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“a sweet gift for your tongue that can warm your heart”
If you love a red velvet cake, you’re going to absolutely adore this sweet hot cocoa variation that’s very easy to prepare. If you have a sweet tooth, then this might be the perfect treat for whenever those sugar cravings kick in.
Let’s face it – we don’t always have one to three hours to make that delicious, creamy chocolate cake we saw on the cooking channel. I mean, it’s an amazing dessert idea for special occasions and when you’re expecting guests, but what’s a better alternative when it’s just you and you don’t have much time? I’ll tell you – red velvet hot cocoa!
I’m actually doing this little mug filled with pure happiness a little bit of an injustice, as it’s more than a cake alternative and it deserves to have a special spot in the dessert menu. It’s that good! You’re looking at a very dense, creamy drink with chocolate flavor and a hint of caramel, due to the maple syrup. Prepare yourself for the familiar mouthwatering taste of chocolate, yet with an untypical and uniquely delicious twist. The distinctive red color makes the whole experience even more special.
So, without further ado, let’s get our hands chocolaty! You won’t need more than 15 minutes in total, as the preparation time is no more than 5 minutes, and the whole cooking time no more than 10 minutes. The recipe below is for a single serving, but feel free to double or triple the ingredients for whenever you want to share a cup of hot cocoa with your friends and family.
Everything you’ll need to make this recipe, aside from the ingredients, is one big saucepan, one metal bowl (if you have a double boiler that’s even better), a hand mixer (or another alternative), and your favorite mug. Sounds pretty simple, right?
The first thing you need to do is boil water over high temperature on the stove. Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat on medium, and place a metal bowl on top. Keep in mind, the bottom of the metal bowl shouldn’t touch the water in the saucepan.
Next, crush the dark chocolate into small pieces and place them in the metal bowl. The smaller the pieces of chocolate are, the faster they’ll melt, but other than that it really doesn’t matter how you crush the chocolate. When you see that the chocolate is melting, start stirring and make sure there are no lumps.
While the chocolate melts start pouring the milk very slowly. Stir at all times. This is going to help you feel the consistency and stop before you make it too watery, especially if you like your cocoa more creamy. Usually, a glass of milk (250ml) is just enough for a cup of cocoa, but you might like it better with slightly less or more milk. It really depends on your personal preferences, so don’t be afraid to change the amount a little if you feel it’s right.
When the milk blends completely with the melted chocolate, add the maple syrup and the red food coloring. Continue to stir until the color is well-mixed. This usually takes a minute or two.
Turn the stove off, transfer the cocoa into a mug, and leave it aside while you make the white cream. You can always have your red velvet hot cocoa without anything, but I believe some whipped cream on top would really set it apart.
Mix together the cream, sugar, and almond extract in a big bowl. You can use a mixer, a whisk, or simply a spoon, as it’s not much and you’ll probably have even more control whipping it by hand. Once you have a stable cream, shape it over the mug of hot cocoa.
Finally, sprinkle with anything you can find at home, like chocolate chips, coconut flakes, biscuits, cherry, or anything else that sounds delicious.
| Prep | Cooking time | Total | Servings |
| 5 mins | 10 mins | 15 mins | 1 |
Ingredients
For The Hot Cocoa:
- 1 glass (250ml) milk (optional: plant-based)
- 60-70g dark chocolate
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 ½ tsp red food coloring
For the white cream on top:
- 4 tbsp whipped cream
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- ½ tsp almond extract
Instructions
- In a saucepan boil water over high heat. Turn to medium and place a metal bowl on top of it.
- Crush the chocolate into small pieces and add them to the metal bowl. Stir while they melt.
- Slowly pour the milk into the melted chocolate. Stir well.
- Mix in the red food coloring and maple syrup. Stir for one-two more minutes, then remove from heat. Transfer the hot cocoa to a mug.
- Whip the cream together with the powdered sugar. Add the almond extract while whipping.
- Add and shape the whipped cream over the hot chocolate.
Enjoy your delicious treat!
