I have a ridiculous sweet tooth. After this NO BAKE monstrosity that I built over the weekend, I want to pull it out. No-bake desserts make me anxious because they are always ready. Every step is ready. Every layer of cake daring me to break rules. I’ve swooped up some of that luscious custard, licked the whipped cream off my finger and munched on the graham crackers bloodied from the raspberries. Nothing was left untasted.
But can we just appreciate the beautiful layers? The simple, elegant look of this cake is everything. And it could not be easier. It’s no-bake but tastes so decadent. The raspberry seeds speckling the cake adds just the right pinkish tinge to the cream. It’s the time of year where you need to put a fancy creamy dessert on your table!
No Bake Raspberry Cream Cake
Ingredients
Crust
- 20 graham crackers
Custard
- 1 3/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
Raspberry Compote
- 1 1/4 cup raspberries
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Other
- fresh raspberries for garnish
Instructions
Raspberry Compote
- To make the raspberry compote, mash up raspberries, sugar, water and lemon juice with a fork in a pan over medium heat. Let it simmer until the raspberries have broken down completely. No need to strain.
Custard
- In a saucepan over medium to low heat, warm milk and sugar. Let simmer until milk is slightly bubbly around edges. Be careful not to let it boil.
- In a bowl, crack in the egg yolks and add cornflour and mix until it becomes a thick paste.
- Once milk has started to simmer, remove the saucepan from the stove.
- Now pour in 3/4 of the milk very very slowly into the egg mixture to temper it and continue to whisk it using a whisk. Adding all at once and you'll end up with scrambled eggs! Don't do that please.
- Next, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and put the saucepan back onto the stove.
- Turn the flame on to low and continue to cook the custard until the custard gets thick. This can take up to 15 minutes. Keep whisking while its cooking and don't leave it unattended.
- Once thick, remove the saucepan from the stove and stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour the custard into a clean bowl and cover with cling film. Make sure the cling film touches the custard. This will prevent any skin forming on top.
- While custard is cooling, whip up heavy cream in a mixing bowl. Once frothy, add in sugar and continue to whip until you get stiff peaks.
- Now fold the whipped cream into the custard very gently. Set it aside.
Assemble Cake
- Smear a bit of cream in the bottom on an 8-inch springform pan to help glue the crust.
- Lay on graham crackers flat, breaking up pieces to make sure the entire pan is covered.
- Next, brush the graham crackers with some raspberry compote.
- Now smear on a third of the whipped cream and using a spatula, spread evenly.
- Repeat this process twice more. Graham crackers, raspberry puree, cream, ending with a layer of cream.
- Finally, brush the cream with some more raspberry compote to add a lovely pink tinge.
- Cover with cling film and refrigerate the cake for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld, preferably overnight.
- Unmold the cake from the pan and garnish with fresh raspberries before serving up!
