During the early weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown, social media blew up with photos and recipes for a new way to make sweet, frothy, luscious iced coffee. Being a coffee-lover, I immediately looked up the recipe. The method is so simple, the presentation so impressive, and the taste so delightful, it’s hard not to get addicted.
The origins of the coffee drink is widely disputed, as relayed in this article. Whether it originated in South Korea, Macau, India, or in Martha Stewart’s kitchen, is irrelevant. Names for the concoction abound, with the Koreans calling it “Dalgona Coffee” for it’s sweet candy-like taste, while others call it whipped coffee, hand-beaten coffee, “Indian cappuccino,” and other derivatives. I have adopted the name “Cloud Coffee” because the technique creates a creamy froth that is light as a cloud.
Cloud coffee is so simple, it would be hard to go wrong. All you do is whip together equal parts instant coffee, granulated sugar, and water. So, for one cup/glass of cloud coffee you begin with:
- 1 tbl instant coffee granules (regular or decaffinated)
- 1 tbl granulated sugar
- 1 tbl ice-cold water
It’s quite possible to whisk the cloud coffee ingredients by hand, but it’s rather time consuming. A hand-mixer or an immersion blender with a whisk attachment makes the job much quicker and easier. Just whisk, blend or beat the cloud ingredients until thick and frothy. (I use a whisk attached to my immersion blender—never fails.)
Once you have a cloud of sweet coffee froth, you’ll want to add it to a cup/glass filled half-way with ice-cold milk. Most recipes call for the addition of ice to the milk, but I’ve found if you use ice-water to make the coffee cloud, you don’t need ice in the cup/glass. (I think the ice waters-down the milk, reducing the creaminess.) Another technique, which I prefer, is to add the coffee cloud to the cup/glass first, then pour the milk over.
As the coffee cloud begins to naturally dissolve, it mixes with the milk for a creamy, delicious treat.
Variations to a Theme
Add one (or more) of these to the cloud ingredients before whipping:
- 1/2 tsp cocoa to the cloud ingredients to make a cloud mocha. You might need to add a bit more sugar when adding cocoa.
- 1/2 tsp of chai spice–gives it a very “harvest spice” kind of vibe.
- 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract (or other extract of your choice).
Mix a jigger of your favorite liqueur or liquor to the milk.
Use half-and-half or heavy cream instead of milk. Many more calories, but oh my, so creamy and delicious!
Sugar-Free, Low Carb Alternative
Those who watch their sugar and carbs don’t have to miss out on this tasty treat. Instead of sugar, use twice as much powdered sugar substitute. I’ve used both powdered stevia and powdered Splenda (sucralose) and of the two, Splenda is the best fit for this recipe. You could try a monkfruit sweetener also, but I haven’t experimented with that one. So here’s the recipe for a sugar-free alternative:
- 1 tbl instant coffee
- 2 tbl Splenda (or powdered stevia)
- 1 tbl water
Add over or on top of milk. Those following a keto lifestyle can get away with using heavy cream for fewer carbs than milk, but again, the calories rise with the extra fat of the heavy cream.
So, let me know in the comments what you think of cloud coffee.