In a recent black hole of watching food videos on YouTube the algorithm served me something called ‘MAGIC Coffee Whipped Cream - 3 ingredients, no dairy, no eggs in 3 minutes?’. Curious, I watched on.
The video showcased two ingredients: instant coffee granules and sugar. The show host Emma added icy water and whisked briskly for a few patient minutes until a light, silky and super-stable whipped topping emerged.
I watched in amazement as the video delivered on its promise, and after ducking off to the store for a jar of instant coffee powder, it was time to try my hand.
A few quick measurements and mere minutes of whipping later, I can confirm this cheap, easy, dairy-free whipped topping is just as fun as it sounds.
You can use it pretty much anywhere you’d put whipped cream on a dessert or to top a drink, as long as the flavours pair well with coffee. It’s dairy-free, so great for vegan or lactose-intolerant friends and can be made using stuff you’ve probably already got in the pantry.
Just like a firm meringue. Source: Camellia Aebischer
Making it was really easy, just combine instant coffee powder, caster sugar and iced water in a ratio of 1:10:8
Making it was really easy, just combine instant coffee powder, caster sugar and iced water in a ratio of 1:10:8 e.g. 10g coffee powder, 100g sugar, 80g icy water (I doubled it and made a stressfully large amount). Just make sure you measure the coffee powder in grams not millilitres.
Then, start whipping on medium speed. I used some old faithful decades-old electronic egg beaters and they worked a treat, but a stand mixer works great too if you’ve got one.
It took around 5 minutes for the whip to come together and it’s pretty much just like beating eggwhites as the bubbles started forming almost as soon as I began whisking.
A minute in and the story seemed to be checking out. Source: Camellia Aebischer
You can control the level of whip you want from soft, to stiff peak depending on how long you beat the mixture for. Once it gets to stiff peak form it holds its shape really well; even after half an hour of sitting on the benchtop it was still firmly holding its shape.
So, there you have it. Instant coffee “whipped cream”. I wish I could explain why this happened, but it’s a level of food science beyond my knowledge, as instant coffee doesn’t seem to contain any protein or emulsifiers. All that’s left to do is enjoy the delicious mystery.
The taste and texture can be described as un-cooked coffee meringue. Source: Camellia Aebischer
Next time I’ll sub out a splash of water with some almond essence - maybe even a little liqueur. Some pairing suggestions include: with a slice of chocolate cake, on top of ice cream, adorning a pavlova, as cupcake icing or dolloped on an hot or iced mocha.
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