Granita di Caffè con Crema al Frangelico
Granita is a semi-frozen dessert made with very simple ingredients: water, sugar and various flavourings.
It originates from Sicily & is great to eat on a hot day or as a refreshing dessert after any meal.
I have made mine with coffee and, in some parts of Sicily, this granita is eaten in the hot summer mornings with a sugary bun instead of the usual coffee ☕️
What a great way to start the day & still get that coffee hit!
I’ve added an extra twist by serving it with mascarpone cheese, a hint of Frangelico liqueur and homemade chocolate-covered coffee beans on top. Frangelico is a hazelnut (noisette) liqueur from the Piedmont region of northern Italy, flavoured with herbs. The Frangelico and mascarpone are a perfect pairing for the coffee granita.
It’s a really refreshing, melt-in-the-mouth icy treat – like a delicious, ice-cold tiramisu.
Mangia, mangia! 👩🏻🍳
Granita di Caffè con Crema al Frangelico recipe:
500ml freshly brewed espresso coffee
100g caster sugar
To serve:
100g Mascarpone cheese flavoured with Frangelico liqueur (about 2 tbsps of the liqueur)
Homemade chocolate covered coffee beans
Serves 4
1. Put a shallow tray in the freezer. The one I used was 21 x 21cm.
2. Either make your coffee in a espresso coffee maker or cafetière.
3. Pour coffee in a pan & stir in the sugar until completely dissolved.
4. Pour the coffee mixture into the tray and freeze for up to 2 hours until you can see ice crystals forming. Using a fork start to break up the crystals from the edge within the liquid then return to the freezer. Note - all freezers are different so even though mine took about 2 hours to form the initial crystals, in your freezer it may take more or less time.
5. Repeat step 4 every 30 minutes until only coffee crystals are left & there is no more liquid. Note - could take up to 5-6 times to achieve this or longer. The colour of the granita will also be lighter when it’s ready.
6. Transfer the granita to a container & pop in the freezer until you are ready to serve.
7. Serve in glasses or glass dishes topped with the cream & a few chocolate coffee beans.
