This Ombre Coffee Chocolate Panna Cotta brings together two things I love the most – panna cotta and desserts in ombre, the blending of one colour hue to another. Make it three – coffee too! Or four – vanilla beans. Definitely five things – chocolate!
I really held my breath as I demolded this panna cotta not sure it would hold together. I loved the way it slid out, one shade slowly following another, the perfect jiggle, charming hues. Made a quick coffee sauce I stirred over the stove top though the panna cotta is really good on it’s own as well. Creamy, deep flavours, satisfying.
It was the first time I was using these molds that I had bought in New York from a thrift store two years ago. With traveling now a distant dream, cities seem to come alive as I use kitchenware I’ve bought from different places.
The earlier Petite Eggless Triple Chocolate Orange Cakes, eclair shaped, were made using molds from Old Delhi. For me, it’s often nostalgia and memories that help me create, keep me happy in the kitchen. You?
Panna cotta is one of my favourite desserts to make, and you will find a whole lot of them on the blog. From Coffee White Chocolate Panna Cotta, to Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta, Mousse-a-Cotta with salted caramel, Saffron Caramel Panna Cotta, Bru Coffee Panna Cotta, Espresso Panna Cotta, Mango Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta, Dark Chocolate Cream with Coffee Panna Cotta or Buttermilk Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with balsamic strawberries, I’ve made so many! This is yet another favourite, prettier because it’s ombre!
Ombre Coffee Chocolate Panna Cotta…with a deep coffee sauce
Equipment
- 1 cup = 240ml
- saucepan
- bowls
- whisk
- strainer
- spatula
- 2 X 3.5" dessert molds/rings or dessert glasses
- Stove top
Ingredients
Vanilla bean main mixture
- 3 cups cream Amul, 20% fat
- 1 cup milk
- 5 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 vanilla bean split
- 1.5 tbsp gelatin + 2.5 tbsp water
Coffee layer
- 2 tbsp instant coffee powder
Chocolate layer
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup melted chocolate
- 2 tbsp cream
Coffee sauce
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp coffee powder {or less}
- 2-3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Lightly oil the setting mold, and line the bottom well with aluminium foil sealing to make a base. I used two 3.5″ X 3.5″ circular steel dessert molds.
- Sprinkle the gelatin over water, and leave to soften/bloom.
- Place the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla bean in a heavy base saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust sweetness if required. Whisk on the bloomed gelatin.
- Scrape the vanilla bean to add flavour and discard shell. Strain.
- Divide the vanilla bean cream mixture into 3 portions.
- Leave one as is {vanilla bean layer}, stir the coffee into the second portion, and whisk the cocoa powder, melted chocolate and cream into the third.
- Pour the first mixture, the vanilla bean panna cotta, dividing equally between the molds. Freeze for 30 minutes/until set.
- Top the set vanilla bean panna cotta gently with the coffee panna cotta mixture. Freeze for 30 minutes, until set, then top with the chocolate portion.
- Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
- To demold, gently remove the foil from the base, and loosed the edges to slide out the panna cotta.
- Serve as is or with a coffee sauce.
Coffee sauce
- Place in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is clear and glossy. Cool and pour over, or serve with the panna cotta. The sauce will firm up as it cools.
Hi New to your blog, I want to try this recipe, how much ml is your 1cup measure
Hey, thank you so much for stopping by. 240ml
Hi Deeba thank you for the prompt response,will try this recipe, you have such amazing recipes for breads, I love making breads, already tried your tiger bread turned out so beautiful and tasty ?
That’s so sweet of you Sapna. Thank you so much.
Hi There,
You have created a very beautiful blog and I will definitely try this recipe. The way you have decorated them is also very beautiful.
Thanks for sharing.”
Thank you so much for your sweet words. I am so happy.
That’s delicious, curious about it’s taste.
Thank you so much. As good as it looks, maybe better! {If I may say so myself}
Hi Deeba Mam, Your recipes and photography are aesthetically compiled. Love the colors and palette that you use.
Thanks for this recipe, I wanted to try out this recipe but wondering if I could replace gelatin with Agar Agar, If so then what should be it quantity.
Hi Ranjini, thank you so much. I think you could but I find agar agar doesn’t always give a soft set with equal quantities of gelatine as a substitute. I would probably go with a 85% substitute. That said, maybe try a 1/4 quantity of the recipe to begin with, perhaps one flavour alone, to see how it works. Do I make sense?
Hi Deeba tried this recipe and it was delicious and looked so pretty, I made half the recipe in 4 small glasses ,thank you for the recipe.
Thank you so much Sapna. Makes me so happy!
Thank you so much Sapna. ♥
Hi. I love the way your desserts come out. I want to try the pannacotta, but I am wondering if you can substitute the gelatin with anything else? If there are pure vegetarians? Thanks
Hi Nita, thank you so much for your sweet words. You could substitute the gelatine for an equal amount of agar agar, or slightly less perhaps. I have tried in the past but have failed to get such a perfect smooth wobbly set. It’ll take some experimenting I think, but it’s worth trying. Please do tell me if you try. have a good day!
Hi Deepa. I did try making the panancotta with agar powder. I used much less than the measure of gelatin in your recipe , as you suggested. It has turned out very good. I now leave it to the guests for their final opinion!! Thanks for your lovely recipes and photo presentations!!
Oh Nita, that makes me so happy. Please share the quantities/amendments you did, also an image if possible. I’d love to take a look. You could email them to me at deebarajpal@gmail.com if you like. Thank you much!