Russian Cream is a rich, creamy, chilled, and unbelievably easy dessert for Valentine’s Day, as well as all of the spring and summer months we have ahead of us. It’s easy to customize too! The basic recipe just uses vanilla, but you could easily add orange, lemon, lime, or coconut extract to mix things up. It’s simple to make, easy to serve, and great for entertaining as it can be made and chilled ahead of time.
Ingredients Needed
- sugar
- gelatin
- cold water
- sour cream – light is fine
- vanilla extract
- heavy whipping cream
- berries
How to Make Russian Cream
This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!
- Bloom the gelatin with sugar and water, then set aside briefly.
- Whisk vanilla into the sour cream and set aside.
- Heat the gelatin mixture until dissolved, then stir in cream and the sour cream mixture.
- Pour into ramekins and chill until set.
- Serve cold, topped with berries.
Storage & Other Tips
- Make Ahead of Time & Chill: This recipe stays good for a couple of days in the fridge and needs 4 hours minimum of chill time, so you can make it the night before beautifully. Cover the ramekins tightly with plastic wrap. Add the berries right before serving so they stay fresh.
- Bring to Serving Temperature: take the ramekins out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before serving so the cream isn’t too hard, and the flavor comes through more clearly.
- More Garnish Ideas: In addition to berries, you can also add a few mint leaves, a dusting of powdered sugar, or a chocolate curl.
Frequently Asked Questions
The key difference is the addition of sour cream. Sometimes people will make Russian Cream with crème fraîche or buttermilk too. It gives it a slight tartness and a lighter, melt-in-your-mouth texture compared to the firmer, sweeter, more traditional cream-and-gelatin base of panna cotta.
Instead of berries, you could use freshly sliced fruit (just note that the juicy fruit could release liquid, so do it immediately before serving). You could easily add orange, lemon, lime, or coconut extract to mix things up, and do corresponding garnishes to complement those flavors. (For coconut extract, you could try a lime wedge, chocolate curls, and flaked sweetened coconut. If you add a citrus extract, you could go with pomegranate arils, a rosemary sprig, and a drizzle of honey…you get the idea!) This recipe is basically a blank slate, which makes it really fun and easy to customize.
Common issues include not blooming the gelatin long enough, not bringing it to a proper boil, or adding cold ingredients too quickly. Make sure the gelatin fully dissolves before adding the sour cream mixture slowly.
Yes, this is perfect to make ahead of time. The set cream can be made and chilled up to a day early. Take out the ramekins from the fridge 10-15 minutes before serving and let them come up to temperature a bit, then add the berries or other garnishes of your choice.
Russian Cream
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 packet unflavored gelatin
- ½ cup cold water
- 12 ounces sour cream light is fine
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract* see notes
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- berries, fresh
Instructions
- Whisk together the sugar and gelatin in a small saucepan and whisk in the cold water. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
- While the mixture is standing, whisk the vanilla into the sour cream and set aside.
- When the gelatin mixture has sat for 5 minutes, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When boiling, remove from heat and whisk in cream. Very slowly whisk in the sour cream mixture, then distribute evenly among 6-8 ramekins.
- Chill for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, top with berries.
Notes
- *If you’d like to mix up the flavors a little, try reducing the vanilla to 1/2 teaspoon and then adding a teaspoon of your favorite extract–lemon, orange, coconut, and lime are all great choices!
Questions & Reviews
I have never heard of this, but you better believe I am making it now! Like as soon as I can get my hands on the ingredients! I bet almond flavoring would be pretty fantastic as well!
I love your ramekins! Where did you get them, please?
Pier 1! 🙂
Did you buy the ramekins a while ago? I went to pick some up and couldn’t find any. LOVE THEM!
Oh, it is a Charlotte Russe without the Grand Marnier-soaked ladyfingers lining the trifle mold! My mom and I used to make that and I love love love it! This would be easier (and less alcoholic), of course!
Oh my stinking heck! My parents owned a restaurant when I was a little kid and the chef made this and gave them the recipe but told them on pain of death to never share it till after he was dead. Like as in they never shared it with us until last Christmas until they were sure he was dead. I kid you not. And here you are sharing it with the whole world. Have you no shame??? Seriously this weirds me out lol!
Modified from Taste of Home???? All these years…
Hahahahaha!!! I had it at a church party awhile back and this was seriously the second link when I googled it! That’s hilarious.
I have come to the conclusion that I’m happy you posted this…I realized I haven’t even made it since I got the recipe over a year ago because I always felt like I was prying the recipe out of someones cold dead hands. Highly liberating…thanks lol
Kate Jones, liberating Russian Cream recipes since 2016…
lol! That’s awesome!
Beautiful photos. I love how much light you get in your shots. homeecathome.com
Am i misding something? What do you do with the heaving whipping cream?
You add it in right after the sugar/water/gelatin mixture is done boiling–super easy to miss. 🙂
Ok, let’s talk texture. Would you say it’s closer to pudding or flan?
More flan-ish. Does that help at all? Hahaha!
This looks amazing and I have never even heard of it before. Is the texture like pudding…does it get a “skin” on the top? Or is it like custard or mousse or what? Of course it must have quite a tang with all the sour cream. You come up with such intriguing recipes. Thanks!
It’s kind of like a custard or cheesecake with a slightly different texture, minus the drama. And no skin! 🙂
I love that I don’t have to bake this in a water bath! I’m excited to try it.
Sounds delicious! May I ask where you found the measuring spoons? I like that the writing is easy to see.
My husband got them for me a few years ago from Christmas–I believe he got them from Amazon. Maybe try searching amazon for magnetic measuring spoons?