Mocaccino - how to prepare it at home

Mocaccino is a hot drink that falls somewhere between a caffè macchiato and a cappuccino, dressed up in a more indulgent guise with the addition of chocolate flavor.

Now widely known and spread throughout Italy, the mocaccino has ancient origins, claimed by various areas of Northern Italy. The most plausible seems to find its roots in Piedmont, in the Turin bicerin, which also is based on chocolate, milk, and coffee, three flavors that combine harmoniously and have thus been extensively explored in many proportions, giving rise to numerous tasty recipes.

Many times, the mocaccino is confused with the marocchino, its "close relative" that, however, does not include chocolate in the basic recipe.

I have already told you about the successful combination of coffee and milk, as well as the pairing of coffee and chocolate; in the mocaccino recipe, both combinations merge into a unique beverage that some make with a cocoa-based syrup, while others use dark chocolate. The version I've chosen to share with you is the most indulgent, namely the one with dark chocolate. All that's leg is for you to try it and serve it to your guests: they will be thrilled!

Mocaccino: The Recipe Ingredients for 4 people

• 4 espresso coffees

• 800 ml of whole fresh milk

• 100 g of dark chocolate

• sugar to taste

• unsweetened cocoa powder as needed

Procedure

1. Use a kitchen knife to chop the chocolate into flakes.

2. Heat 100 ml of milk in a saucepan with a thick bottom, remove from heat, and add the chocolate flakes. Stir with a spatula until completely melted.

3. Distribute the melted chocolate at the bottom of 4 glass cups. Using the steam jet of the espresso machine – or with a specific pitcher – heat and froth the milk to have a thick layer of foam. Distribute the frothed milk into the cups, taking care not to shake the contents in order to keep the layers visible.

4. Prepare the coffees. Sweeten them to taste and pour an espresso into each cup. Complete, if necessary, by adding more frothed milk. Dust with unsweetened cocoa – or, if you prefer, with a pinch of cinnamon – and serve immediately.

For those with a sweet tooth, I suggest finishing off with a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream and some flakes of dark chocolate.

Feeling lazy? No worries: at Botteghe del Caffè Dersut, you can find many delicious specialties made on the spot, like the mocaccino!