How to Make the Viral Donut Coffee? What Steps Are Needed for Homemade Donut Latte?

Two winters ago, a "donut latte" from South Korea went viral online, catching the attention of many coffee enthusiasts with its high visual appeal and atmosphere, inspiring many advanced versions. Since then, whenever the temperature drops, this milk coffee, hailed as the "winter special drink," gets rediscovered and reappears on social media platforms.

While browsing online these past couple of days, FrontStreet Coffee came across a relevant tutorial and discovered that the preparation method isn't too complicated. Today, let's recreate a cup and see how it actually tastes!

Ingredient Preparation

From a structural perspective, this donut latte mainly consists of two parts: hot milk coffee + cocoa-flavored milk foam topping.

Since the lower half of the entire drink is any type of hot milk coffee, there aren't strict proportional requirements. Friends who prefer a balanced taste can make it as a large latte; those who lean toward a stronger coffee flavor can use cappuccino proportions. The base preferably uses espresso but can also be replaced with moka pot coffee, as long as it's sufficiently concentrated.

The top part that bulges like a donut is made from whipped fluffy milk foam sprinkled with chocolate powder, while the middle white concave section is formed by pouring in heavy cream. Additionally, considering that both heavy cream and milk lack sweetness and can become overwhelming when consumed directly, you can add a small amount of syrup and salt while whipping to balance the flavors. Those with access to ingredients can also replace them with flavored syrups and sea salt.

In summary, to make this donut latte, we need to prepare at least: espresso, milk, heavy cream, salt (sea salt), syrup, chocolate powder (cocoa powder), plus two auxiliary tools: a milk pitcher and a whisk.

Let's Start Making It

First, prepare a coffee cup with a capacity of 200ml, then make a cappuccino.

Here, FrontStreet Coffee is using the store's standard Sunflower Warm Sun blend. Today's parameters are 19.7g extracted for 31 seconds to yield 38g of double-shot coffee liquid, which is poured into the cup first. Next, pour 130ml of fresh milk into the pitcher (reducing the milk amount to reserve space for the foam topping), use the steam wand to create dense, thick foam, control the temperature between 55-60°C, then blend evenly with the espresso until the cup is 9/10 full. No latte art needed.

Second, gently sprinkle a layer of chocolate powder on the surface of the latte, making it as even as possible for better visual presentation.

Third, find a clean container and pour in 50g of heavy cream, 0.5g of salt, and 8g of syrup respectively (friends who don't like salty taste can reduce or omit the salt).

Then whisk until it reaches a yogurt-like consistency. FrontStreet Coffee took about 30 seconds for this step. Remember, you must keep the cream in a pourable state; otherwise, it might clump together at the end.

Fourth, after whipping the cream, quickly pour it into the center of the coffee. You'll see the surrounding foam gradually rise as the liquid is poured in. When the liquid level is about 1cm above the rim of the cup, the donut shape will successfully form.

First Taste

With the first sip, you can experience the fragrant fats and dense foam from the upper layer, accompanied by a slightly salty chocolate aroma, followed by the vanilla and cocoa flavors from the espresso. With the second sip, the proportion of sweet milk becomes more noticeable, and you can simultaneously feel the espresso, foam, and cream topping blending in your mouth, with more distinct coffee layers. (PS: When tasting this donut latte, the cocoa powder easily sticks to your teeth and lips. Remember to wipe your mouth after drinking, otherwise

Operational Details

1. To ensure the final product maintains both its high visual appeal and rich coffee flavor, FrontStreet Coffee tried three different milk proportions (130ml, 150ml, 180ml). We found that the less milk proportion used, the stronger the coffee flavor in the "donut latte," and the richer the texture from the salty cream topping. Therefore, you can decide the milk amount based on your own taste, which will determine the size of your coffee cup.

2. Since heavy cream has the best flowability immediately after whipping, it should be left for the final step and not whipped in advance. Otherwise, it might sit too long and cause the foam and liquid to separate. When pouring into the foam, it might break through the surface layer, creating an irregular landing point, resulting in a "donut" that isn't round.

3. From an operational perspective, this donut latte isn't complicated, but first attempts can easily result in coffee overflowing from the cup due to poor volume control. After multiple attempts, FrontStreet Coffee found that using cups with thicker walls provides better edge support to prevent foam overflow, thus increasing the success rate.

Finally, when "stacking the bulge," be careful not to get too greedy and make it too high. Once the foam layer is stretched too thin, it's easily broken by the milk, resulting in a messy spill. To be conservative, FrontStreet Coffee suggests controlling the bulge height to about 1cm, preferably not exceeding 1.5cm above the cup rim.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473