The aroma of freshly ground coffee filtered through the evening air and blended with the rich scent of cocoa. It was a tasteful match as the two were married off together. No one ever expected the union of the two ingredients, so unique and individualistic, to go off so well.
Ice cream giants Magnum recently launched their fourth flavour – ‘Magnum Choco Cappuccino’. Made from a combination of coffee and chocolate, the dessert is a hunk of vanilla ice cream infused with swirls of smooth cappuccino sauce, covered in thick crackling Belgian chocolate and coated with sweet crunchy pieces of caramel that give it a distinctive ‘crack’.
Celebrated pastry chef Janice Wong and barista coach and coffee guru Fritz Storm gave their blessings to the marriage. They also took a ‘Magnum Masterclass’ and combined their talents to whip up delicious desserts and brews.
Janice, who owns a dessert bar in Singapore called ‘2am: Dessert Bar’, is popular for artful use of chocolate. She calls chocolate a “sinful” ingredient. She began the masterclass by demonstrating how chocolate can be whipped up in minutes to make various dishes. Into her desserts, she infused spices, chillies, dried flowers, bases and more. The first dessert she made was the ‘Magnum Choco Cappuccino with Chocolate Water Mousse’.
Her act was followed by Fritz, a ‘World Barista Champion’, who showed the audience how to make an espresso. According to him, most baristas don’t know how to make good espressos because they don’t maintain their coffee machines or don’t have fresh coffee powder.
Fritz also made a ‘mocha martini’ with fresh, foamy espresso, champagne and blackcurrant extract.
Janice made spicy chilli chocolate mousse. She also took the audience through a journey of different kinds of chocolates – white, Belgian and dark.
In their last act, the two combined their specialities to work on a drink that was sunk in chocolate and filled with coffee. Janice said, “Chocolate and ice cream is a match made in heaven. It’s literally a sweet salvation that teases your senses.”