Strawberry Tiramisu

This Strawberry Tiramisu is made with tender lady fingers and a velvety mascarpone filling, just like the classic recipe, but instead of coffee and chocolate, this stunning dessert is filled with fresh strawberries.

If you're looking for a showstopping dessert that is also easy to make, you have found the recipe right here. This Strawberry Tiramisu is bursting with strawberries - there are THREE whole pounds of strawberries to give it plenty of sweet berry flavor. The velvety, luscious mascarpone filling is out of this world - in both flavor and texture. I absolutely love my recipe for traditional Tiramisu, with coffee and chocolate, and that's what made me want to try it in other flavors too. I was totally right - berries in Tiramisu are perfect. Now I have lots of other flavor ideas - Raspberry and White Chocolate Tiramisu, Peach Tiramisu, Mandarin Tiramisu, etc.

I also love how easy this is to assemble. There's no baking involved since we're using the Italian cookies, ladyfingers. Once they soften, they rival the fluffiest spongecake. The thin strawberry gelatin layer on the bottom really enhances the fresh strawberry flavor and the fresh sliced berries on top not only adds texture but beauty too. I think it's a wonderful coincidence that Valentine's Day is at the time of year when fresh strawberries are in season. What could be more romantic than indulging in this stunning, delicious Strawberry Tiramisu with your sweetheart? You can halve the recipe if you're having a special one on one date, or invite all your friends and family for a Valentine's Day party. 

Ingredients:

Strawberry Gelatin Layer:

1 lb strawberries, fresh or frozen (if using frozen, defrost first)

⅓ - ½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup cold water

¾ Tablespoon unflavored gelatin

Strawberry Sauce:

1 lb fresh or frozen strawberries (if using frozen, defrost first)

¼ cup sugar

½ cup cold water

Tiramisu:

14 oz ladyfingers Italian cookies (savoiardi)

6 egg yolks

¾ cups granulated sugar, divided

½ cup half n half (half whole milk, half heavy whipping cream)

1 ½ lbs mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced

Instructions:

Preparing the Strawberry Gelatin Layer:

Start with the strawberry gelatin layer since that will need time to set in the refrigerator before you can assemble the rest of the Tiramisu. Pour the cold water into a large bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over it. Set it aside for the gelatin to soften and bloom. Meanwhile, puree the strawberries with the sugar in a food processor or a blender until the berries are smooth. Pour the pureed berries into a saucepan and heat to almost a boiling point, until bubbles start to break at the surface, about 5 minutes. Pour the hot strawberry mixture over the softened gelatin and whisk until all the gelatin is dissolved and evenly dispersed in the strawberry puree. Pour the strawberry mixture into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan and place in the refrigerator until this layer completely cools and sets about 1 hour.

Preparing the Strawberry Puree:

Meanwhile, prep the rest of the components of the Tiramisu. In the same blender or food processor, puree another pound of strawberries with ¼ cup of sugar and ½ cup water. Pour it into a shallow dish and set aside. This will be what you will dip the ladyfingers into later.

Preparing the Mascarpone Filling:

To make the cream/frosting, whisk the egg yolks with ¼ cup of sugar in a large heatproof bowl. Add the half and half. Set up the heatproof bowl over a small saucepan. Pour in about an inch or two of water into the saucepan, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. When the water is at a simmer, keep whisking the egg mixture for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is cooked through and has thickened. Set aside to cool. In another bowl, using a standing mixer, hand mixer or whisk, whip up the heavy cream, sweetening it with 2-4 Tablespoons of the remaining sugar, until soft peaks form. In another bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese, remaining portion of the ½ cup sugar and vanilla extract. It should be easy enough to mix up the mascarpone and sugar with a rubber spatula. If not, mix it up using a hand mixer or a standing mixer. Be careful not to over mix it though. Add the cooled egg yolk mixture to the mascarpone. Fold in the whipped cream. I asked Nathaniel to hold the spoon for me so I could show you the consistency better. You guys, I have a little helper! Of course, having a bowl of delicious, creamy deliciousness just an armlength away was too much temptation for my little man with a major sweet tooth. Two seconds later, he couldn't help himself to give it his professional taste test:).

Assembling the Strawberry Tiramisu:

At this point, the strawberry gelatin layer should be set and you will start assembling the Tiramisu. You will need the Italian ladyfingers called savoiardi. They are light and very crisp. DO NOT use the soft ladyfingers that are sometimes sold in the grocery stores. They will turn to mush and will not work for this recipe. Dip the ladyfingers in the purees strawberry mixture, just 2-3 seconds on each side. Don't turn the ladyfingers to mush, you want most of the ladyfinger to still be mostly dry and crisp. As the Tiramisu stands, the ladyfingers will soften and be a perfect fluffy consistency. If the ladyfingers are too wet, they will have a really unpleasant wet texture. Arrange the soaked ladyfingers in one layer. You can have them all in one direction, or different directions, just make it fit. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers, once again dipping them for 2-3 seconds on each side in the strawberry puree mixture and topping with the remaining half of the mascarpone mixture. Smooth it out evenly.  Chill the Tiramisu for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving. Arrange the sliced fresh strawberries on the top right before serving. I sliced the strawberries very thinly and arranged them slightly overlapping over the surface of the top layer of the Tiramisu. 

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