This impressive Coffee Panna Cotta looks fancy and tastes heavenly, it’s easy dessert to prepare in advance when you are expecting guests!
Food inspiration on TV
My good friend Olga loves the drama of reality TV. She would always try to get me to watch shows like, The Real Housewives series, The Bachelor and other silly shows. I refused as I felt reality shows were fake and I also feared that I would lose more brain cells than I already have.
Back in 2009, I remembered eating an awful microwave meal on the couch in front of the TV after a hectic day at work. The first season of MasterChef was on, I was about to change the channel but realised it was a cooking show so I left it on. Since that day I found myself hooked on MasterChef and have watched most seasons. I also got addicted to other reality shows but I won’t reveal what they were as I’m too ashamed but Olga was really proud of me!
I enjoyed watching MasterChef as I’ve always had a strong passion for cooking. The show taught me new cooking techniques and introduced me to new cuisines from all over the world, ones that I never knew existed, like the Panna Cotta.
A simple but complex dessert from Italy.
What was it about Panna Cotta that made MasterChef’s contestants cry? This intriguing dessert looks just like an opaque jelly, so why was is it so difficult to make?
There were chaotic scenes in MasterChef. The Panna Cotta would either get stuck to the mould or splattered into a pile of mess, which resulted in dramatic meltdowns from the contestants. However, if it worked out, the judges would ‘Oooh Arrrh’ over it.
Seeing the pleasure on each judges’ faces when they ate it was enough to convince me to try Panna Cotta next time I saw it on the menu.
Subscribe to 3CatsFoodie’s FREE Newsletter
For the latest recipes and other fun stuff!
Panna Cotta
These days I am fully aware of what Panna Cotta is because now it’s everywhere. I’ve ordered Panna Cotta several times in restaurants and would say it’s one of those things that’s a hit or a miss.
Panna cotta is cream that’s sweetened, cooked and set with gelatine. It’s then poured into a mould or glass to set in the fridge.
This Coffee Panna Cotta has the right amount of sweetness and has the signature panna cotta wobble. It’s rich with a velvety smooth texture that just melts in the mouth. The coffee flavour is balanced nicely and you get a little hit from the Kaluha, it’s not enough to get you drunk but it’s enough to make you happy!
I served our Panna Cottas with pistachio biscotti and garnished them with coffee beans and edible dried flowers.
Some Panna Cottas I’ve tasted was a fail mainly due to texture. It may have been too firm, grainy, or too watery.
In my opinion, Panna Cottas doesn’t need several toppings to make it taste incredible. I’ve had it with granola, berry compote and whipped cream all together which sounds amazing but I prefer my Panna Cotta basic. I feel too many toppings overwhelm the simplicity of a good Panna Cotta.
More mouthwatering desserts:
Quick Tiramisu Cake
Brazilian Caramel Flan
Pavlova Wreath
Rum Raisin Brownies
Adults only Coffee Panna Cotta
My husband, Tomasi, was on the couch eating my Coffee Panna Cotta when our 20-month-old toddler, Kai, ran over to beg for a spoonful ‘NOOOOOOO don’t give him any!’ I said running over to intervene ‘It’s got alcohol in it!’.
What can I say? I love my coffee desserts mixed with alcohol. That’s the way I enjoy my tiramisu or coffee cakes because I need that punch and depth from the coffee liqueur. So when I made my Coffee Panna Cotta I couldn’t resist tipping in some booze.
As for coffee, let’s just say all three of us adults in this household are addicts. Whilst others were stocking up on toilet paper, we stocked up on Nespresso capsules during the lockdown. We knew that if we didn’t get our daily coffee fix, the adults would probably end up attacking each other.
I started becoming a coffee addict when I got my first corporate job in finance. Apparently, holding a tall cup of coffee was a status symbol, you’re telling people ‘Look, I’m super sophisticated, successful and busy, so get out of my way!’. In order to survive a workday, I had to go down and visit my favourite barista for 3 cups of coffee.
My first Panna Cotta recipe had to be flavoured with coffee!
To be honest, it took me a few trials to get the right consistency and texture, however; the flavour was always delicious each time.
Ingredients for Coffee Panna Cotta
Milk – For a creamy silky consistency, don’t skimp out on the milk, use full fat or whole milk.
Thickened cream, known also as whipping cream. It has gelatine added to it and contains 35% milk fat. To maintain a smooth rich consistency, I don’t recommend using low-fat cream.
Instant coffee – Use high-quality coffee granules/powder or your favourite brand as this will produce a better tasting panna cotta. I used LavAzza Expresso coffee.
Coffee flavoured liqueur – Any brand of coffee liqueur will work, such as Kahlúa or Tia Maria. If you want to make it alcohol-free, leave this out.
How to make Coffee Panna Cotta
Step-by-step guide with photos
Brush 4 (250-300ml or 8.5 -10fl oz capacity) moulds lightly with oil or if you are serving the panna cotta in glasses, there’s no need to grease it.
Bloom the gelatine by placing the gelatine powder with a tablespoon of boiling water into a small bowl. Stir to dissolve and set aside, it’ll solidify. Blooming the gelatine will make the gelatine easier to dissolve when combining it with the other ingredients.
In a small saucepan, add in the cream, milk, vanilla extract, sugar and salt. Place the pan over low heat and stir occasionally until the mixture softly simmers but do not let it come to a boil.
Add in the bloomed gelatine, liqueur and coffee powder into the mixture. Stir quickly until the coffee and the gelatine have completely dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat.
Pour the mixture over a sieve into a jug. Use the jug to pour the mixture evenly into the prepared moulds. Remove any bubbles from the surface by popping them with a skewer. Leave the panna cottas to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover the moulds with plastic film and place them in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours until set.
Place the mould upside down on a serving plate and gently squeeze each side of the mould (if using plastic or silicone moulds). If the panna cotta does not slip out as it should, place the mould in a bowl of hot water for a few seconds and keep trying until it pops out.
The longer the panna cotta stays in the fridge the firmer it’ll get, so if you want a little wobble and soft silky texture, aim to serve it within 3 to 4 hours. In saying that it’s still delicious after a few days. I served the panna cottas with pistachio biscotti and garnished it with coffee beans and edible dried flowers.
Leftovers – Keep the panna cottas covered in the fridge, it’ll be good for up to 3 to 4 days.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Coffee Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- oil (to grease)
- 1½ tsp gelatine
- 1 tbsp boiling water
- 1½ cup thickened cream (NOTE 1)
- ½ cup milk (full or whole fat) (NOTE 2)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp Kahlua (or any coffee liqueur) (NOTE 3)
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules (good quality) (NOTE 4)
Instructions
- Brush 4 (250-300ml or 8.5 -10fl oz capacity) moulds lightly with oil or if you are serving the panna cotta in glasses, there's no need to grease it.
- Bloom the gelatine by placing the gelatine powder with a tablespoon of boiling water into a small bowl. Stir to dissolve and set aside, it'll solidify. Blooming the gelatine will make the gelatine easier to dissolve when combining it with the other ingredients.
- In a small saucepan, add in the cream, milk, vanilla extract, sugar and salt. Place the pan over low heat and stir occasionally until the mixture softly simmers but do not let it come to a boil.
- Add in the bloomed gelatine, liqueur and coffee powder into the mixture. Stir quickly until the coffee and the gelatine have completely dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Pour the mixture over a sieve into a jug. Use the jug to pour the mixture evenly into the prepared moulds. Remove any bubbles from the surface by popping them with a skewer. Leave the panna cottas to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover the moulds with plastic film and place them in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours until set.
- Place the mould upside down on a serving plate and gently squeeze each side of the mould (if using plastic or silicone moulds). If the panna cotta does not slip out as it should, place the mould in a bowl of hot water for a few seconds and keep trying until it pops out.
