Butter

Andrew Chau & Bin Chen's Japanese Coffee Cola

by:
April 12, 2021
4.8
4 Ratings
Photo by Christopher Testani
  • Prep time 6 minutes
  • Cook time 1 minute
  • Makes 1 glass and enough topping for 6 to 8 servings
Author Notes

This recipe is based on one of our favorite drinks in Japan, the espresso Coke from Coffee Elementary School in Tokyo introduced to us by one of our dear friends—and culture king—Eugene Hu. The combination of coffee and cola has been around for awhile in Japan (coffee is an actual flavor of Coca-Cola there, like how we have Cherry Coke in the U.S.). It's acidic and sweet and effervescent, but has that coffee flavor complexity and extra kick. And then you get that smooth mouthfeel from the buttercream topping, which is our twist. It's like an American Coke Float. かんぱい Kanpai!

Reprinted from The Boba Book. Copyright © 2020 by Andrew Chau and Bin Chen. Photographs copyright © 2020 by Christopher Testani. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.Food52

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Ingredients
  • Japanese Coffee Cola
  • 5 ounces (by weight) ice cubes
  • 1/4 cup cold brew coffee
  • 1 cup cola, preferably one made with cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup Salted Buttercream Topping (recipe follows)
  • Salted Buttercream Topping
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon salted butter
  • 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
Directions
  1. Japanese Coffee Cola
  2. Fill a glass with the ice and add the cold brew. Slowly pour the cola over the ice. Top with the buttercream topping. Mix before drinking.
  1. Salted Buttercream Topping
  2. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the heavy cream and attach the whisk attachment. Start the mixer on medium-low speed.
  3. While the cream is whipping, melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave; it shouldn’t take more than 20 or 30 seconds, maybe less. Once the butter is melted, thoroughly combine it with the condensed milk.
  4. Continue whipping the cream, gradually increasing the speed to medium-high. Whip until the cream thickens and ripples start forming. Turn the mixer speed back down to medium-low and slowly add the condensed milk mixture.
  5. Continue mixing until the condensed milk is no longer visible, and stop the mixer when soft peaks form. In other words, it will look like whipped cream, but it will be soft, not stiff and fluffy. (Be sure to not overwhip it.)
  6. Store the topping in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

3 Reviews

neverblue7 August 16, 2021
I made it as written and it was delicious and refreshing. It's VERY hard to not suck it down super fast and give yourself a sugar high. If you, like me, never drink Coke, this is a worthy exception.
FrugalCat May 18, 2020
Blue Sky is a good cane sugar soda brand. The cola is caffeine free as well.
mdelgatty August 7, 2020
Isn't the caffeine the whole point of this concoction?