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3d cat latte art with handheld frother
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How to Make Latte Art - Easy 3d cat latte with handheld frother

This recipe teaches you how to make your own jiggly wiggly 3D cat latte art right in your own kitchen, using simple equipment.
Prep Time5 minutes
Active Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: 3d latte art, cat latte, latte art
Yield: 1 serving
Author: Ms Shi and Mr He

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)

Materials

  • 1½ cup whole milk
  • 2 shots 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)

Instructions

  • 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 ℃ ).
  • 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 (See Note1).
  • 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.
  • 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 (See Note1).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Serve the cat latte art immediately and enjoy!

Video

Notes

1. Dry milk foam and 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.