Black Forest hot chocolate

A few winters ago on a particularly miserable day, I escaped to a Costa coffee-shop looking for something to improve my afternoon. One glance at the Christmas specials and I was sold. Cherry syrup, chocolate, whipped cream…what’s not to love about Black Forest anything? 

It’s been a few years since then but I have yet to try a hot chocolate that beats this one. I’ve finally got round to recreating it at home and it’s far too good not to share. Not an exact replica of Costa’s ofcourse, but equally delicious. Best thing is, you won’t need to fork out on expensive branded syrups because this is 100% homemade.

Give it a go! If you’re not tempted by the photo, I seriously admire your willpower.

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PER CUP OF HOT CHOCOLATE:
3-4 tsp Green & Black’s hot chocolate powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
2 tsp Black Forest syrup (recipe below)
A square of chocolate for decoration

FOR THE BLACK FOREST SYRUP:
500g frozen mixed fruit (equal parts cherries, blackberries, red grapes and blackcurrants)
3 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
A pinch of sea salt
2 tsp corn starch
1/4 cup water

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First make the syrup. I used a box of frozen Black Forest fruit from Sainsbury’s… going frozen saves you the bother of stoning cherries but you could definitely use fresh fruit if you prefer! Combine the fruit, lemon juice, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.

When the mixture starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for five minutes.

Mix together the cornstarch and water in a cup until there are no lumps.

Add this to the saucepan, mix well and cook for ten more minutes. The fruit will soften and break down, creating a nice jammy syrup.

Take the syrup off the heat and strain it into a jug using a fine sieve. This will get rid of all the grainy blackberry pips.

Next, whip the cream in a clean dry bowl and heat your milk in a saucepan or microwave till it’s steaming.

Mix in the chocolate powder, followed by a teaspoon or two of Black Forest syrup for that fruity flavour.

Pop a cloud of whipped cream on top and add another drizzle of syrup!

For the finishing touch to your Black Forest hot chocolate, run a knife down the side of a square of chocolate to make beautiful milk chocolate curls.

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And there you have it! A real crowd-pleaser for the festive season.