13 Ways to Make Decadent Desserts With Silky, Tangy Crème Fraîche Use the lush cultured cream to add richness and tartness to desserts like mousse and icebox cake. By Nina Friend Nina Friend Nina Friend is a New York-based writer who covers food, drink, travel, lifestyle, and sports. Nina’s work has appeared in Vogue, Air Mail, Bon Appétit, Cherry Bombe, Food & Wine, The BBC, and NBC Sports, among others. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 13, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser Thick, silky crème fraîche provides an instant upgrade when it comes to desserts, whether you’re dolloping it over a piece of pie or incorporating it into cake batter for added moisture and tang. This cultured dairy is readily available at the store, or you can make it at home with heavy cream and buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt. In these recipes, it lends richness to cakes and mousses, creates a tangy counterpoint to fruit, and even helps make pastry more tender. Here are sweet ways to put this versatile French cream to good use. Love these recipes? Join MyRecipes — your personal home for recipes — to easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place. 01 of 13 Bourbon-Peach Icebox Cake Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless For this party-ready icebox cake, April McGreger bolsters whipped cream with crème fraîche and cream cheese for tangy balance and added stability. The multilayered dessert holds its shape beneath a topping of buttery crumbled cookies and sweet peach jam. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 13 Baked Rhubarb Compote with Crème Fraîche Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser Alice Waters tosses the pink, fleshy stalks of fresh rhubarb with sugar and lemon before baking them until they’re tender and slightly syrupy. She serves the seasonal compote with a dollop of crème fraîche for an elegant dessert that comes together in under an hour. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 13 Ginger-Poached Quince Tarte Tatin Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis A relative of apples and pears, quince is a fall and winter fruit that gets the spotlight in this tarte Tatin, where it’s infused with ginger and then caramelized in the oven under a blanket of puff pastry. Serve warm with cinnamon crème fraîche. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 13 Hazelnut and Crème Fraîche Meringues with Lemon and Parmesan Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis François Perret fills double-decker meringues with tangy, gently sweetened crème fraîche, then tops the dessert with a generous drizzle of hazelnut praline and an unexpected sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 13 Lemon Parfaits with Tart Cherries Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley This elegant dessert from Top Chef judge Gail Simmons delivers layers of luscious lemon curd, tangy crème fraîche, and jammy cherries. Serve it with Simmons’ tender, buttery shortbread for a welcome crunch. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 13 Strawberry Crème Fraîche Biscuits Food & Wine / Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Crème fraîche is a perfect match for sweet-tart fruit. Abigail Quinn uses the cultured dairy to help bind these buttery, strawberry-studded sweet biscuits, then serves them warm with whipped, strawberry-swirled crème fraîche. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 13 One-Bowl Chocolate Cake Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman doubles up on the crème fraîche here, first incorporating it into the batter to lend moisture and richness to the tender, deeply chocolaty cake, then whisking it into the whipped cream topping for a subtle tang. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 13 Ricotta and Prosecco-Poached Pear Crostatas Food & Wine / Photo by Jacob Fox / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addy Evans Using crème fraîche instead of water to bring together the pastry’s flour and butter makes for an especially tender crust with just a hint of tang. Don’t be afraid of the freshly cracked black pepper here — it matches beautifully with the warmly spiced pears and is softened by the milky sweet cheese. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 13 Butterscotch Pudding Parfait with Gingersnap Crumble Tara Donne Pastry chef Joanne Chang’s simple, make-ahead parfaits feature three components, layered for a perfectly balanced bite: sweet, rich butterscotch pudding; crisp, spicy gingersnaps; and velvety, vanilla-laced crème fraîche. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 13 Chocolate Fudge Loaf Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver It may be baked in a loaf pan, but this fudgy delight is a far cry from bread. Half a cup of crème fraîche goes into the deep, dark batter, while another half-cup gives the glossy ganache topping a luscious edge. Crunchy cacao nibs and flaky sea salt push the dessert toward chocolate transcendence. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 13 Strawberry Baked Alaska © Con Poulos Crème fraîche adds a bit of tang to the homemade ice cream at the center of this classic frozen dessert. It’s prepared in a single-serving format; crushed graham cracker crumbs form the base, while billows of meringue brûlée cloak each Alaska in marshmallowy sweetness. Serve with macerated berries. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 13 Almond Cake with Lemon and Crème Fraîche Glaze © Marcus Nilsson Cakes needn’t be multilayered to be chock-full of flavor and texture. This one gets its textured crumb and nutty flavor from toasted, just-ground almonds and instant polenta, while crème fraîche adds tangy richness to the batter. Lemon syrup permeates the hot cake; once cool, the top receives a three-ingredient crème fraîche glaze for a glossy finish. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 13 Gianduja Mousse Frances Janisch This mousse is like fluffy Nutella, but instead of simply whipping the chocolate-hazelnut spread, you’ll fold in whipped cream and crème fraîche. It’s rich and decadent — and really hard to stop eating. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Ingredients Dairy Was this page helpful? 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