Strawberry season is in full swing, right? Then I'm rushing over to share a new strawberry cake with you. It's incredibly light and simple to make, and the flavor is absolutely wonderful. I made the crust from cookies and butter — the same kind I use for cheesecakes — and filled it with a layer of the most delicious Panna Cotta, not just the classic version, but with the addition of white chocolate. And on top, of course, there she is — strawberries, juicy, ripe, and sweet — along with a gorgeous strawberry sauce that I borrowed from the Strawberry Cheesecake mentioned above, just thickened slightly with gelatin. The result is incredibly delicious — a tender, crumbly crust, the most delicate panna cotta with a subtle hint of white chocolate, and juicy, impossibly fragrant strawberries!
Ingredients:
- 200 g cookies like Jubilee shortbread (I used chocolate)
- 100 g butter
- Filling:
- 500 ml heavy cream 20–25%
- 150 g white chocolate
- 50 g sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar (10 g)
- 1 packet gelatin (10 g)
- 300–700 g strawberries (see below)
- Sauce:
- 300 g strawberries
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 packet gelatin (5 g)
How to cook no-bake panna cotta cake with strawberries
Transfer the crumbs into the pan — mine is 27 cm in diameter. Press them down very firmly, especially up the sides. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest.
Make the panna cotta. Panna cotta is typically made with heavy 30–33% cream, but knowing that many of my readers can't find cream that rich, I experimented with 20% — it turned out great too. I wouldn't recommend going below 20%, though. Bloom the gelatin in 3–4 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 10 minutes, or for the time indicated on the package. Pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan and add the sugar and vanilla sugar. Heat until hot but do not boil, then turn off the heat.
Add the broken-up white chocolate. By the way, if you don't have white chocolate, you can make it without — just increase the amount of sugar.
Stir vigorously until the chocolate is fully melted. Then add the bloomed gelatin and stir until it dissolves completely. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. The cocoa butter from the chocolate may rise to the surface — if so, give it a good stir.
Place the mixture in the refrigerator until it thickens to the consistency of a slightly thick jelly. Stir it vigorously a couple of times during this period to ensure the melted chocolate is evenly distributed.
Prepare the sauce. Bloom the gelatin in 2–3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 10 minutes, or for the time indicated on the package. Place the strawberries in a blender.
Place over heat, add the sugar, bring to hot but not boiling, then turn off the heat. Add the bloomed gelatin and stir until it dissolves. Let cool completely.
Arrange the strawberries on top. I placed whole berries — mine weren't very large, so I needed 700 g of strawberries. If your berries are large or you don't have as many, you can slice them and arrange them in circles (like in the Strawberry Cheesecake mentioned above) — 300 g of strawberries will be enough in that case.
Refrigerate the remaining sauce until it thickens slightly. Then drizzle it over the strawberries (I poured it from a piping bag with the corner snipped off — you can also just use a spoon). Refrigerate until the sauce is fully set.
You can dust the top with powdered sugar, sliced almonds, or shredded coconut (I used shredded coconut). Before serving, it's best to take the cake out of the refrigerator 20–30 minutes ahead of time so it can warm up slightly. This light, cool, and oh-so-summery panna cotta cake with strawberries is sure to delight any fan of this berry! So delicious and so impressive!
Comments