The other day, I got to thinking about tiramisu. Normally it is dominated by chocolate, coffee and rum flavors, but what if we played around with that idea a bit? What if we incorporated fruit in there somehow? I know traditionalists would groan at the idea, but part of the fun of cooking is playing around in the kitchen. Take a traditional recipe and put a fun spin on it – see what happens. In this case, what happened was this Strawberry Tiramisu recipe!
For this Strawberry Tiramisu, the coffee and chocolate flavors are swapped out for the brighter flavors of oranges and strawberries. Instead of rum, I used a bit of orange liqueur (Grand Marnier). Aside from changing the flavor profile, everything else is the same. Ladyfingers get layered with egg yolks, sugar and mascarpone cheese. I almost dusted the top of this with cocoa powder as chocolate + strawberries is quite tasty, but I opted to go with more fresh strawberries instead.
When making this Strawberry Tiramisu, don’t be alarmed if the strawberry mixture seems a bit “liquid-y.” The ladyfingers are dry. They do an amazing job of soaking up the extra liquid while the tiramisu rests overnight in the fridge. But do make sure to buy the hard version of ladyfingers, also called savoiardi. I’ve seen soft, cake-like versions of ladyfingers, and I suspect those wouldn’t soak up as much liquid as the dry version.
Laura’s parents came down to visit us recently, and I made this Strawberry Tiramisu for dessert the first night. (Technically I made it the day before since tiramisu needs to rest overnight.) This brighter version of tiramisu was a huge hit, and we all agreed to was a great dessert for a warm summer evening.
The classic version of tiramisu will always remain a favorite, but this strawberry was quite delicious. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did here!
The traditional tiramisu flavors of coffee and cocoa are traded out for orange and strawberries in this Strawberry Tiramisu. It's a great summer dessert recipe!
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
Refrigeration Time: 8 hours hours
Total Time: 8 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 501 kcal
Using a large bowl, add sliced strawberries, orange liqueur, orange juice and sugar; stir until well combined. Let mixture stand for 15 minutes.
Using a food processor or blender, add strawberry preserves and ~½ of the strawberry/liqueur mixture; puree until smooth.
Transfer strawberry sauce mixture back into the bowl with the remaining sliced strawberries; stir until well combined. Set bowl aside.
Using an electric mixer, add the sugar and egg yolks; beat for 4-5 minutes on medium-high speed. (Note: The mixture should expand in volume and turn pale yellow in color.)
Transfer mixture into a large bowl; set aside.
Using an electric mixer, whip the whipping cream for 1-2 minutes, or until soft peaks form.
Add mascarpone and orange zest; beat on medium speed until well combined.
Fold this mascarpone mixture into the egg yolk mixture.
Using an 8”x8” baking pan, spread ~⅔ cup of the strawberry puree evenly onto the bottom of the pan. (Tip: A pan with a removeable bottom is helpful here!)
Lay 8 ladyfingers in a single layer on top of puree. (Tip: Place ladyfingers in pan and then flip them over so that all sides get coated with puree.)
Spread 1 cup of mascarpone mixture on top of ladyfingers.
Repeat process with layers of strawberry puree, ladyfingers and mascarpone two more times.
Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Before serving, decorate top of tiramisu with sliced strawberries.
