Coeur a la Creme

Heart of cream.  Floating in a pool of raspberry sauce.

It's my mom's choice of birthday cake.

My sister-in-law says it's better than cheesecake.

My husband positively loves this stuff.

It's ridiculously creamy and so rich that you want to die - in a good way.

The tartness of the raspberry sauce is the perfect accompaniment to the rich, creamy, cream-cheesy dessert.

Coeur a la Creme mold

The first time I made this, I thought there was no way that the cream would actually whip with the cream cheese.  I thought the cream cheese would weigh down the cream.  Boy.  Was I wrong.

You can also use a colander if you don't have a heart-shaped mold.

This works like a charm every time.  It's one of the easiest desserts in the world - it's really as simple as whipping cream.

The only tricks are to make sure your cream cheese is seriously room temperature (I leave mine out overnight), the cream is really cold (take it out of the fridge right before you add it to the cream cheese) and that you whip it long enough to be thick but not so long that it curdles.  You'll know when you've reached the right thickness.

Go forth and make a heart of cream.  Or a circle of cream, if you use a colander.  Which works perfectly and is what I used to do before my husband bought me my heart mold.  The heart molds are easy to find on Amazon (which is where I buy virtually everything.   I should be an Amazon spokesperson).

I'll post the raspberry sauce next.  Until then...

Coeur a la Creme
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa


12 oz. (1 1/2 blocks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
Raspberry Sauce
Fresh raspberries, for serving

Using the whisk attachment to your mixer, mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Don't beat them together; just mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure it is incorporated.

On low, pour in the vanilla bean paste and cream.  Gradually increase the speed to high and whip until the mixture is the consistency of whipped cream.

Pour the mixture into a cheesecloth- (or paper towel) lined coeur a la creme mold (a heart-shaped mold with holes in the bottom) or a colander.  Place the mold in a larger dish to catch the excess liquid that will drain.

Cover with plastic wrap and place the coeur a la creme in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.

When the mixture is ready, discard the liquid that has gathered in the larger dish.  Uncover the coeur a la creme and invert it on a larger plate or platter.  Pour the raspberry sauce around the coeur a la creme.  Serve with fresh raspberries.