First, let’s just be real: hot chocolate is what fresh whipped cream was invented for. It’s the perfect fresh, bright, cool companion to a rich and steamy chocolate drink. So when I decided I was going to do an all-dessert, all-chocolate menu for my new book of the month—Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—I knew I wanted my tribute to Willy Wonka’s hot chocolate river to feature fresh whipped cream.

Not just ANY whipped cream, though. This is Wonka we’re talking about. It needed some pizzazz, something creative and fun to set it apart from all the other whipped creams. Then I remembered Storeroom #54, which the children and their guardians pass during their tour of Wonka’s factory. It is labeled “ALL THE CREAMS” and lists several strange creams, including violet cream. I didn’t have any violet extract, but I DID have lavender buds, which got my brain ticking. I learned while making lavender lemon eclairs that lavender steeps beautifully in cream, so I used that technique to created a lavender whipped cream that had a distinctive but not overpowering flavor. After all, I wanted the hot chocolate to be the star of the show. On a whim, I added a little purple food coloring for whimsy…since you can never have too much whimsy in a Wonka recipe. 😉

The finished cream went on top of a homemade hot chocolate inspired by two of my favorites: the Witch’s Hot Chocolate from my Narnia menu and the Hundred Acre Hot Chocolate from my cookbook. I loved the way the rich, intense chocolate flavor paired with the floral whipped cream. So much so, in fact, that I started wondering what other flavors would make awesome infused creams (Earl Grey! Cinnamon! Mint!). I may just have to start experimenting!

A

Hot Chocolate River Drink with Lavender Whipped Cream

Storeroom #54, it said. All of the creams—Dairy Cream, Whipped Cream, Violet Cream, Coffee Cream, Pineapple cream, Vanilla Cream, and Hair Cream.
“Hair cream?” cried Mike Teavee. “You don’t use hair cream!”
“Row on!” shouted Mr. Wonka. “There’s no time to answer silly questions!”
— Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

INGREDIENTS:

• For the Hot Chocolate
  
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 tsp instant coffee granules
  • a pinch of salt
  • NOTE: You do get a little bit of coffee flavor from the instant coffee. However, if you’d just like it to intensify the chocolate without adding its own flavor, reduce the amount to 1/2 tsp.
• For the Whipped Cream
  
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tsp lavender buds
  • 2 drops purple gel food coloring

 

Makes a little over 4 cups hot chocolate

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. For the Whipped Cream: Stir lavender into heavy cream and chill, covered, for 1 hour. Strain out and discard the lavender buds. In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream and gel food coloring on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
2. For the Hot Chocolate: Combine all the hot chocolate ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk constantly until smooth. Continue to whisk regularly until the mix begins to steam. Remove from heat.
3. Pour into mugs and top with lavender whipped cream (and some sprinkles!).

   

 

 

Check out some of my other hot chocolate recipes!

Red Velvet Who Pudding and Green Grinch Hot Chocolate

French Hot Chocolate from the Three Musketeers

The Witch’s Hot Chocolate from The Chronicles of Narnia