Black Forest Chocolate Frappe in a Blender, Ready in 15 Minutes Tips, FAQ & printable recipe

Tips for success

Chill the dark chocolate and the glasses before you start. Cold chocolate grates into finer curls, and a cold glass keeps the frappe thick for longer once it is poured. Both steps take only a few minutes but make a noticeable difference in the final texture and the way the drink holds its drips on the glass.

Pit the cherries over the cutting board so the juice stays on the board. Cherry juice stains quickly, so a board you can wipe clean is a practical choice. Use a cherry pitter if you have one, or a paring knife to halve each cherry and lift out the pit with the tip. Keep the pitted cherries in a bowl until you need them.

Variations

• Extra cherry glass: Add a few extra halved cherries to the top of the frappe before the whipped cream, so each spoonful includes a bright fruit piece. Use the same cherries you blended for a fuller, fresher flavor and a more striking color on the glass.
• Nutty crunch: Toast the whole almonds in a dry skillet before chopping them, then sprinkle them on top of the cream. The toasted nuts add a deeper flavor and a noticeable crunch against the smooth, thick drink below.
• Chocolate-rimmed glass: Melt a little dark chocolate and spread it inside the rim of the chilled glass before pouring. Let it set, then fill the glass with frappe for a clean chocolate edge that matches the drink.
• Darker chocolate: Use a bittersweet chocolate block with a higher cacao percentage for a deeper, less sweet frappe. The grated curls melt into the cold milk in the same way, and the flavor becomes more intense.

Storage and make-ahead

Fridge

Keep any leftover blended frappe in a sealed container in the refrigerator for no more than a few hours.

A black forest frappe is best served right after blending, while it is cold and thick. If you need to hold it briefly, keep the blended frappe in a covered container in the refrigerator for no more than a few hours.

Chill it promptly after blending and keep the whipped cream separate until serving, since cream softens and loses its spiral once it sits on the drink. Do not leave the frappe at room temperature for more than two hours. Blend the drink again briefly before serving to restore its smooth, thick texture, and add a few ice cubes if it has thinned.

You can prepare the components in advance so that the frappe comes together in a couple of minutes. Slice and pit the cherries, slice the banana and keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to a few hours to limit browning.

Grate the chocolate and store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Chop the almonds and keep them in a dry container at room temperature.

Whip the cream and keep it chilled until serving. Measure the milk and keep it cold. When you are ready, layer the chilled ingredients in the blender pitcher with the ice and blend. This approach keeps the drink fresh and thick, because the blender does the final work and nothing has to sit as a blended frappe for long.

Serving ideas

Serve the frappe in a tall footed glass with a wide straw and a long spoon. The spoon lets guests reach the thick cream and the chopped almonds at the top, while the straw brings up the chocolate and cherry body below.

Set the glass on a small plate so any drips from the outside stay contained, and offer a second spoon if the drink is shared between two people.

For a dessert table, set out the frappe alongside a bowl of extra grated dark chocolate and a small dish of chopped almonds, so each person can add more to their glass. Keep the glasses chilled and serve immediately after blending. A frappe is at its best in the first few minutes, when the cream is still firm and the chocolate color is at its richest.

Frequently asked questions

Recipe card

Black Forest Chocolate Frappe in a Blender, Ready in 15 Minutes

Prep 15 minCook 2 minTotal 17 minServes 2

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana, sliced
• 1 cup red cherries, halved and pitted
• 2 tbsp whole almonds, roughly chopped for topping and blending
• 2 oz dark chocolate, grated
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup ice cubes
• whipped cream for topping, to taste

Instructions

1. Slice the ripe banana with a chef's knife into rounds. Halve the red cherries and remove the pits. Set aside a small heap of chopped almonds, keeping a separate pile of whole almonds for the blender.
2. Grate the block of dark chocolate over a box grater, held over the board. Let the fine curls and shavings fall onto the board so they are ready for the blender.
3. Add the banana slices, cherries, almonds, grated chocolate, milk and ice cubes to the glass blender pitcher, in that order. Close the pitcher with its lid.
4. Run the blender until the mixture turns into a smooth, thick, cool frappe with an even chocolate-brown color. Stop to scrape down the sides if any pieces stick, then blend again briefly.
5. Pour the frappe into a tall footed glass, letting it form a glossy chocolate body with thick drips running down the sides. Pipe a generous spiral of whipped cream on top.
6. Sprinkle the chopped almonds over the whipped cream as a garnish, then serve the black forest frappe right away while it is cold and thick.

Contains: milk, tree nuts

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories

420

Protein

10 g

Carbohydrates

52 g

Fat

20 g

Fiber

5 g

Sugar

40 g

Sodium

130 mg

Automatic estimate from the ingredient list, not laboratory-verified.