Pies & Tarts

Chocolate and Raspberry Panna Cotta Tart

4.50 from 2 votes
This Chocolate and Raspberry Panna Cotta Tart recipe is all about marrying a luscious chocolate crust with smooth panna cotta and sweet & tart raspberries.
A slice of panna cotta tart topped with raspberries

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Hi Bold Bakers!

NOTE FROM GEMMA: Welcome back Vedika! She’s here again with a gorgeous treat for us — her Chocolate and Raspberry Panna Cotta Tart recipe. Make sure to check out her Salted Caramel Fudge, Dirty Chai Brownies, and Cinnamon Roll Muffins too!

This year, I spent a month in Italy, where I sampled all the confectionery I could. From velvety gelato to creamy cannoli, and plush panna cotta, I tried it all. For those of you who are not familiar with panna cotta, it falls under the category of puddings, and is made with a base of milk and cream, which are heated together till scalding, then infused with vanilla and set in the fridge with the help of some gelatin. Finally, panna cotta is served with a strawberry or raspberry coulis, or fresh fruit. In Italian, panna cotta means ‘cooked cream.’ It makes for the perfect summer-time treat, a perfect way to showcase seasonal fruit, and requires no oven or fancy equipment.

But we aren’t just stopping at panna cotta, as delicious as it is by itself. This recipe takes the dessert to the next level, adding a tender base beneath and topping it off with stunning summer produce. By no means do I claim this to be an authentic recipe, rather it is a fusion of a classic Italian dessert with a fruit tart, traditionally filled with custard instead of panna cotta. 

Although a fruit tart is traditionally made with a shortcrust pastry, I decided to stick to the ‘no-bake’ theme and swapped it with a chocolate cookie crust, which adds a slightly bitter undertone to the subtle and sweet vanilla flavor of the panna cotta. Finally, I finished it with fresh raspberries. Not only do raspberries and panna cotta pair beautifully, but the combination of raspberries and chocolate is also a favorite. The three elements sync perfectly with one another. 

You’ll only need a handful of ingredients to prepare this recipe. 

Ingredients For The Panna Cotta Tart

a fusion of Oreo cookies and melted butter suffice. Feel free to use any cookie you like, be it a gingersnap or shortbread. The melted butter acts like glue and helps the crust set nicely. You’ll need to keep the crust nice and cold before pouring in the filling.

Ingredients For The Filling

Panna Cotta Tart ingredients next to chilling the filling

Heavy whipping cream – this adds richness to the dessert

Whole milk – this balances the richness of the cream slightly. Feel free to swap both heavy cream and whole milk with half and half. 

Gelatin – Gelatin powder helps this dessert set, but if you prefer, you can also swap it with agar-agar, a vegan alternative. You refer to Gemma’s article here on using agar agar as a gelatin replacement. With Gelatin, you need to bloom the gelatin and add it in last, immediately when the cream mixture is taken off the heat. For agar agar, you’ll need to add powdered agar agar to the mixture at the start rather than at the end. Use a 1:1 ratio of agar agar with gelatin powder.

Vanilla bean – vanilla bean is the real deal, but if you can’t find it use vanilla extract. 1 ½ tsp should suffice. If using vanilla extract, add it at the end once the cream comes off the heat.  

Chilling the filling and filling the pie crust

Lemon peel – adds a nice level of freshness, but is not the most important ingredient so it can be omitted if you wish.

Granulated sugar – just a little to sweeten things up

Berries – I love raspberries but this works well with strawberries or any berries you have on hand. 

Confectioners’ sugar –  just for dusting. 

Tips and Tricks

Infusing. You’ll want to ensure that the cream and milk mixture get the most flavor from the vanilla bean and lemon peel. To do this, split the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds, add both the seeds and the pod to the cream. Next, add the lemon peel and bring everything to a boil. Once it’s done you’ll strain the mixture to ensure your panna cotta is silky smooth.

Cold is gold. You’ll need to cool the cream down before pouring it into the crust. This is absolutely crucial, because if it’s too wet it might seep through the crust and make it soggy. How do I like to do this? I pour the panna cotta mixture into a glass bowl that’s been set atop another bowl filled with ice. Just whisk till it begins to thicken and resembles a thin pudding (it will be somewhere between pudding and cream). Once it starts to set it goes quite quickly so be careful. Too set and it may look a bit like scrambled egg. 

The tart shell. I like to pop the tart shell into the freezer while I make the panna cotta mixture. It helps ensure that the liquid doesn’t make the base soggy.

The fruit. You’ll want to top with berries right before serving so that they stay fresh.

Pretty straightforward! Let’s get started — get the written recipe further down the page.

Whole Panna Cotta Tart topped with raspberries

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Chocolate and Raspberry Panna Cotta Tart Recipe

4.50 from 2 votes
This Chocolate and Raspberry Panna Cotta Tart recipe tastes as good as it looks. All of the textures are perfect and simply top with raspberries!
Author: Vedika Luthra
Servings: 8 slices
This Chocolate and Raspberry Panna Cotta Tart recipe tastes as good as it looks. All of the textures are perfect and simply top with raspberries!
Author: Vedika Luthra
Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

For the Base:

  • 2 cups (9.7 oz/275g) chocolate sandwich cookies (crushed, about 24)
  • 6 tablespoons (75 g/2.6 oz) butter (melted)

For the Panna Cotta Filling:

  • 2 ½ teaspoons powdered gelatin
  • 2 tablespoons (2 ½ oz/71 g) water at room temperature
  • 1 cup (8 fl oz/225 mL) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup (8 fl oz/225 mL) whole milk
  • cup (2 ½ oz/71 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon lemon peel (the peel from around half a lemon)
  • 1 vanilla bean

For the Topping:

  • 2 cups (10 oz/284 g) fresh raspberries
  • Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions

For the Base:

  • Pour the crumbs into a bowl, and pour over the melted butter, stirring until combined.
  • Tip the mixture into a 9-inch or 10-inch tart pan with a removable base, and gently pat the mixture into the base, and up the sides. Do not press too, too firmly as it will result in the base being too firm.
  • Place the crust in the fridge, or ideally in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

For the Panna Cotta Filling:

  • To a small bowl, add the gelatin and water. Stir together until combined, then set aside to bloom for about 5 minutes or until ready to use.
  • Next, add the cream, milk, granulated sugar, and lemon peel to a medium-sized pot or saucepan.
  • Next, using a sharp knife, draw a slit through the vanilla bean, then drag your knife across, perpendicularly, to scrape out the seeds. Tip the seeds and the empty vanilla pod into the cream mixture.
  • Over medium-low heat, warm the mixture, stirring every now and then until it is scalding (small bubbles should appear on the edges and it should almost reach a boil), about 5 minutes.
  • At this point, turn off the heat, and stir in the bloomed gelatin until it is completely dissolved.
  • Strain the mixture into a medium-sized bowl (discarding the vanilla pod and lemon peel) and cool it quickly. I like to do this by placing the bowl of panna cotta mixture over another bowl of ice, stirring gently until it is cool to the touch and has thickened slightly: if you tip your finger into the mixture it should leave a coat, or if you dip a spoon in and run your finger through the back, it should hold its shape.
  • Working quickly, pour the mixture into the chilled cookie crust, and store in the fridge until completely set around 2 hours.

For the topping:

  • Right before serving, garnish with the fresh raspberries, and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.
  • Cut into pieces and serve. This tart should be served immediately after topping with the berries but can be stored for several days if wrapped properly.
4.50 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)
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Meet Gemma

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

 

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