Coffee Panna Cotta with Coffee Syrup

What is panna cotta made of?

The classic panna cotta recipe is nothing more than, cream, milk, sugar, gelatine and a little vanilla, and it’s these simple ingredients that make panna cotta such a versatile dessert.

You can see from this Almond Honey Panna Cotta, this Buttermilk Panna Cotta or the cream cheese in this Panna Cotta Fresh Peach Tart that a simple panna cotta recipe can be turned into so many wonderfully flavoured desserts.

This Coffee Panna Cotta has 3 layers of flavour;

1. A bottom layer of coffee panna cotta
2. A thin layer of plain cream panna cotta (to give that classic coffee look)
3. A strong, sweet coffee syrup to top it off

Panna Cotta truly is the dessert that has it all. It’s rich and luxurious but made with minimal everyday ingredients. It looks totally indulgent but is actually quite light to eat and not super sweet. It has an unbelievably smooth and silky texture but is so incredibly simple to make.

I’ve made this basic recipe so many times now, I’ve lost count. It works every single time and is the simplest method there is. Even my mum was excited by how simple it is to make. I’ve also made countless flavour spin-offs and believe it to be the perfect way to end a meal.

How To Make Coffee Panna Cotta

1. Start by blooming the powdered gelatine on top of some cold milk in a saucepan. Blooming just means the gelatine is softening making it easier to dissolve through the milk. Leave it for a few minutes and it should look all wrinkly on top.
2. Heat the milk over low heat and stir until the gelatine dissolves. It should not get hot, just slightly warm
3. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve that too before taking the milk off the heat. VERY IMPORTANT – the milk should never come to a bubble and should only be just steaming by the time you’re done.
4. Mix the milk into the cream mixture and set a little aside to top your panna cotta with later.
5. Add strong coffee to the larger portion, mix through and pour it into your glasses.
6. Let that set at least 1 hour in the fridge before melting down the white panna cotta that you set aside and pouring that over the top
7. Now let them set completely – 3-4 hours or overnight.

1. Just pour some strong coffee into a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of sugar.
2. Heat it on the stove until it starts to simmer, then let it simmer away for 7-10 minutes until thick and syrupy.

Don’t let the coffee syrup boil at too high a heat or it may burn and become bitter. Also, make sure to stir it often until you have big thick bubbles.

How Long Does Panna Cotta Keep?

Store panna cotta in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure they are covered with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container.

Tips To Making A Perfect Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta is very simple but there are a few important tips

• Use whole / full fat ingredients – sometimes (not always) light versions will tend to separate on setting into two distinct layers. Full fat ingredients won’t.
• Make sure to let the gelatine bloom – sprinkle it evenly over the top of the cold milk, then let it sit for 5 minutes to soften. It will look wrinkly when it’s ready.
• Don’t overheat the milk – at no point should your milk be ‘hot’. It should be quite warm but as long as you are stirring constantly over the lowest heat it should take no more 3-4 minutes on the stove.
• Make sure the gelatine dissolves – if it hasn’t dissolved you’ll see little clear flecks on your spoon or the bottom of your saucepan. Make sure to keep stirring until they’re all gone and if you’re worried that any didn’t dissolve, pour it through a strainer before pouring into your serving cups.
• If you’d like to see how to unmould panna cotta, see this Vanilla Panna Cotta
• Panna Cotta requires time to set so plan ahead. This makes it the perfect make ahead dessert.

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