Chocolate panna cotta

This chocolate panna cotta is a wonderfully rich, creamy and chocolatey dessert that's both easy to make and made ahead. It's perfect for special occasions or everyday indulgence.

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I have a bit of a soft spot for panna cotta, as you might have noticed if you've looked around here a bit already. I love the beautiful creamy texture and the fact you can adapt the flavors. Plus in terms of making it home, it's relatively quick and easy as well as made ahead which is definitely a bonus.

What is panna cotta?

Panna cotta is a traditional Italian dessert, with the name translating as "cooked cream", though you might better describe it as a set cream. It's normally made with gelatin, cream, milk and sugar to give a gently sweet, creamy and just set dessert. 

The origins of the dish are a little unclear, though many suggest it's from the Piedmont region dating to the 19th century. In Italy, you'll most typically find it as a vanilla flavor, often served with berries or a fruit coulis (puree). However, you can play around with the flavors a bit more.

You can easily add flavors into the mixture itself as in my coffee panna cotta, lemon panna cotta and mango panna cotta. You can also add other flavors after such as with a caramel syrup.

What chocolate should you use?

For this chocolate version of panna cotta, the chocolate is right in there with the creamy base. I've used a good dark chocolate so you get maximum chocolate flavor.

Milk chocolate would make this sweeter plus it doesn't have quite as intense of a chocolate flavor, especially once diluted with the cream. Plus, you can get a much broader range in what classifies as milk chocolate. Instead, I recommend a dark chocolate with a minimum 70% cocoa. It gives a nice balance of richness and flavor.

You could use cocoa powder, but you would want to make sure it's a really good one. It will give a stronger chocolate flavor, though you need to take care as you mix in so it incorporates properly. Also, you will probably need less and may want to use all cream rather than part milk since it doesn't have cocoa butter. So in short it can work, but this recipe is written for chocolate so it may need adjusting.

Things to watch for in making chocolate panna cotta

While this is on the whole easy, there are a couple things you need to watch for as you make it. One is something that can happen with all versions of panna cotta - you can get some separation. When this happens, you get a creamier layer on top and a more gelatinous layer below. Essentially, it's due to the fact that cream is denser and so tends to rise to the top.

You are less likely to get separation if the gelatin gets a chance to get to work before it is in the individual dishes. And this works best if the mixture is not too hot, so there's less cooling needed.

The other thing that can happen with the chocolate version is you can get a grainy texture. This is mostly due to the chocolate not being fully incorporated into the creamy base.

So for both, the key is warming just enough but not too much. You want the cream warm enough to ensure the chocolate melts, but not so much it seizes. Then let it cool, if needed, before combining with the gelatin mixture.

Storing and serving

One of the great things about panna cotta, as I mention above, is that it's a make ahead dessert, making it perfect for entertaining. You place the dishes in the fridge so that they set and chill, then they are ready to serve a bit later. 

You can make these up to three days ahead and simply keep them stored in the fridge. If storing longer than a few hours, I'd recommend covering the dishes with a lid or cling wrap. This is just to try to avoid them picking up any smells or accidentally get something spilt on them. 

This chocolate panna cotta is such a wonderful mix of chocolate richness and smooth creaminess. It's just set enough to be perfectly scoopable but without feeling jelly-like. And bonus, it's easier than you might think and made ahead - ready for when you need that special treat.

Try these other make ahead desserts:

• Rote Grütze - a lovely, easy gently set berry pudding.
• Raspberry fool - another easy, creamy dessert with bright fruit swirled in.
• Poires belle Hélène - it sounds fancy, but these poached pears with chocolate sauce are easy and so tasty. Technically the sauce is not made ahead but could be, then re-heated.
• Strawberry mousse - a lovely smooth, creamy and fruity mix.
• Plus get more dessert recipes and Italian recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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