Cute 3D Cat Latte (milk foam latte art)

Have you ever come across those adorable pictures of 3D cat latte art that people share when they visit Japan? It’s fascinating how baristas in Tokyo’s cafes can skillfully create charming cat designs on the surface of a latte using milk foam.

The exciting news is that you can now learn to make your own jiggly wiggly 3D cat latte art right in your own kitchen, using simple equipment.

I successfully made it by using a handheld frother on my third attempt. Now I’m excited to share the step-by-step process with you. Within just 15 minutes, you’ll be able to create your own Japanese 3D cat latte, with these cute little kittens sitting on top of your coffee, melting your heart.

Now, it’s time to dive right in and bring the cats to life on the surface of your latte!

Equipment

• 1 microwave or saucepan (For heating up the milk)
• 1 food thermometer (Optional. Heat your milk between 140 – 155 ℉ (60-68 ℃) before frothing.）
• 3 glass cups (For frothing the milk; 12oz or larger.)
• 1 handheld milk frother
• 1 latte cup (10oz – 12oz)
• 2 spoons
• 1 espresso machine (Optional. You can use brew some strong coffee to substitute the espresso.)
• 2 toothpicks (Or bamboo sticks)

Ingredients

• 1½ cup of whole milk
• 2 shots of espresso (or strong brewed coffee)
• sweetener (optional, such as sugar or flavored syrup)
• chocolate syrup and/or strawberry syrup (for drawing details on 3d cat latte)

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Pour ½ cup of whole milk into a microwave-safe cup (cup A), microwave on 100% power for 1 minute. Or heat it on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium heat until the milk is hot but not boiling (140-155 ℉ / 60-68 ℃ ).

2. Froth the milk using a handheld milk frother. Submerge the frother’s whisk into the milk, switch it on. Keep the frother at an angle, allowing air to be incorporated into the milk. Continue frothing until the milk has a creamy and frothy consistency. For this cup of milk (cup A), we want it to expand to approximately 2.5 times its original volume to get dry milk foam.

3. Repeat the previous two steps with cup B of milk. So you will have 2 cups of dry milk foam (cup A and cup B) prepared and ready on your countertop. Allowing them to sit undisturbed for a few minutes will aid in achieving stable milk foam on the top layer.

4. Meanwhile, pour ½ cup of whole milk into cup C, heat up the milk to 140-155 ℉ / 60-68 ℃. Froth the milk in cup C until it expand to approximately 2 times its original volume to get wet milk foam.

5. Make 2 shots of espresso (or ½ cup of strong coffee) and pour it into a latte mug (10oz). Add sweetener of your choice, stir until well combined.

6. Pour the frothed milk in cup C slowly over the coffee in the mug, using a spoon to scoop the remaining foam in cup C to settle it on top of the latte. If the surface of the latte is not completely covered by the milk foam, take some foam from cup A or cup B and delicately spread it over the latte’s surface until the coffee’s color is no longer visible.

7. Using one spoon, scoop up half spoonful of milk foam from cup A or cup B, then gently scrape the foam off the spoon using another spoon, and place it onto the surface of the latte. Carefully shape the foam into a sphere. Repeat this step until the surface of the latte is filled with spherical milk foam.

8. Use a spoon to scoop up a small amount of milk foam from cup A or cup B, gently touch a spherical milk foam with the milk foam in the spoon to make ears for the cats.

9. Fill a bowl with hot water, place two sauce dishes with chocolate syrup and strawberry syrup into the bowl filled with hot water. Ensure that the water level is below the rim of the sauce container to prevent any water from getting into the sauce. Stir each syrup with a toothpick to promote even heating. Once the syrups are warmed, use a toothpick to dip a small amount of sauce at a time and use it to draw facial features for the cats.

10. Serve the cat latte art immediately and enjoy!

Read these tips if you want to succeed on your first attempt:

1. Heat up the milk before frothing

In this recipe, we will be frothing three glasses of milk. It’s crucial to ensure that each glass of milk is heated to a temperature of 140-155 ℉ / 60-68 ℃ just before frothing. This step is essential because warmer milk promotes the creation of more stable foam and enables better air incorporation during the frothing process. By heating the milk to the appropriate temperature, we enhance the frothing results and achieve a creamy and stable foam.

To heat up the milk, you can pour ½ cup of milk into each glass, and microwave each glass of milk on 100% for 1 minute right before frothing. Or you can heat the milk on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium heat until the milk is hot but not boiling.

Boiled milk tends to have a different consistency and may produce a denser foam that is not as light and frothy as desired for latte art. Therefore make sure you don’t bring the milk to a boil when you heat it up.

It would be better if you could use a food thermometer to monitor the milk’s temperature. If not, you can observe the milk closely as you heat it. When it reaches the desired temperature, you should see small bubbles forming around the edges of the milk and steam rising gently from the surface.

2. Warm up the syrup

In this recipe, we will use chocolate and strawberry syrups to create facial features for the cats. During my initial attempt, I used the syrups directly from the refrigerator. Unfortunately, the cold syrup caused the cat milk foam to collapse almost immediately upon application.

When cold syrup comes into contact with the warm milk foam, the temperature difference causes the air bubbles in the foam to contract rapidly, leading to a loss of volume and stability. This sudden change in temperature disrupts the structure of the foam, causing it to collapse or deflate.

To prevent the milk foam from collapsing, for my second attempt, I opted to warm up the syrups using a hot water bath. By matching the temperature of the syrup to the milk foam, you can minimize the temperature shock and help maintain the stability and structure of the foam. As anticipated, the cat milk foam remained intact for a longer duration after I applied the warmed syrup.

3. Why did I froth 3 cups of milk?

Because we need A LOT of milk form in this recipe! Specifically, I’d recommend you to prepare 1½ cup of whole milk, and pour ½ cup into each glass, froth two glasses of milk into dry milk foam, while froth the remaining glass to wet milk foam.

Dry milk foam, also known as stiff foam or cappuccino foam, has a dense and velvety texture. It is created by incorporating a higher amount of air into the milk during the frothing process. The foam is characterized by small, compact bubbles that hold their shape well. Dry foam is ideal for creating latte art due to its stability and ability to hold intricate designs.

Wet milk foam, also known as soft foam or latte foam, has a lighter and creamier texture compared to dry foam. It is created by incorporating a lesser amount of air into the milk, resulting in larger and more dispersed bubbles. Wet foam has a smoother and more liquid-like consistency. It is commonly used for lattes and provides a smooth mouthfeel and creamy taste.

In this recipe, we will combine the wet milk foam with espresso to form a smooth and creamy latte base. Then we will use the dry milk foam to craft the 3D cat-shaped patterns on top.

4. What milk is best for 3d latte art?

Using whole milk is recommended for making 3D latte art due to its higher fat content. The higher fat content contributes to a richer and more stable foam, which is essential for creating intricate designs and maintaining the desired shape of the foam.

However, you can still experiment with other types of milk, such as 2% milk or plant-based milk, but keep in mind that the results may vary in terms of texture and stability of the foam.

5. Can I make 3d latte art without an espresso machine?

You can use both espresso and strong coffee for making 3D latte art. However, since espresso is highly concentrated, and has a stronger flavor and can hold up well when combined with milk. More importantly, espresso has a thicker and richer texture compared to regular brewed coffee, which provides a solid foundation for creating layered and detailed designs in the milk foam.

However, if you don’t have an espresso machine or prefer a milder taste, you can still achieve satisfactory results with strong brewed coffee. And here is a recipe for how to make espresso without a machine which can be useful in such situations.

6. Most important tip for making 3d latte art

The most important tip to prevent the milk form from collapsing is making sure that all the ingredients have a similar warm temperature. Because a sudden change in temperature will disrupt the structure of the foam, causing it to collapse or deflate.

Therefore, it’s essential to warm up the espresso, milk foam, and syrups before combining them. And make sure you finish the 3d latte art creating process within 10 minutes. Leaving it for too long may result in foam collapse.

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