Nordic cloudberry cream (multekrem)
July 22, 2026 · 4 min read
Multekrem is the Norwegian dessert that gets pulled out for special occasions — Christmas, Constitution Day, a summer evening when the cloudberries finally come in. It takes fifteen minutes and no cooking. The result is a soft, barely-sweetened cream with berries folded through it: tart, floral, unmistakably Nordic.
The cloudberry is what makes it. These small orange berries grow wild on boggy Arctic and subarctic terrain across Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the northern parts of Russia and Canada. They taste like nothing else in the berry category — floral and complex, somewhere between raspberry and apricot with a tartness that lingers. The flavor is polarizing on first encounter for people who haven't had one before, and then tends to become something they seek out. Norwegians have strong feelings about cloudberries, which tells you something.
The skyr in this recipe is a small addition — a few tablespoons stirred into the whipped cream adds a subtle tang and a little protein without changing the texture in any meaningful way. If you've never used skyr in desserts before, the skyr guide covers it in detail. Plain Greek yogurt substitutes well here.
Ingredients
- 300 g (about 10 oz) cloudberries, fresh or thawed from frozen
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 3 tablespoons plain skyr
- 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more to taste
Steps
- If using frozen cloudberries, thaw them in a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl for 30–60 minutes at room temperature. Reserve the drained juice. Pat the berries gently dry with a paper towel — too much liquid will loosen the cream.
- In a large cold bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Stop before the cream stiffens; it should hold a shape but still look billowy. Fold in the skyr and sugar until just combined.
- Add the cloudberries to the cream and fold gently two or three times with a large spoon or spatula. You want streaks of berry and cream — a full mix turns everything orange and loses the contrast. Taste and add a little more sugar if the berries are very tart.
- Spoon into glasses or small bowls and serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to two hours. The reserved cloudberry juice can be drizzled on top as a garnish.
Notes and swaps
Cloudberries: fresh cloudberries appear in Scandinavian markets in late summer for a short window. Frozen cloudberries are available year-round from Scandinavian specialty food shops and online retailers (search for Norwegian or Finnish cloudberries; they ship well frozen). Thaw slowly and drain well — they release a lot of juice.
No cloudberries available: passion fruit is the closest flavor substitute, with a similar floral tartness and bright color. Use the pulp of 4–5 ripe passion fruits in place of the cloudberries. Raspberries are a more distant but practical backup; the flavor profile is different, but the tart-cream combination works.
Sugar: cloudberry tartness varies considerably by where and when the berries were harvested. Start with 2 tablespoons and taste after folding. Some batches will want a bit more, especially if the berries were picked slightly underripe.
Make-ahead: the assembled cream holds for about two hours in the refrigerator before the berries start to bleed into the cream and the texture softens. Whip the cream and drain the berries separately in advance, then fold together just before serving for the best result.
Serving: multekrem is traditionally served as-is, sometimes with a thin wafer cookie alongside (krumkake or a similar crisp). It doesn't need anything else.
For more on the berries that anchor Nordic desserts and everyday eating, see Nordic diet berries and Nordic blueberry soup for another straightforward Nordic dessert in a completely different style. If you're building out a full Nordic meal, Nordic meal ideas has a range of options.
Tell Nordic Diet Companion "cloudberry cream with skyr" after dinner and it notes the fermented dairy and the fruit for the day's pattern — both count in the Nordic framework.
FAQ
Where can I buy cloudberries in the US? Frozen cloudberries are the practical route. Scandinavian specialty shops (online and in larger US cities) carry them; search for Norwegian or Finnish cloudberries. IKEA food sections sometimes stock cloudberry jam, though jam isn't the same as whole berries for this recipe.
Can I use cloudberry jam instead of whole berries? Jam will make the cream much sweeter and won't give the same texture. If jam is all you have, use a small amount (about 3 tablespoons) folded into the whipped cream and skip the added sugar — it's a different dish, but still good.
What if my whipped cream gets too stiff? Soft peaks are what you want here. If you've gone too far, fold in a tablespoon of cold liquid cream to loosen it slightly before adding the berries.
Is multekrem a traditional Norwegian dish? Yes. Cloudberry cream appears across Norwegian culinary history and is considered a national dessert in the way that certain dishes carry cultural weight — served at celebrations and associated with the brief summer cloudberry harvest.