This Italian cream pudding, budino alla panna, is made of whipped cream and lemon syrup set with gelatine, layered with my homemade raspberry sauce. It is creamier than a panna cotta and simpler than a bavarese. It is the dessert I recommend for a dinner party, because it can be made a day ahead and it presents well on the table whatever the holiday theme of your decorations.
Budino alla panna is a dolce al cucchiaio like budino or panna cotta, the Italian way to say pudding.
I started to make this pudding when I moved North, as cream is not a typical ingredient used in the South, and I prefer it to panna cotta because it is creamier.
For more on how cooking changes from one Italian region to the next, see A History of Italian Cuisine.
Budino alla panna, panna cotta and bavarese
In a panna cotta, the cream is cooked to infuse it with the vanilla and the gelatine.
A bavarese is made with a custard of milk, egg yolks and sugar set with gelatine, and the whipped cream is folded into it.
In this budino the cream is whipped and never cooked, and I use a simple sugar syrup instead of the custard to carry the gelatine, which is why it is creamier than a panna cotta and simpler than a bavarese.
For more holiday desserts, you can check my chestnut pavlova, torrone, tronchetto di Natale, struffoli and cannoli.
You can serve it at the end of the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, at a traditional Italian Christmas dinner or at an Italian dinner party.
Ingredients
You need the following ingredients:
- Whipping cream (panna da montare) gives the budino its body, so buy cream sold for whipping.
- Sugar sweetens the syrup.
- Lemon flavours the syrup with its peel and its juice.
- Gelatine sheets set the budino.
- Vanillin sugar flavours the syrup.
- Cointreau flavours the cream.
- Raspberry sauce, made with fresh or frozen raspberries, sugar and the juice of half a lemon, gives the budino its fruit layers.
- Cocktail cherries in red and green are for decoration.
- Pistachios decorate the top.
Find the measurements in the recipe card.
Equipment
- A 5-cup (1.2-litre) pudding mould, which the quantities in the recipe card fill
- A small saucepan for the syrup
- A bowl and an electric mixer for whipping the cream
- A bowl of very hot water for turning the budino out
Step by step instructions
The raspberry sauce
Cook the raspberries with the sugar and the lemon juice for 10 minutes.
Blend half of the sauce.
Note: I add very little sugar to the sauce because I like the contrast with the cream, and you can add more if you prefer.
Pass part of the sauce through a sieve.
The syrup
Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water.
Put the sugar, the water and the lemon peel in a small pan over low heat.
Stir until the sugar forms a clear syrup.
Take the pan off the heat and remove the lemon peel from the syrup.
Squeeze the water out of the gelatine sheets.
Stir the gelatine into the syrup until it is completely dissolved.
Add the strained lemon juice and the vanillin sugar to the syrup.
Let the syrup cool until lukewarm.
The cream
Pour the Cointreau into the mould and turn it so the liqueur wets the whole inside.
Whip the cream until stiff.
Pour the lukewarm syrup into the cream in a thin stream while folding it in, making sure the syrup is not too hot.
Add the liqueur drained from the mould to the cream.
The composition
Pour a quarter of the cream into the mould.
Spoon some of the filtered raspberry sauce into the center only, keeping part of it aside for decorating.
Repeat the cream and sauce layers twice more.
Finish with the last quarter of cream, without sauce.
Tap the mould gently on the worktop so everything settles.
Refrigerate the budino overnight.
Note: Do not put too much sauce, otherwise the layer will detach.
The decoration
About an hour before serving, dip the mould in very hot water for a few seconds.
Turn the budino out onto a dessert plate.
Spoon the raspberry sauce you kept aside into the center and around the base.
Cover the top of the budino with grated pistachios.
Troubleshooting
- Make sure the gelatine sheets are completely melted.
- Let the gelatine syrup cool down, otherwise the cream will curdle.
- Do not put too much sauce in the middle of the mould, otherwise the layer will be unstable. Make sure you add it only in the center.
Serving suggestions
Decorate the plate to match the occasion.
The budino can be served with pandoro or panettone, or with a bowl of Italian almond shortbread cookies beside it.
You can serve it at the end of the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, at a traditional Italian Christmas dinner or at an Italian dinner party.
At Christmas it sits well next to my Tronchetto di Natale.
FAQ
Can I make budino alla panna a day ahead?
Yes, it can be made a day ahead, because it sets in the fridge overnight.
Why are there lumps of gelatine in my cream?
Make sure the gelatine sheets are completely melted, and let the gelatine syrup cool down before you add it to the cream, otherwise the cream will curdle.
Why did the layers of my budino come apart?
Do not put too much sauce in the middle of the mould, otherwise the layer will be unstable. Add the sauce only in the center.
How do I turn the budino out of the mould?
About an hour before serving, dip the mould in very hot water for a few seconds and turn the budino out onto a dessert plate.
What size mould do I need?
The quantities in the recipe card fill a 5-cup (1.2-litre) pudding mould.
What is the difference between budino alla panna, panna cotta and bavarese?
In a panna cotta the cream is cooked to infuse it with the vanilla and the gelatine, and a bavarese is made with a custard of milk, egg yolks and sugar. In this budino I use whipped cream and a simple sugar syrup instead, which is why it is creamier than a panna cotta and simpler than a bavarese.
Can I use frozen raspberries for the sauce?
Yes, I make the sauce with fresh or frozen raspberries.
Can I use powdered gelatine instead of sheets?
Yes, and for the measurements you need to follow the instructions on the box.
Can I make it without the Cointreau?
Yes, you can make it without the Cointreau.
How long does it keep in the fridge?
It keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, but check the expiry date on the cream.
More holliday desserts
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Italian Cream Pudding (Budino alla Panna)
Verified Culinary AuthorityIngredients
Pudding
- 3⅓ cups 800 g whipping cream
- 1 cup 200 g sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 lemons for the peel
- 8 gelatine sheets
- 2 teaspoon sachets vanillin sugar
- 4 tablespoons 60 ml Cointreau
Raspberry sauce
- 1 lb fresh or frozen raspberries, for the sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar add more if you like
- juice of ½ lemon
Decoration
- red and green cocktail cherries to decorate
- 2 tablespoons pistachios grated, to decorate
Instructions
The raspberry sauce
- Cook the raspberries with the sugar and the lemon juice for 10 minutes.
- Blend half of the sauce.
- Pass the blended sauce through a sieve.
- Note: I add very little sugar to the sauce because I like the contrast with the cream, and you can add more if you prefer.
The syrup
- Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water.
- Put the sugar, the water and the lemon peel in a small pan over low heat.
- Stir until the sugar forms a clear syrup.
- Take the pan off the heat and remove the lemon peel from the syrup.
- Squeeze the water out of the gelatine sheets.
- Stir the gelatine into the syrup until it is completely dissolved.
- Add the strained lemon juice and the vanillin sugar to the syrup.
- Let the syrup cool until lukewarm.
The cream
- Pour the Cointreau into the mould and turn it so the liqueur wets the whole inside.
- Whip the cream until stiff.
- Pour the lukewarm syrup into the cream in a thin stream while folding it in, making sure the syrup is not too hot.
- Add the liqueur drained from the mould to the cream.
The composition
- Pour a quarter of the cream into the mould.
- Spoon some of the filtered raspberry sauce into the center only, keeping part of it aside for decorating.
- Repeat the cream and sauce layers twice more.
- Finish with the last quarter of cream, without sauce.
- Tap the mould gently on the worktop so everything settles.
- Refrigerate the budino overnight.
- Note: Do not put too much sauce, otherwise the layer will detach.
The decoration
- About an hour before serving, dip the mould in very hot water for a few seconds.
- Turn the budino out onto a dessert plate.
- Cover the top of the budino with grated pistachios.
- Spoon the raspberry sauce you kept aside into the center and around the base.
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