This strawberry tiramisu recipe is a twist on the classic Italian dessert that everyone knows and loves. The marsala wine in the recipe is replaced by fresh strawberry syrup and fresh cut-up strawberries. It is my new favorite springtime dessert! YUM!
If you’ve been around for a while, you may know that I teach cooking classes in my spare time. I lived in Italy for a few months during 2018, and while I was there, I learned an absolutely INCREDIBLE recipe for homemade tiramisu.
I’ve taken this recipe back to Michigan, and started teaching the recipe to everyone that would listen. It became typical in cooking classes for first bites to be greeted with the line “I’ve never liked tiramisu before, but I LOVE this tiramisu.”
Non-Alcoholic Tiramisu
In a typical tiramisu recipe, dry marsala wine is mixed into mascarpone cheese and then laid atop espresso-soaked ladyfingers. A few cooking classes back, I received a request for non-alcoholic tiramisu. At the time, I (unfortunately) couldn’t accommodate the request.
But it got me thinking… Can you make non-alcoholic tiramisu?
So, here we are folks. This is my solution to non-alcoholic tiramisu, and—dare I say—I think I like it even more than the original? Am I a bad study-abroad student for admitting that?
What is the Difference Between Strawberry Tiramisu and Normal Tiramisu?
This strawberry tiramisu recipe uses fresh strawberries in place of dry marsala wine.
The strawberries are cooked on the stove until they just begin to release a sweet, strawberry syrup. This syrup then gets mixed into the mascarpone cheese, turning the filling into a sweet, fruity cream! It’s deeee-licious.
The ladyfingers are still soaked in espresso coffee, and the top of the dessert is sprinkled with cocoa powder. This means that the strawberries are mixed with a delightful coffee and chocolate taste. The best combination ever!
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Strawberry Tiramisu?
Strawberries
Mascarpone cheese
Eggs
Granulated Sugar
Espresso Coffee
Ladyfinger Biscuits
Cocoa Powder
How to Make Strawberry Tiramisu
Strawberry Sauce
In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup chopped strawberries with ½ cup granulated sugar. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the strawberries begin to emit their juices and the liquid in the pan turns to strawberry sauce. Do not allow the mixture to turn to jelly.
Use a strainer to drain the sauce from the strawberries. Set in two separate bowls and set aside. The strawberry sauce should equal about ½ cup.
Make the Filling
Separate the yolk from the white on each egg and place in two different bowls.
Add the 3 tbsp sugar to the egg yolks and beat with an electric mixer to combine.
Add the strawberry sauce to the yolks and beat again to combine.
Add the mascarpone into the yolk mixture and beat until smooth and firm.
In a separate bowl, beat the white of the eggs on high until very stiff. They should hold their shape completely when the beaters are remove from the bowl.
Slowly fold the stiff egg whites into the mascarpone mixture. Be very gentle so as not to deflate the egg whites. Then add the reserved cooked strawberries and another cup of uncooked, chopped strawberries. Mix again. Allow to chill in the fridge while you assemble the next step.
Assembly
Lay your coffee in a shallow bowl. Very quickly soak each side of the ladyfingers in the coffee (about 1 second on each side). Do not allow to soak for too long or they will get soggy and fall apart.
In an 8×8 pan, layer the coffee-soaked lady fingers and then half of the cream. Repeat with another layer of coffee-soaked lady fingers and the rest of the cream.
Use a sifter to dust a thin layer of cocoa powder over the top of the tiramisu.
Allow to sit for about 3 hours before serving.
Can I Make Blueberry Tiramisu?
Absolutely! You can make blueberry tiramisu, strawberry tiramisu, even raspberry tiramisu! This recipe can be made with whatever kind of fruit you’d like!
My only tip would be the following: Make sure to keep the same fruit-to-sugar ratio when making the fruit syrup. You’ll want to have about ½ cup of reserved fruit syrup from cooking the fruit on the stove. Using 1 cup of fruit to ½ cup reserved sugar will yield the correct amount of fruit syrup.
Is this Recipe Non-Alcoholic?
You betcha! This recipe for strawberry tiramisu was made specifically to be a non-alcoholic recipe. The dry marsala wine in my traditional easy tiramisu recipe is replaced by strawberries and strawberry syrup.
Adding the strawberry syrup removes the need to add marsala wine into the recipe whatsoever, making it completely non-alcoholic.
Whatever the reason you’re choosing to remove the alcohol from your easy tiramisu recipe, I’m sure you’ll be pleased with this substitution! In fact, I like it even better than the original!
How Long Does the Tiramisu Need to Sit in the Fridge?
Once you’ve made the tiramisu, you’ll need to let it sit for at least a few hours to thicken back up. The mascarpone cheese in the recipe will thicken up as it gets refrigerated, allowing the tiramisu to hold its shape.
At the very least, allow the strawberry tiramisu to rest in the fridge for about three hours before enjoying. If possible, I would recommend waiting a full 12 hours (overnight) before serving!
The strawberry syrup is a tiny bit thicker than marsala wine, meaning that it weighs the cream down a bit more than in the original version. The longer the cream gets to cool, the better.
Can I Use Premade Strawberry Syrup?
Absolutely! If you don’t want to take the time to make fresh strawberry syrup, you can use some of the store-bought variety.
Make sure to use ½ cup of liquid in place of the stovetop strawberry syrup. You will also still want to add fresh strawberries into the cream, so ensure that you have at least 2 cups of freshly cut strawberries on hand.
You can mix these fresh strawberries into the cream to vary the texture of your tiramisu and add a fresh element as well.
Thanks so much for reading my article! I had so much fun teaching you about how to make Strawberry Tiramisu at home. If you make this recipe at home, share a photo on Facebook or Instagram and tag @TheForeignFork and hashtag #TheForeignFork.
If you liked this recipe, you’ll also love these delicious Italian recipes and fruity desserts:
- The Easy Tiramisu Recipe I Learned in Italy
- Cacio e Pepe
- How to Make Homemade Pasta
- Raspberry Cake Roll
- Oreo Raspberry Truffles
Strawberry Tiramisu
Equipment
- Strainer/Colander
- Sifter
- Electric Hand Mixer
- Shallow Bowl(s)
- Mixing Bowl(s)
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
- 250 g fresh mascarpone
- 3 eggs pasteurized in the shell
- ½ cup + 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup espresso coffee diluted with a bit of water to bring it to one cup if necessary
- 18 savoiardi, ladyfinger biscuits
- 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup chopped strawberries with ½ cup granulated sugar. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the strawberries begin to emit their juices and the liquid in the pan turns to strawberry sauce. Do not allow the mixture to turn to jelly.
- Use a strainer to drain the sauce from the strawberries. Set each in two separate bowls and set aside. The strawberry sauce should equal about ½ cup.
- Separate the yolk from the white on each egg and place in two different bowls.
- Add the 3 tbsp sugar to the egg yolks and beat with an electric mixer to combine.
- Add the strawberry sauce to the yolks and beat again to combine.
- Add the mascarpone into the yolk mixture and beat until smooth and firm.
- In a separate bowl, beat the white of the eggs on high until very stiff. They should hold their shape completely when the beaters are remove from the bowl.
- Slowly fold the stiff egg whites into the mascarpone mixture. Be very gentle so as not to deflate the egg whites. Then add the reserved cooked strawberries and another cup of uncooked, chopped strawberries. Mix again. Allow to chill in the fridge while you assemble the next step.
- Lay your coffee in a shallow bowl. Very quickly soak each side of the ladyfingers in the coffee (about 1 second on each side). Do not allow to soak for too long or they will get soggy and fall apart.
- In an 8×8 pan, layer the coffee-soaked lady fingers and then half of the cream. Repeat with another layer of coffee-soaked lady fingers and the rest of the cream.
- Use a sifter to dust a thin layer of cocoa powder over the top of the tiramisu
- Allow to sit for about 3 hours before serving.
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