Berry desserts in 5 minutes or less

Dessert shouldn’t have to keep you confined in the kitchen, leaving you with no time to socialise with your guests. All these easy recipes can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes and are sure to be a hit.

Baking is one of our favourite past times, but sometimes you want to cap off a meal without putting in the hard yards or turning the house into a sauna from the heat of the oven. These desserts are so quick and simple, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without them…

1. Chocolate dipped strawberries

This is a classic for a reason. You can make this ahead of time and place in the fridge to set or serve it as a chocolate fondue. Simply temper a block of chocolate in a double boiler until it reaches a glossy and a runny consistency. Dip your strawberries in the chocolate and place on a baking sheet to set, or alternatively serve at your table with skewers or forks to let your guests control the amount of chocolate they get.

2. Berries with mascarpone

You don’t need a laundry list of ingredients to get an amazing dessert, especially when sweet berries are the star:

Ingredients:

• 250g mascarpone
• 1 cup thickened cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup icing sugar

Method:

In a mixing bowl, beat 250g of mascarpone until smooth and creamy. Add 1 cup of thickened cream and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and beat to combine. Add ½ cup icing sugar and whip until thick. Serve layered with fresh berries in a bowl or glass.

3. 2-minute berry ice cream

This 2-minute berry ice cream does require a little bit of foresight and pre-planning, but it’s such an easy thing you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing this your whole life. If you’re the type of person who is always looking for ways to use up bananas before they go too far past ‘ripe’ then we’re about to change your life:

Ingredients:

• 4 bananas
• 1 cup blueberries or raspberries
• honey to taste

Method:

Peel your bananas and chop them into 1 inch chunks, then place in a sealed container and pop them in the freezer. When you’re ready to make your ice cream, simply add 2 cups chopped bananas (or roughly 4 bananas) to a food processor with 1 cup blueberries or raspberries. The frozen bananas create a smooth ice cream-like consistency, without the need to add any additional ingredients.

However, if your mixture is tasting particularly tart, you can add a teaspoon of runny honey or the sweetener of your choice. This recipe also works particularly well with frozen berries and can be mixed up with any flavour combination – just keep your banana base for the right consistency.