Frozen Colomba Cream with Nutella Semifreddo
Italian Easter cake transformed into a frozen dessert. Soaked colomba is blended with ricotta, whipped cream, and gelatin, then frozen and topped with Nutella and hazelnuts. A sophisticated no-bake semifreddo that balances the lightness of whipped cream with the richness of chocolate-hazelnut spread.
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz g Stale Colomba [Easter cake]panettone1:1traditional-italian-cake
similar alcohol-soaked holiday bread
- ⅓ cups ml Milk
- ⅓ cups ml Fresh cream
- 3 ½ oz g Ricotta
- 1 Egg
- 2 ⅛ oz g Nutella® (15 g/portion)
- 1 Sheet of gelatine
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- For garnish
- Whole hazelnuts
Instructions
- 1
Soak the colomba cake in milk until softened.
- 2
Place the gelatin sheet in a bowl of lukewarm water and let it swell for a few minutes.
- 3
Beat the egg yolks together with the sugar.
- 4
Add the ricotta and mix thoroughly.
- 5
Squeeze out the colomba and mix it into the ricotta mixture.
- 6
Add the drained gelatin and mix everything together.
- 7
In a separate bowl, whip the cream.
- 8
Add the whipped cream to the mixture, folding from the bottom to the top.
- 9
Pour into individual dishes.
- 10
Freeze for at least 2-3 hours.
- 11
Serve each dish topped with Nutella and a whole hazelnut.
Tips
Use stale colomba for better absorption of milk and structural integrity when folded into the cream mixture.
Whip cream until soft peaks form before folding to maintain airiness in the final dessert.
Fold whipped cream gently from bottom to top to preserve the light texture.
Good to Know
Cover and freeze up to 5 days. Thaw 5 minutes before serving if too hard.
Prepare through freezing step up to 1 day ahead. Top with Nutella and hazelnut just before serving.
Directly from freezer or after 5 minutes at room temperature for softer texture. Serve chilled.
Common Mistakes
Do not overmix after adding whipped cream to avoid deflating the mousse.
Do not freeze below -18C to prevent ice crystal formation that ruins texture.
Do not skip the milk soaking step or colomba will remain too dense and dry.
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Swaps
General Alternatives
standard conversion for sheet gelatin
similar alcohol-soaked holiday bread