Easy Mixed Fruits In Cream Dessert

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It is simple and quick to make and tastes delicious.
• The only time-consuming part of the recipe is dicing the fruit, but that does not take too long.
• Make this fruit cream dessert any time of the year with whatever fruits you have.
• It's a kid-friendly recipe.
• It's an easy dessert that requires no cooking.
• The perfect summer dessert for taking to potlucks and barbecues.
• It can easily be scaled up when you need to feed a crowd for special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas. 
• This recipe is gluten-free.

Ingredients

To make this easy fruit cream dessert, you will need:

Cream - you will need a high-fat cream like heavy whipping cream or fresh cream.

Sweetener - We used icing sugar (powdered sugar) as the sweetener, but you could use an equal amount of another sweetener of your choice like; sweetened condensed milk or Stevia for a sugar-free alternative.

Vanilla extract (or essence) gives the cream a nice flavor and is optional.

Fresh fruits -  depending on what you have, you could use one type or a combination of fruits. We made this recipe with mixed fruits and used bananas, blueberries, kiwi fruit, and strawberries. 

You can add most fruits to fruits and cream, but some fruits like watermelon, other melons, and oranges are high in water and should be left out if making the dessert one to two hours in advance because they will make it watery.

However, you can add these at the last minute just before serving.

Dried fruits and nuts give added texture and variation to the cream fruit salad and are optional. You could use pistachios, almonds, apricots, candied papaya, sultanas, or whatever you have, or leave out the nuts if anyone has nut allergies.

Equipment

Electric hand-held mixer or hand beater

Step 1 - Place the cream, icing sugar, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to beat the cream until soft peaks (or medium peaks) form.

Step 2 - Dice the fruit and nuts of your choice and add them to the cream.

Step 3 -  Gently fold the fruit and nuts into the cream using a spatula. You can serve it immediately or store it covered in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours before serving.

Recipe Notes

What Are Soft, Medium, And Firm Peaks

Soft, medium, and firm peaks are just various stages of the beating process.

To make peaks add the flavorings and sugar to the cream. Then beat the cream until you see it start to thicken, stop beating, and lift the beaters out of the cream to check the peak stage. 

Continue or stop whipping the cream to the desired peak stage.

Soft peak cream

If a peak forms and flops over immediately, it is a soft peak.

If a recipe calls for a soft peak, you can stop beating, but if it asks for medium or firm peaks, continue to beat the cream for a little longer to get the correct consistency.

Soft peak cream is the best for folding into other mixtures such as blancmange or making fruits in cream.

Medium peak cream

If the peak stands well, but the tip of the peak curls over, it is a medium peak.

If you whip medium-peak cream for a little longer, it turns into firm peaks.

Medium peak cream is best for sandwiching cakes together or for serving with things like our eggless scones.

Firm peak cream 

If the peak stands well and does not curl over onto itself, it has become a firm peak, and you should stop beating the cream.

If you continue to beat the cream after the firm peak stage, it will split and won't be nice to use.

Firm peak cream is best for piping or making desserts like our Dulce de leche mousse or this strawberry fool recipe.

Don't over-mix the fruit into the cream

When folding the fruit and nut into the cream, be gentle and don't over-mix because the cream can quickly go from soft peak to firm peak or be overmixed and split.

Expert Tips

Dry roast the nuts

Before adding the nuts to the cream, roast them. Dry roasting brings out the flavors of nuts and makes them extra crunchy.

To dry roast, place the nuts into a frying pan (skillet) over medium-low heat and roast until they turn a light golden color and smell fragrant.

It is important to stir them as you roast and keep a close eye on them because you don't want them to burn.

As soon as they are toasted, remove them from the heat, transfer them to a plate and allow them to cool completely before mixing with the cream.

The nuts can be toasted whole or after you have chopped them.

Serving Size

A serving size is about ⅓ cup.

Calories Per Serve

There are about 182 calories per serve.

Serving Suggestions

Serve fruits in cream cold straight from the fridge. It can be served family style in one big bowl or as individual servings in small dishes or glass bowls.

Layer fruit and cream - Instead of mixing the fruit into the cream, you can create alternating layers of fruit and cream.

Variations

Flavored creams

For variety, you could make a cream with a different flavor like one of our recipes below. 

• Cinnamon whipped cream
• Caramel whipped cream
• Coffee whipped cream

If you decide to make one of the flavored cream recipes, remember to stop whipping the cream when it reaches the soft peak stage.

Fruit puree 

You can also flavor the cream with fruit puree. Fold in small amounts of pureed fruits like mango, strawberry, and raspberry after you have whipped the cream.

Greek Yogurt 

Mix in half to one cup of thick Greek yogurt. Avoid using a thin yogurt because it will make the cream watery. Depending on how sour the yogurt is, you might like to add more icing sugar. 

Shahi cream

This Indian variation of fruit cream uses saffron, rose essence, and rose petals. 

To make - place 2 tablespoons of milk into a small bowl and make it hot in the microwave oven. Add a good pinch or two of saffron strands to the hot milk and mix well. Let it stand for 10 minutes to cool.

Stir the cooled saffron milk into the soft peak cream, along with a few drops of rose essence, rose petals, diced fruit, and nuts.

Canned fruit

You can also use canned fruits and drain them well before adding to the cream because any excess moisture can make the creamy watery.

Jelly (Jello)

Make jelly as directed on the package and allow to set. Cut into small cubes and mix in with the fruit.

Storage

Refrigeration - Fruits in cream are best stored in the fridge until ready to serve.

Freezing - Not suitable to freeze.

Meal Prepping

If you would like to get some advanced preparation done for busy times like Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter, or Thanksgiving, you can do so the day before:

• Nuts can be toasted, chopped, and stored in a sealed container at room temperature. 
• If using dried fruits, large pieces can be cut into small pieces and combined with the other dried fruits you are using. These can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge.
• If using canned fruit, drain them and store them covered in the fridge.
• Whip the cream to the soft peak stage and store it covered in the fridge.
• The next day about an hour or two before serving - dice the fresh fruit and fold it into the whipped cream along with the other ingredients you prepared the day before.
• Store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.

FAQ

More Easy Recipes

See all our flavored whipped cream recipes or try some of these easy recipes:

• Dulce de leche
• Strawberry fool
• White chocolate rocky road
• Blueberry cashew ice cream