Berry Fool – No Cook Summer Dessert

Light, fruity and creamy, this delicious no-cook mixed berry fool dessert is the perfect way to enjoy balmy summer nights.

Hey guys, if you’ve been wondering where I’ve disappeared to, fear not. I’m just on vacation in India! Feels so good to be back at the motherland, though I could have done less with the seasonal monsoon rains. My days are at the same time, lazy and hectic. Weird, right? Hope things are going well at your end.

Now that I’m done with my excuses for being a poor blogger, let’s get on with today’s recipe. It’s summer in most parts of the world right now, which means that the last thing on your mind is rustling up meals in a hot kitchen. I have a super easy, berrylicious no-cook dessert perfect for those summer nights.

This easy dessert screams “SUMMER” in both the looks and taste departments. I quickly rustled up this berry fool back in May when we began to see those plump berries in Texas.

What’s a berry fool, you ask? I’ll get to that in a bit, but let me first tell you that you can use any kind of berries for this dessert. I’ve used strawberries and also a small handful of raspberries, which are obviously not pictured anywhere. So you’ll have to take my word for it, okie?

Apart from providing giggles for its humorous name, the berry fool is probably the easiest recipe you can make while being the most delicious at the same time. It originated in England around the same time that trifles were invented. Although somewhat similar looking, a fruit fool is even easier to make. Pureed fruit (mostly berries) and sweetened cream are all it takes.

Delicately swirled or fully mixed in, the sweet berries and airy cream make for a moreish combo in a berry fool.

Whenever I make whipped cream, I always struggle with making the cream hold its peaks. I recently tried a method for naturally stabilized whipped cream and it worked out perfectly. All you need is some cream cheese. Heavy cream and soft cream cheese are whipped separately and folded together, and this is the best version of whipped cream I’ve ever tasted. There is a slight tang from the cream cheese and the cream holds its shape even on a hot Texas summer day. That should tell you something. You are welcome!!

You can fold in bits of fresh berries, chocolate shavings or even crushed butter cookies to further pretty up this beautiful dessert.

Berry Fool - No Cook Summer Dessert

 

Save Print

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Light, fruity and creamy, this delicious no-cook mixed berry fool dessert is the perfect way to enjoy balmy summer nights.

Author: Anjana Devasahayam

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Continental

Serves: 4

You will need:

• Berries - 2 cups (see Notes)
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 2 tsp
• Heavy cream - 1 cup
• Cream cheese - 4 oz, softened
• Powdered sugar - 2-4 tbsp, divided
• Vanilla extract - ½ tsp
• Chocolate shavings - to garnish, optional

How to:

1. Puree the berries along with sugar and lemon juice in a blender. Sieve to remove seeds if any. Set aside till needed.
2. Whip the heavy cream in a cold mixing bowl till soft peaks form.
3. In another cold bowl, whip the cream cheese on low speed till creamy and smooth. Add 2 tbsp of powdered sugar and vanilla extract, then whip until fully combined and creamy. Taste and add more sugar if needed, whipping to combine thoroughly.
4. Fold whipped cream into sweetened cream cheese and beat on medium speed till fully combined and fluffy. Use immediately or cover bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate till needed.
5. To make the berry fool, spoon in some fruit puree into a glass. Spoon or pipe a layer of whipped cream. Repeat the layers finishing with a generous dollop of cream on top. This can be refrigerated if not serving immediately.
6. Just before serving, lightly swirl the puree and cream together for a marbled look. I use a wooden skewer, a tall spoon would work too. Garnish with chocolate shavings, fresh berries or crushed cookies and serve.

Notes:

1. I used a cup each of raspberries and finely chopped strawberries. You can use other berries of choice.
2. As I mentioned in the post, the cream cheese acts as a natural stabilizer and flavor enhancer for the whipped cream. If you do not wish to use it, simply increase the amount of heavy cream to 2 cups and whip till stiff peaks form. Don't forget to add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.

3.5.3208

I love that the cream cheese based whipped cream added just a bit of body while retaining the signature airiness of this light summer dessert. Try this version for yourself and see!

Have you heard of berry fool? How do you make it? Are you a layerer, swirler or full-on mixer? Do share.

If you like this post, please follow this blog via Email to get post updates (find subscription box on the right side of this page, or scroll down in mobile version).

Stay connected on social media, PIN and SHARE this post.

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | Google+

I am sharing this over at Fiesta Friday, FoodieFriDIY & Saucy Saturday.