So you’ve had a cappuccino before. Now, you can also eat one in the form of our cappuccino coffee dessert parfait!
A cappuccino is an espresso based coffee drink that’s made up of 1 part espresso, 1 part steamed milk and 1 part foamed milk.
I thought this ratio would make a delicious parfait.
So I replaced each layer – the espresso, steamed milk and foamed milk with a dessert counterpart that doesn’t require any baking. Plus, they all complement each other really well.
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You can eat it straight out of the container you put it in, or eat it like a dip with graham crackers or other cookies.
We’ll cover each of the layers and how you can make it so you can eat your cappuccino.
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Part 1: Coffee Mousse = Espresso
The first third of the cappuccino is espresso.
For our espresso part, we used coffee flavored mousse.
Mousse is a light and airy French dessert. The traditional recipe calls for uncooked eggs, but you can omit it, which results in a thicker mousse.
To make coffee mousse, you’ll need eggs, granulated sugar, instant coffee, gelatin, cocoa powder and heavy cream. Check out our full recipe here.
You can also use chocolate pudding for this layer.
Part 2: Panna Cotta = Steamed Milk
The second part of the cappuccino is steamed milk.
For our steamed milk, we used vanilla panna cotta.
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert that translates to cooked cream. It’s a sweet and thick cream that is so easy to make.
For one serving, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon gelatin
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Start by blooming the gelatin. To do this, put the gelatin in about 2 tablespoons of water for a few minutes. This allows the gelatin to soften and dissolve better in the heavy cream.
Put heavy cream and sugar on the stovetop on low heat. When the cream starts to simmer, add gelatin. Once everything has dissolved, turn off the heat and stir in vanilla.
Place this mixture in a container and leave it in the fridge for an hour or two, or until it hardens.
You can also use vanilla pudding for this layer in replacement.
Part 3: Whipped Cream = Foamed Milk
The third part of the cappuccino is foamed milk.
For our foamed milk part, we used whipped cream using heavy cream.
You can use store bought whipped cream, or make your own.
To make it at home, place heavy cream in a bowl and use an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form. That’s it!
Part 4: Cinnamon = Cookies, Cinnamon, Anything!
Cappuccinos are oftentimes topped with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or cocoa powder.
For the cappuccino parfait dessert, you can also top it with cinnamon or cocoa powder. Or, you can top it with cookies or fruit.
We used crushed graham crackers. And if you’re not making individual portions, the cappuccino coffee parfait works great as a dip for graham crackers too.
Assembling the Cappuccino Parfait
Step 1
Since a cappuccino starts with espresso, your bottom layer will be the chocolate mousse, followed by the panna cotta and topped with whipped cream.
Step 2
Add anything you’d like on top.
Some ideas:
- Mini chocolate chips
- Strawberry slices
- Graham crackers
- Blueberries
- Nilla Wafers
- Oreos
