Layered Panna Cotta with Pineapple, Mango and Vanilla

Fall is here! If you are the type of person that dreams about this time of the year, you are the type of person I can be friends with.

This candy corn panna cotta stacks a pineapple layer, a mango layer and a vanilla bean layer in little cups, then finishes them with whipped cream. The colors look just like candy corn, but it tastes like silky tropical fruit and vanilla.

The Best Candy Corn Panna Cotta (A Halloween Dessert for Skeptics)

Everything is magical: pumpkins everywhere, the chill and crisp air, the gloomy mood, comforting aromas, warm vanilla, spicy cinnamon, the sweaters and bonfires. Makes me all giddy just thinking about it.

And this time of the year also means one thing: Halloween! Loved by many, misunderstood by some. I actually have a friend who said she hates Halloween. I mean, I HAD a friend who hates Halloween. She said the worst part about it is the CANDY CORN! I was shocked!

Then I went to find out my husband also can’t stand candy corn. The only thing I could think of was: Why didn’t you both tell me this when we first met? “Hi, my name is John and I hate Candy Corn.” And I would say: “Bye, John.”

Either way, even if you don’t like candy corn, I can assure you this recipe tastes nothing like candy corn (well, except for the little candy corns I put on the top as garnish, just pluck them away).

This panna cotta is fancy and will be a hit at your dinner parties this year! You should give it a try! It will convince even your most candy corn skeptical friends!

Why You’ll Love This Layered Panna Cotta

• Looks like candy corn. Yellow pineapple, orange mango and white vanilla layers make a festive Halloween dessert.
• Tastes like fruit, not candy. Real pineapple, ripe mango and vanilla bean give it a fresh flavor.
• Made ahead. Each layer sets in the fridge, so it is ready when your guests arrive.
• Dinner party worthy. Individual cups topped with piped whipped cream look fancy with very little effort.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Each layer uses a short list of ingredients. Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

• Crushed pineapple: Makes the bottom layer. Drain a can of crushed pineapple well, then blend it briefly to smooth it out. If using a fresh pineapple, chop it, crush it in the food processor and measure out 1 cup. Boiling the fruit, as the recipe directs, is important with fresh pineapple, because raw pineapple contains an enzyme that stops gelatin from setting.
• Mango: One large ripe mango, peeled, chopped and pureed until smooth, makes the middle layer. If your mango is small, use one and a half or two. Ripe mango gives the deepest orange color and the sweetest flavor.
• Heavy cream: Gives panna cotta its rich, silky texture. It makes up almost all of the vanilla layer and adds creaminess to the pineapple layer. Use full fat heavy cream, since lighter cream or milk sets softer and tastes less rich.
• Vanilla bean: Half a bean, split with the seeds scraped out. The seeds flavor the white layer and leave pretty little specks. Choose a plump, moist bean. Run the back of a knife down each half to scrape out all of the seeds, and they will spread evenly through the warm cream.
• Sugar: Sweetens each layer. Depending on how ripe your fruit is, you might want to add an extra tablespoon to the pineapple layer.
• Vanilla extract: Rounds out the fruit flavor in the pineapple and mango layers.
• Powdered gelatin and cold water: Five grams of gelatin, roughly a heaping 1 1/2 teaspoons, per layer. Sprinkling it over cold water first lets it hydrate so it dissolves smoothly instead of clumping.
• Whipped cream: Heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla, whipped until stiff and piped on top.
• Garnish: A pineapple wedge, a mango slice, a mint leaf and a few candy corns.

How to Make Candy Corn Panna Cotta

1. Cook the pineapple. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the pineapple, sugar and heavy cream to a boil. Turn off the heat and let it cool a little.
2. Bloom the gelatin. Put 2 tablespoons of cold water in a large spouted measuring cup and sprinkle 5 grams of gelatin over it. Let it hydrate for about 5 minutes, until it looks spongy.
3. Pour the pineapple layer. Stir the vanilla into the pineapple, pour it over the gelatin and mix until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Fill each cup 1/4 of its height and refrigerate until set. Clear cups let the bright layers show.
4. Make the mango layer. Repeat with the mango, sugar and vanilla, blooming a fresh 5 grams of gelatin. Let it cool a few minutes so it isn’t too hot, then pour it over the set pineapple layer to fill another 1/4 of each cup. Refrigerate until set.
5. Infuse the vanilla cream. Heat the heavy cream, vanilla seeds and sugar over medium heat. When it boils, remove it from the heat and let it infuse for 30 minutes.
6. Pour the vanilla layer. Bloom the last 5 grams of gelatin. Warm the cream just a tad, pour it over the gelatin, stir until dissolved and pour it over the mango layer. Refrigerate until set.
7. Whip and pipe. Beat the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on high until fluffy and stiff. Keep an eye on it so you don’t overbeat. Spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a large tip, pipe swirls over the vanilla layer, and garnish with a pineapple wedge, a mango slice, a mint leaf and a few candy corns.

Candy Corn Panna Cotta FAQs

• Does it taste like candy corn? No. It tastes like pineapple, mango and vanilla cream. Only the candy corn garnish tastes like candy corn, so pluck it off if you are not a fan.
• Can I use fresh pineapple? Yes. Chop and crush it, then measure 1 cup. Be sure to bring it to a boil as directed, because uncooked fresh pineapple keeps gelatin from setting.
• Why did my layers blend together? The bottom layer wasn’t set yet, or the new layer was too hot. Let each layer set in the fridge, and cool the next mixture for a few minutes before pouring.
• Can I skip the vanilla bean? The bean gives the best flavor and pretty specks. Vanilla extract will work in a pinch, though the flavor will be milder.
• How do I know a layer is set? Gently tilt a cup. When the surface stays in place and feels firm to a light touch, it is ready for the next layer.
• Can I make it ahead? Yes. Panna cotta needs time in the refrigerator to set, so it is a great make ahead dessert. Add the whipped cream and garnish just before serving.
• How long does panna cotta keep? Cover the cups and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Pipe the whipped cream on the day you serve them so it stays fluffy.

Halloween Panna Cotta (Candy Corn Layers)

Halloween panna cotta with pineapple, mango and vanilla bean layers that look like candy corn but taste like silky tropical fruit and cream. Each layer sets in the fridge, so it is an easy make ahead dessert for parties.

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Ingredients

  

Pineapple Panacotta

• 12 ounces or 1 cup of crushed pineapples drained. Open a can of crushed pineapples and drain it. Then, process the crushed pineapples in the blender to smooth out a little bit. If using a pineapple, chop it then crush it in the food processor and measure out 1 cup to use.
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup sugar depending on how ripe the fruit is, you might want to add a tablespoon of sugar to make it sweeter, if that fancies you
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 5 grams powdered gelatin roughly heaping 1 ½ tsp

Mango Panacotta

• 1 cup of pureed mango which is about 1 large ripe mango. If the mango is too small use 2 or 1 ½ . Peel and chop the mango into large pieces. Puree in the blender until smooth. Reserve 1 cup to use in the recipe
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of cold water
• 5 grams powdered gelatin 1 ½ heaping teaspoon

Vanilla Bean Panacotta

• 1 ¼ cup cup heavy cream
• ½ vanilla bean split and seeds scraped
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 5 grams powdered gelatin 1 ½ heaping teaspoon

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Add all ingredients to the bowl of a mixer. With the whisk attachment beat heavy cream on high until fluffy and stiff. Keep your eye on it so you don’t overbeat.
• Fit a piping bag with any large tips of your preference and scoop whipped cream in the bag. Pipe whipped cream swirls over vanilla panacotta. Garnish with a pineapple wedge a mango slice and a mint leaf.

Instructions

 

Pineapple layer

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring pineapple, sugar and heavy cream to a boil. Turn it off and let it cool a little bit. Meanwhile, as soon as you turn the pineapple off, put 2 tablespoons of cold water in a large
• spouted measuring cup, I use my 8 cups measuring cup. Sprinkle 5 grams of gelatin powder over the water and let it hydrate for 5 minutes or so. Add 1 tsp of vanilla to the pineapple and stir, then pour mixture over gelatin and water. Mix ensuring the gelatin is dissolved. Get ready to pour into the cups. Each layer will be ¼ of the height of the cup that you’re using. ¼ for the pineapple panacotta, ¼ for the mango panacotta, ¼ for the vanilla panacotta and ¼ for whipped cream.

Mango Panacotta

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring mango, sugar and heavy cream to a boil. Turn it off and let it cool a little bit. Meanwhile, as soon as you turn the mango off, put 2 tablespoons of cold water in a large spouted measuring cup, I use my 8 cups measuring cup. Sprinkle 5 grams of gelatin powder over the water and let it hydrate for 5 minutes or so. Add 1 tsp of vanilla to the mango and stir, then pour mixture over gelatin and water. Mix ensuring the gelatin is dissolved. Pour over the pineapple panacotta, filling ¼ more of the cups height. Make sure the panacotta isn’t too hot before pouring over the cold pineapple panacotta. If it’s too hot wait a couple minutes. Refrigerate until set before proceeding with the vanilla bean panacotta

Vanilla Bean Panacotta

• Heat up the heavy cream with the vanilla seeds and sugar over medium heat in a small saucepan. When it reaches a boil, remove from heat and let it infuse for 30 minutes to enhance the vanilla flavor. You can skip this, but I highly recommend doing it. Put 2 tablespoons of cold water in a large spouted measuring cup, I use my 8 cups measuring cup. Sprinkle 5 grams of gelatin powder over the water and let it hydrate for 5 minutes or so. If you let your cream infuse with the vanilla, heat it up just a tad before mixing it in the gelatin. Pour the vanilla cream over gelatin and stir until all the gelatin is dissolved. Pour into little cups.

Whipped Cream

• Add all ingredients to the bowl of a mixer. With the whisk attachment beat heavy cream on high until fluffy and stiff. Keep your eye on it so you don’t overbeat.
• Fit a piping bag with any large tips of your preference and scoop whipped cream in the bag. Pipe whipped cream swirls over vanilla panacotta. Garnish with a pineapple wedge, a mango slice and a mint leaf.

Made this candy corn panna cotta? Leave a star rating in the recipe card and tell us in the comments below if it won over your candy corn haters. Your feedback helps other cooks.

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This recipe was shared by Camila.