How to Make Homemade Cappuccino
Most people think that high-quality cappuccino is hard to brew. At least, the hype around Starbucks’ and McCafé’s brews is enough to make one believe so.
But here’s the truth of the matter: Anybody can make a delectable, buds-appealing barista-level cappuccino in the comfort of their home. Yes, even if you’ve never tried your hands at making any beverage before.
All you need to get started is a handful of tools and a cappuccino recipe. Of course, you also need a well-detailed guide like the one below written by the bartender from Coffee Holli!
What You Should Know Before Making Cappuccino
At a glance, a Cappuccino is a combination of steamed milk, milk foam, and espresso. It is identical to a latte caffé, except for the difference in their steamed milk/espresso proportion.
A latte is ⅓ espresso and ⅔ steamed milk, while a cappuccino has an equal ⅓ amount of espresso, foam, and steamed milk. But the good thing about cappuccino is that it is easier to brew perfectly at home than a latte coffee.
Everything You Need to Make Cappuccino
First on the list is Espresso! To be clear, an Espresso is finely ground coffee beans steamed in water. And to make an Espresso, you’ll need:
- Espresso roast coffee for a fine, dark flavor.
- Espresso machine or a small manual espresso maker to get the job done.
Next on the Cappuccino ingredient list is milk. You should use fresh, and possibly whole milk to get the best froth (because whole milk has large fat content). But if you’re a vegan, I’ll recommend a non-dairy such as oat milk!
With that out of the way, below is a proven process for making delicious cappuccinos at home.
Step 1: Steaming Your Milk in an Espresso Machine
To make your cappuccino, you need steamed milk or frothed milk. If you have an espresso machine, you can easily steam your milk in it in two steps:
- Hold the steaming wand below the milk’s surface till it expands in size.
- Lower the wand a bit till the milk reaches 150°F.
But if you don’t have an espresso machine, the only option you have is to froth your milk as explained below.
Alternative Step: Frothing Your Milk
There are three ways to froth milk. You can either use a simple handheld milk frother, french press, or a whisk. Whichever you’ve got, I have explained how to froth milk using any of these three tools:
Frothing With Handheld Milk Frother
- Heat your milk to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
- After heating, place the milk in a tall container. Hold the container firmly, and turn on the frother.
- Move the frother up and down till foamy bubbles pop. This should take about 20 seconds.
- Tap at the container to pop large bubbles. There you have four frothed milk.
Frothing With a French press
- Working with a french press is not as easy as a frother, but a french press adds more foam to your milk.
- After heating 1 cup of milk, add it to the French press. Then pump for about 30 seconds till foamy bubbles form. Use a short plunge to pump.
- Pour the milk into a pitcher and tap it on the counter to pop out large bubbles.
- Your frothed milk is ready.
Using a Whisk
- This process is not as easy as the other methods. Asides from the rigor, you may wind up with less foam.
- Anyway, the task here is to whisk your milk after heating, till it forms bubbles.
- Then pour it into a pitcher and tap it gently to break large bubbles. Done.
With your milk ready, it’s time to whip that delicious cappuccino.
Step 2: Making your Homemade Cappuccino
Sure you’re pumped up for the fun part. Let’s get started.
- Make about two shots of espresso using an espresso machine, espresso maker, or Aeropress. Afterward, pour it into a mug and steam or froth.
- You can either use your steamed milk from the machine or the frothed milk. You can check the guide above to do this.
- Then pour the frothed milk into the espresso. Mix slightly, and there you have a perfect cappuccino. You can use a latte cup to hold a good amount.
Conclusion
Following this routine every morning will save you the costs of frequent café visits. You can always whip yourself a cup of cappuccino anytime, any day. In the meantime, you can open this post to get my sandwich recipe.