No-Bake Cheese Torte with Raspberry and Blackcurrant Coulis

Preparing this awesome dessert felt like I was in my bubble, fantasizing that I was in an upscale restaurant's kitchen, creating and improvising from pure imagination. I must say that it was the first time I've experienced such intense concentration while concocting a dish in my kitchen. Passion comes from within and its results is clear pleasure regardless of the level of intricacy being used during the process.

Moreover, there are no words to describe the determination I had today to get my dish right this time. When deeply focused, I feel that my senses and intuition are fully awoken. The moment I would feel uneasy, I would have a presentiment that the mixture I was working on wouldn't turn out. And it hadn't. Nonetheless, my perserverance took over and I repeated the failed steps over and over until I finally nailed them. Needless to say, I was more on adrenaline than feeling frustrated. The end result was worth the repetition and effort. All that to say that having the coulis inside the cake was the hardest part. Other than that, it's a very simple recipe if you don't want to bother with the fuss. You can simply drizzle the coulis over the cake. I just like to make things a little bit more interesting!

The cream cheese was bursting with vanilla flavour while timidly divulging a ginger fragrance. On its own, the torte was oozing with sensuality with its rich raspberry and blackcurrant coulis flowing down from the center, waiting to tickle the taste buds....need I say more?

Preparation time : 20 minutes, Refrigeration time : 1 hour

Recipe "au pif":
1 1/2 package of 250g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 tbsps icing sugar
1/2 tbps granulated raw cane sugar (or double the amount for regular granulated surgar)
50 ml heavy cream
2 vanilla pods, seeds removed and set aside
1 tbsp grated ginger (tip: freezing ginger facilitates grating)
handful of fresh raspberries
handful of fresh blackcurrant
Crème de Cassis liquor
crushed bran chocolate chip cookies for topping (or any other cookies of your choice)


Mix cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla seeds in a large mixing bowl.

Mix the heavy cream and granulated sugar in a separate bowl using a hand electric mixer until the cream has thickened into a crème chantilly (whippe cream).

Blend in well the whipped cream into the cream cheese mix until they're well incorporated and you've reached a nice velvety and smooth texture.

Gently put in half of the cream cheese in a 4-inch whide or 2 x 2-inch wide stainless steel food ring (s), set on a plate, and pat firmly the cream cheese along the walls of the ring so that there are no air pockets.

Scoop out a 2 inch hole in the middle and let it sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the raspberry and blackurrant coulis by slowly simmering the fruits into about 1/2 cup of Crème de Cassis, in a small sauce pan on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Once chilled, take out the cream cheese and mold from the fridge and put in just enough of the raspberry and blackcurrent coulis to fill the hole. Add in the remaining cream cheese mixture as a top layer and to cover the hole. Pat firmly. Chill for another 40 minutes.

Once chilled, run a small knife inside the edges of the ring to loosen the cheese torte, and remove the ring slowly.

Sprinkle the crushed cookies on top of the torte as topping and drizzle a bit more of the coulis, and add more fruit if you wish.

Now, cut half-way through the torte and watch the coulis ooze out like there is no tomorrow.

Serves 2 people.

Share and enjoy.