Inspired by café de olla, this recipe turns spiced black coffee into a chilled granita that serves four. Brewed coffee is simmered with a cinnamon stick, cloves and dark brown sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes fragrant. The spiced coffee is cooled, strained, and frozen in a shallow container. The mixture is scraped with a fork every 20–60 minutes over several cycles to create flaky ice crystals. Double cream is lightly whipped with a pinch of flaky sea salt and spooned atop each serving. Total active cook time is about 15 minutes with at least 2.5 hours of freezing.
A low-effort dessert inspired by cafe de olla, which is a drink I consumed daily while on holiday in Oaxaca, Mexico. It's a black coffee gently spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and sweetened with piloncillo (an unrefined sugar). Here, I've turned it into something refreshing for summer, using dark brown sugar instead, not least because it's easier to find. I can never resist a post-dinner coffee, and this scratches both that caffeine and sugar itch.
Spiced coffee granita with whipped cream Prep 5 min Cook 15 min, plus cooling Freeze 2 hr 30 min+ Serves 4 500ml freshly brewed coffee, or espresso 1 stick cinnamon 3 cloves 75g dark brown sugar 120ml double cream Pinch of flaky sea salt Pour the coffee into a small pan, add the cinnamon, cloves and sugar and heat gently until it comes to a simmer. Leave to simmer for five minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts smelling fragrant.
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