Dark chocolate panna cotta – Laylita's Recipes (2024)
Chocolate | Desserts | Ecuador | Europe | Holidays | Italy | Parties and events | Valentine's Day
Easy recipe for a decadent and creamy dark chocolate panna cotta. This creamy custard like dessert is made with 100% dark chocolate, cream, milk, cocoa powder, sugar, gelatin and vanilla.
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This dark chocolate panna cotta is one of the most delicious and decadent desserts that I’ve made. The texture is creamy, rich, and very similar to a chocolate custard. I would be tempted to call it an eggless chocolate flan – the most smooth and addictive chocolate flan ever. One of the reasons this chocolate panna cotta is so good is that it’s made with some of the best chocolate in the world: Ecuadorian dark chocolate.
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Obviously you might think I’m biased towards all things Ecuador – and it’s probably true. However, if you research Ecuadorian chocolate you’ll find that it’s the best new thing to happen to chocolate lovers. Ecuador has been growing some of the finest quality cacao beans for a long time. But it is just recently that local companies have started producing their own high quality chocolate products. Despite the fact that Ecuadorian chocolate is sort of the new kid in town, it’s already started to win a lot of awards on an international scale.
Unfortunately, even with the growing popularity of Ecuadorian chocolate it’s still hard to find it readily available as a retail product outside of Ecuador. Then I heard about a new website, Sense Ecuador, that focused on selling the best quality Ecuadorian products, from chocolate to roses, with free shipping to the US. So, of course, I had to use one of their amazing chocolates, an organic 100% dark chocolate from Hoja Verde, for this chocolate panna cotta recipe.
Ever since I tried panna cotta for the first time I’ve been a huge fan of this dessert. It’s such a simple and easy dessert, but yet that puts so much emphasis on using good quality ingredients – from the cream to the vanilla – to really achieve that perfect flavor and texture. I’m also a huge fan of desserts that are flexible and customizable, you can make panna cotta in so many different flavors. My favorites are the classic vanilla, coconut, and now chocolate.
The dark chocolate, with its richness, add an extra layer of flavor and creaminess to this classic dessert. I used an unsweetened 100% dark chocolate, but you could also use a semi-sweet or sweet dark chocolate – in which case you can omit the extra sugar. The perfect panna cotta should not be overly sweet, and have that perfect balance. Just make sure to use a high quality chocolate to get the best flavor and texture.
Dark chocolate panna cotta
Easy recipe for a decadent and creamy dark chocolate panna cotta. This creamy custard like dessert is made with dark chocolate, cream, milk, cocoa powder, sugar, gelatin and vanilla.
4.77 from 82 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Ecuadorian inspired, European, International, Italian
One potential problem is the gelatin didn't melt all the way or you boiled the gelatin mixture. When you boil gelatin, it loses its thickening power and won't set up as desired. The other issue is not giving the panna cotta enough time to set up.
Panna cotta means “cooked cream” in Italy, and that's essentially what the base is: heated heavy cream (often with a little half-and-half or whole milk) set with powdered gelatin and flavored with vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
These panna cottas get a flavorful boost from fresh vanilla bean and a bit of Greek yogurt. The desserts are unmolded for a traditional presentation with a few strawberries on top, but chocolate fans could also just drizzle them with chocolate sauce — very Italian as well!
Pour the panna cotta mixture into eight 4-ounce ramekins and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the panna cotta is set but still jiggly, at least 3 hours.
The finished dessert is usually unmolded for a nice plate presentation and served with fruit or a fruit sauce, but can just as easily be made and served in small, clear plastic cups which are ideal for transporting to a dinner party or a picnic.
One of the best known and frequently requested desserts, panna cotta – literally “cooked cream” – originated in Piedmont and is made of cream and sugar. There are different versions and flavorings.
Panna cotta can always be the right dessert — whether you're throwing a fancy party or a small one, have lots of time or no time, are gluten-free, dairy-free, allergy-prone, vegan, or simply craving a delicious and creamy sweet. It's perfect.
Panna cotta is probably the only dessert which can be made without eggs, flour, sugar and baking. Although panna cotta is not mentioned in Italian cookbooks before 1960, it is often regarded as a traditional Italian dessert of the Piedmont region.
Panna cotta is a gelatinized cream, much like an aspic.Creme brulee is a custard made with eggs. Both are thickened sweet cream, one is cooked on top of the stove and the other is baked in the oven; one is thickened in the refrigerator with gelatin while the other is thickened in the oven by the eggs.
Underhydrated gelatin will be stubbornly gritty, never dissolving, and negatively impact the final set. As with all gelatin desserts, this will become firmer the longer it sits, so eat your panna cotta within 24 hours for the most delicate, elegant texture.
The jiggle: The reason for the gelatin is obvious — a perfect panna cotta should have just enough that it seems the cream is barely holding together. It quivers when you touch it.
If you find that your panna cotta separates into two layers, one that's creamy and one that's more gelatin-like — there can be two reasons. First, either your gelatin didn't bloom and dissolve properly when stirred into the cream. Second, the cream mixture boiled after the gelatin was added.
Once boiling, remove from heat and add the soaked gelatine. ...
Pass the mixture through a sieve and leave to cool - if you are able to cool over a bowl of crushed ice, this will help to keep the vanilla seeds from sinking to the bottom.
Some ingredients in panna cotta can affect its ability to freeze and thaw successfully. Gelatin, for example, is commonly used to set the dessert. However, the freezing process can weaken the gelatin's ability to hold the dessert together, leading to a softer texture.
The reason for the gelatin is obvious — a perfect panna cotta should have just enough that it seems the cream is barely holding together. It quivers when you touch it. When there's too much gelatin, the custard feels stiff and cheesy.
Mix in a slurry of cornstarch: One common method is to create a slurry by mixing a small amount of cornstarch with water. Gradually whisk the slurry into the pudding while it's heating. This can help thicken the pudding [1].
Introduction: My name is Saturnina Altenwerth DVM, I am a witty, perfect, combative, beautiful, determined, fancy, determined person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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