Why it works: Coffee and chocolate are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,497 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells buttery, creamy. The science ↓
Mocha Polka
Ingredients
Directions
Make the drink
Put coffee or instant coffee and cold water in a blender.
Add ice cream, flavoring and salt.
Serve
Top each glass with a dab of prepared whipped topping and sprinkling of nutmeg or grated chocolate.
Serve at once.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Ice Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Rum | 1/2 oz (15ml) | 32 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Coffee | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Coffee + chocolatetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,497 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (buttery, creamy).
-
Chocolate + rumtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together286 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
-
Coffee + rumtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together138 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Rum + nutmegtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together646 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
-
Chocolate + creamtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,466 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Coffee
- Provides the main coffee flavor and bitterness that balances the sweetness.
- Chocolate ice cream
- Supplies sweetness, fat and creaminess, and chills the drink as it blends.
- Rum or almond extract
- Adds an aroma that rounds out the chocolate and coffee flavors.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coffee, chocolate, cream, rum):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegthe original
- Peppermintfits about as well
- Gingerfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against coffee, chocolate, cream, rum. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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