURA® has 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 for remixing classic cocktails and putting a luxurious spin on any recipe, from savoury main dishes to indulgent sweet desserts. 

ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters pair perfectly with sweet vermouth or aged spirits such as whiskey, rum, cognac, and tequila. They can also 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 my Amazon Shop.

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.

You’ll need…

(Jump to the full printable recipe)

How to make it…

1. Place 300 ml full-fat milk, 100 grams demerara sugar and 2 tbsp 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.
2. Meanwhile, whisk 3 free-range egg yolks in a mixing bowl until they reach the ribbon stage.
3. While whisking, pour the hot milky coffee over the egg yolks.
4. 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.
5. Add 1 tbsp ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters and 1 tsp ANGOSTURA® orange bitters to 300 ml double cream, and chill along with the custard mixture for at least four hours.
6. Combine the coffee custard and flavoured cream and churn in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze until solid.

Tips for making this ice cream

• Make sure the coffee custard mixture is as chilled as possible. 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 low heat, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of the spoon. When it’s ready, a finger drawn down the back will leave a trail through the custard.
• 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.

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.

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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