Desserts

Creamy Fruit Dessert with Berries and Toasted Nuts

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Christmas Dessert Without Baking
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Creamy Fruit Dessert with Berries and Toasted Nuts

This creamy fruit dessert is the one I reach for when people are coming over and the oven is already busy. It starts with a silky vanilla custard, gets folded with cold whipped cream, then fills up with fresh berries and toasted nuts.

There is no baking, no gelatin and no alcohol anywhere in it. You cook one small pot of custard, let it chill, and the rest is just folding and spooning.

Serve it from one big glass bowl for a crowd, or spoon it into small glasses so everyone gets their own. Either way it looks like you spent the afternoon on it, and you did not.

Recipe at a Glance

DetailValue
Prep time25 minutes
Cook time8 minutes
Chill time4 hours (overnight is better)
Total time4 hours 33 minutes
Serves6
Calories380 kcal per serving (estimated, without cookies)
Pan size2-litre (2-quart) glass bowl, or 6 glasses of 200 ml (7 oz)
Oven temperatureNot needed — this dessert is no-bake

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Fruit Dessert

  • No oven, no gelatin. One small pot on the stove is all the cooking you do.
  • Make it the day before. The flavour and the texture are both better after a night in the fridge.
  • Works with whatever fruit you have. Strawberries, mixed berries, peaches, bananas, mango — all fine.
  • Cheap ingredients. Milk, sugar, cornstarch, two egg yolks and a little cream feed six people.
  • Serves two ways. One big bowl for family style, or small glasses for a party.

Ingredients

For the vanilla custard base:

  • 500 ml (2 cups + 1 tbsp) whole milk
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 80 g (scant 1/2 cup) granulated sugar
  • 40 g (5 tbsp) cornstarch
  • 1 packet vanilla sugar (8 g / 2 tsp), or 1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp fine salt

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Creamy Fruit Dessert with Berries and Toasted Nuts

Recipe

Creamy Fruit Dessert with Berries and Toasted Nuts

Be the first to rate this recipe!
Prep25 mins
Cook8 mins
Total4 hrs 33 mins
Servings6
Calories380 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Mix the custard base. Put the egg yolks in a medium saucepan, off the heat. Add the sugar, the vanilla sugar and the salt, and whisk until the mixture turns pale. Whisk in the cornstarch until there are no lumps at all. Lumps here will still be there at the end, so take the extra thirty seconds.
  2. Add the milk slowly. Pour in the milk in a thin stream while you keep whisking. Going slowly at the start is what keeps the base smooth. Once all the milk is in, the mixture should look thin and completely even.
  3. Cook until thick. Set the pan over medium heat and stir constantly, reaching into the corners. After 5 to 8 minutes the mixture thickens suddenly — keep stirring through that moment. Because this custard contains egg yolks, cook it to 160°F (71°C). That is the safe minimum internal temperature FoodSafety.gov lists for egg dishes, and a thermometer is the only reliable way to check. The custard will look thick and glossy at that point.
  4. Cool the custard completely. Pour the custard into a clean bowl. Press cling film directly onto the surface so it touches everywhere — that is what stops a skin forming. Let it cool on the counter for about 30 minutes, then move it to the fridge until it is cold. Warm custard will melt your whipped cream.
  5. Prepare the fruit and nuts. Wash the fruit, pat it dry and cut it into small even pieces. Small berries can stay whole. Chop the nuts roughly — pieces, not powder, or you lose the crunch. Toast them in a dry pan for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat if you want more flavour, then let them cool before they go anywhere near the cream.
  6. Whip the cream and fold. Whip the very cold cream to soft-to-firm peaks. Stop as soon as it holds its shape. Add the whipped cream to the cold custard in three batches, folding with a spatula from the bottom up. Short, gentle strokes keep the air in. Stop the moment it looks even.
  7. Add the fruit, fill and chill. Fold in the fruit, most of the nuts and the crumbled cookies if you are using them. Keep a little of each back for the top. Spoon the mixture into a 2-litre glass bowl or into six glasses, smooth the surface, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours. Overnight is better. Decorate just before serving so the nuts stay crisp.

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