Hot chocolate: make it with cocoa powder or chocolate

There are two routes to a cup of hot chocolate: the light one with cocoa powder, and the richer one with real chocolate. Some days you'll want something reminiscent of hot milk with a chocolate flavour, other days you'll want something thick that you could almost eat with a spoon. Here you'll get both methods, without fixed quantities, as the right amount of sugar and chocolate depends entirely on your taste and on how dark the chocolate is.

You'll also get a look at what sets cocoa apart from hot chocolate, how whipped cream comes into play, and how the drink is served in different places around the world.

The short answer: here's how to make hot chocolate

Hot chocolate is a hot drink made from cocoa powder or melted chocolate and hot milk or water, usually sweetened with sugar. The simplest version is made by stirring cocoa powder and sugar into hot milk until smooth. If you want a thicker and less sweet version, you instead use chopped dark, semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, which melts directly in the milk. Both versions are often topped with whipped cream, marshmallows or both.

The difference between cocoa and hot chocolate

Cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans, with much of the cocoa butter removed. This makes the powder easy to stir in, and the drink becomes relatively thin and easy to adjust in sweetness. Hot chocolate, on the other hand, is made directly from a chocolate bar, which besides cocoa also contains sugar and cocoa butter. That cocoa butter is the big difference: it gives hot chocolate a thicker consistency and a less sweet taste, even though there's already sugar in the chocolate.

In other words, the choice between cocoa and hot chocolate comes down to how thick and how sweet you want your drink, and whether you prefer to start with powder or with a chocolate bar.

How to make hot chocolate with cocoa powder

There are no fixed quantities here, as it depends on how strong a cocoa flavour you want, and how sweet you like it. The principle is simple:

• Heat milk or water, without letting it boil.
• Stir cocoa powder into a little of the hot milk or water, until completely smooth with no lumps.
• Add the rest of the hot milk a little at a time, while stirring.
• Add sugar to taste, and adjust to your liking. Cocoa can also be made completely unsweetened.

Stir well as you pour in the milk, so the powder doesn't clump at the bottom of the cup or pan.

How to make hot chocolate from a chocolate bar

Hot chocolate isn't made from powder, but from the bar itself. Grate or chop the chocolate into small pieces so it melts faster and more evenly in the milk.

• Choose a dark, semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, depending on how sweet you want the drink.
• Heat the milk, and stir in the chopped chocolate pieces, a little at a time.
• Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the drink is smooth.
• Add sugar to taste as needed. Dark chocolate often needs a little extra sweetness.

If you want the really thick version known from Spain and Italy, you can thicken the drink with, for example, cornflour, so it comes close to a thin chocolate pudding in consistency.

Whipped cream and other toppings

Whipped cream is stiff foam whisked from cream with a fat content high enough to hold its shape. In Denmark, you need whipping cream with 38 per cent fat. Cooking cream and coffee cream can't be whipped into whipped cream, so it's worth checking the label before you start. When the cream is whisked, the volume roughly doubles, so you get more foam than the amount of cream would suggest.

Whipped cream on hot cocoa isn't just decoration. It also acts as insulation, keeping the heat a little longer, while adding flavour and a softer transition between the hot drink and your mouth. Marshmallows are another classic topping, either on their own or together with whipped cream.

In Belgium, you sometimes find a different version at cafés: a cup of hot milk is served alongside a small bowl of chocolate pieces, so you stir the chocolate into the milk yourself at the table.

Variations and history: from the Mayans to Europe

The chocolate drink goes a long way back. The Maya are credited with creating the first chocolate drink over 2,000 years ago. Back then, it was spiced with chilli, but when Europeans took over the recipe, they added sugar instead to remove the bitterness and replaced the chilli with vanilla, cinnamon and other spices.

In 1828, the Dutchman Coenraad Johannes van Houten developed the first machine that could separate cocoa butter from cocoa beans. That gave us the cocoa powder we know today, which is far easier to stir into milk or water than raw, grated chocolate.

Around the world, the tradition lives on in different ways. In Spain, hot chocolate is served with churros as a classic breakfast, often in a thick version reminiscent of chocolate pudding. In Mexico, hot chocolate is traditionally made with semi-sweet chocolate, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla. In Germany, hot chocolate is often served with a generous layer of whipped cream, while the Belgian version with milk and chocolate pieces on the side lets you decide the strength yourself.

Around the world, hot chocolate is served with different traditions and accompaniments.

Serving: cups, mugs and a little jug for milk

Hot cocoa can be served in anything from a small cup to a large mug, depending on whether it's a quick afternoon treat or something you want to sit with for a long time under a blanket. If you want to know when you're best off choosing a mug over a cup, you can read more in The difference between a mug and a cup, the short guide.

Sometimes it's the cup itself that sets the mood. A dachshund cup can bring a smile to guests' faces, while a set of fish cups in stoneware is ideal if several of you are having hot cocoa at the same time. If you want to serve extra milk on the side so everyone can adjust their own cup, a small jug is handy to have on the table.

If you want to learn more about ceramics as a material for hot drinks in general, you can check out Ceramic cups: from morning coffee to cosy moments.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between cocoa and hot chocolate?

Cocoa is made from cocoa powder, where most of the cocoa butter has been removed, while hot chocolate is made directly from bar chocolate with cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter. That makes hot chocolate thicker and less sweet than cocoa.

How do you make hot cocoa with cocoa powder?

Stir cocoa powder into a little hot milk or water until smooth, add the rest of the liquid, and sweeten with sugar as needed.

How do you make hot chocolate from a bar of chocolate?

Grate or chop dark, semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate into small pieces, and stir it into hot milk until the chocolate has melted and the drink is smooth.

How do you make hot cocoa thick?

In Spain and Italy, hot chocolate is sometimes thickened with, for example, cornflour, giving it a thicker consistency that can resemble a thin chocolate pudding.

Which cream should you use for whipped cream?

Use whipping cream with 38 per cent fat. Cooking cream and coffee cream can't be whipped into whipped cream.

What can you put on hot cocoa?

Whipped cream and marshmallows are the classic toppings, either on their own or together.

Summary

Hot cocoa can be made simply with cocoa powder, milk and sugar to taste, or more richly with chopped chocolate that melts straight into the milk. Whipped cream adds both warmth and flavour, and with the right cup or mug, the hot drink becomes a cosy moment, whether you follow the German, Spanish or Mexican tradition.

Read also

• The difference between a mug and a cup, the short guide
• Ceramic cups: from morning coffee to cosy moments
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• How do you remove coffee and tea stains from cups?
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