When temperatures rise, even enjoying a nice cup of coffee can become prohibitive. In Sicily, they know this well, which is why there’s no bar that doesn’t offer a delicious coffee granita with whipped cream, to enjoy simply with a spoon or to use for filling the famous brioche col tuppo. For those who want to enjoy an excellent homemade coffee granita – with or without an ice cream maker – here’s the perfect recipe to prepare it perfectly. With just a few simple ingredients – coffee, water, sugar, and whipped cream – you’ll have a refreshing and delicious dessert, also great at the end of a meal. If you have an ice cream maker, preparing Sicilian granita will be very quick: just put the ingredients in the ice cream maker, and in 10-15 minutes, the dessert will be ready to enjoy. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can follow 2 alternative methods, one quicker and one a bit more laborious but with a result more similar to the original: I’ll explain everything in the recipe!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 3 People
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 448.39 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 47.70 (g) of which sugars 28.34 (g)
- Proteins 7.53 (g)
- Fat 20.51 (g) of which saturated 0.03 (g)of which unsaturated 0.02 (g)
- Fibers 27.72 (g)
- Sodium 3.70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 3 glasses of coffee granita with whipped cream
If you are celiac, check that the vanilla powdered sugar and cocoa are labeled “gluten-free”.
- 200 ml coffee
- 1 cup water
- 2.5 oz sugar
- 1/3 cup fresh liquid cream
- to taste vanilla powdered sugar (1 level tablespoon, but the quantity varies according to taste)
- 1 pinch unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
Tools
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Moka
- 1 Ice Cream Maker
- 1 Bowl
- Electric Whisks
How to prepare Sicilian coffee granita with whipped cream
To prepare the coffee granita, whether you use an ice cream maker or make it by hand, it’s necessary to make a syrup of water and sugar and mix it with the coffee. This mixture must cool well in the refrigerator, so the best thing would be to prepare it the night before.
Start by putting water and sugar in a small pot (1). Turn on the heat and bring to a boil (2). From that moment, let it simmer for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Meanwhile, prepare some not too strong coffees: if you have the moka, you can regulate by putting a little less powder, or if you use an espresso machine, you can use the long coffee button, or mix some short coffees with some long coffees. The important thing is that in the end, you obtain 200 ml of coffee. Add it to the water and sugar syrup and mix well (3).
Now it’s necessary to cool this mixture well for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator. As mentioned, if you plan in advance to prepare the coffee granita, you can make the mixture even the day before. Once cold, pour it into the ice cream maker (4). Let it run for 10-15 minutes (the time varies significantly based on the power of the ice cream maker and the temperature of the mixture) until the mixture has formed small ice crystals (5-6).
In the meantime, put the cream – which should be very cold, just taken from the refrigerator – in a bowl and add the powdered sugar. Whisk it with the electric whisks until you obtain a firm mixture. With a spoon, distribute the coffee granita in glasses and garnish it with the whipped cream. If you like, you can decorate it with a sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa.
To prepare the coffee granita without an ice cream maker, you have 2 options: the one that allows you to get a better result involves pouring the water, sugar, and coffee mixture prepared as described before into a container wide enough, preferably in steel, and putting it in the freezer for 40 minutes. Subsequently, with a spoon, break the ice crystals and mix everything briefly, trying to incorporate some air; then put the granita back in the freezer and repeat this operation 3 or 4 times every 30 minutes until you get the desired consistency.
The quickest method involves, after preparing the water, sugar, and coffee mixture, pouring the mixture into not too small ice molds. Let them freeze completely, then, shortly before enjoying the dessert, blend them for a few seconds until you get a fine and homogeneous ice mixture.
How to store coffee granita
You can store coffee granita in the freezer for several weeks, although it will naturally tend to freeze completely. The most practical thing is to freeze it directly in glass or plastic glasses so that you already have single servings, which you will take out of the freezer 15 minutes before enjoying the dessert. The whipped cream should be added just before serving.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I use sweetener instead of sugar?
Yes, in the proportions indicated on the sweetener packaging itself. In this case, it’s not necessary to prepare the syrup on the stove, but just mix coffee, water, and sweetener.
Can I use decaffeinated coffee?
Of course, in the same quantities.
