Homemade Black Forest Tiramisu
Now I’m not usually a fruit and chocolate gal. Like I like a chocolate-covered strawberry (I’m not a monster), but do I like chocolate bars with fruit in them? No. Do I like any dessert with dried fruit in it? Absolutely not. But I love a black forest cake, and this dessert takes two classics and makes them into one black forest cake tiramisu.
If I’m going to have fruit in my dessert, it’s going to be in layers. Like this easy blackberry pie or these white chocolate raspberry lavender thumbprint cookies. Obviously there is an exception in a muffin, like this blueberry muffin loaf of greatness.
We’re making our chocolate ladyfingers from scratch, which is a fun, not-so-serious skills test. Simply because it won’t matter what they look like, since they’ll be hidden between layers.
You can just as easily substitute with store-bought chocolate ladyfingers, though they may be a little hard to come by. These chocolate ladyfingers have been adapted from a recipe I received while in pastry school in Scotland (shout out to Chef Ash!).
This black forest cake tiramisu is made up of layers of those homemade chocolate ladyfingers, a sweet and extra creamy whipped cream cheese, and a fresh cherry sauce. It has your chocolate, your whipped cream, and your cherries layered in every bite.
If you love this recipe, please rate and review it below and tag @accentgolden in your posts on social!
WHAT IS TIRAMISU?
Tiramisu is an Italian dessert traditionally made with ladyfingers (otherwise known as savoiardi) dipped in coffee that are layered with a mascarpone-based custard, and dusted in cocoa powder. It’s a cold dessert, stored in the fridge, allowing the layers to soften for a tender bite.
As someone who doesn’t enjoy the flavor of coffee, classic tiramisu is not for me. Though, I have had some versions that I didn’t hate lol. You’ll see in this black forest cake tiramisu that you can either dip your ladyfingers in coffee or cherry juice, depending on your preference.
My top tip for piping ladyfingers: Your ladyfingers will spread slightly once you pipe them, and then as they bake. I recommend snipping the tip of your piping bag a little smaller than the width you want your ladyfingers to accommodate for the spread. Don’t worry if your fingers aren’t uniform! No one will know.
INGREDIENTS
- Eggs: Separated to beat air into the whites before adding your yolks to help puff your fingers
- Sugar: Helps build the structure and texture of your ladyfingers as well as sweetens and aids in thickening your cherry sauce
- Vanilla: For a little flavor
- Flour: Binds to form the texture and structure of your ladyfingers
- Cornstarch: Tenderizes your ladyfingers while acting as a thickener for your cherries
- Cocoa Powder: That chocolate flavor babyyy
- Cherry Juice or Coffee: If you’re a coffee fan, go for it, but if not, cherry juice is a great dipper
- Cherries: Fresh if they’re in season, for that perfect sauce layer!
- Lemon Juice: For a little acid to aid your cherry sauce in both flavor and thickening
- Heavy Whipping Cream: To fluff up your cream layer
- Cream Cheese: The perfect consistency for a stable layer
- Powdered Sugar: To sweeten your whipped cream cheese
Can I use frozen cherries instead of fresh? Yes! Note that frozen cherries will give off a little more liquid when you cook them down. So the time it takes to reduce your cherry mixture will be closer to 8-10 minutes.
HOW TO MAKE BLACK FOREST CAKE TIRAMISU
The only baking required for this recipe is the homemade chocolate ladyfingers, so we’ll prep those first. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set your oven to 375°F.
Grab a big bowl and a medium-sized bowl. Separate your egg whites into the big bowl and your yolks into the other bowl. With a mixer, beat your egg whites until they are frothy and you see no loose liquid at the bottom. Take your ¼ cup of sugar and add a third of it to your egg whites, mix to combine, then add the next third, mix, and then the final third. Then beat with your mixture until you form stiff peaks.
Add in your vanilla and remaining sugar to the bowl with your egg yolks and whisk for a minute until the mixture becomes pale yellow. Pour your yolk mixture into your egg whites and gently fold in, just until mostly combined.
Sift your flour, cornstarch, and cocoa powder into your egg whites, folding through with a spatula until just combined. Be very careful when folding in your ingredients at this stage to not overwork the batter and knock out too much air.
Add your batter to a piping bag and cut a ½” wide opening off the tip. Pipe your ladyfingers onto your lined baking sheets, about 3-4inches long, with an inch of space in between each finger.
Place both trays in the oven, one on the middle rack and one on the rack below. Bake for 5-8 minutes, until puffed and the fingers appear dry.
Immediately slide your parchment paper with your baked fingers off your baking sheet onto the counter or a cooling rack to cool completely.
To make your cherry sauce, in a pot, stir together the cornstarch and water to form a slurry. Then add your fresh cherries (pits removed!), sugar, and lemon juice. Place over medium heat, stirring until thickened. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
Remove your pot from the heat and use an immersion blender to pulse into a thinner, sauce-like consistency. Pour into a bowl and place in the fridge to chill completely.
To make your whipped cream cheese filling, add your softened cream cheese to a bowl and give it a quick beat with your mixer. Pour in your heavy cream and sift over your powdered sugar. Beat until it’s nice and fluffy, and no longer runs off a spatula. It should have a good hold.
To assemble your black forest cake tiramisu, start by lightly greasing a springform pan and lining the bottom with parchment paper. One by one, quickly dip your ladyfingers into your preferred liquid and place in a spiral, breaking and squeezing in pieces as needed, to form a complete layer.
Top your ladyfinger layer with half of your whipped cream cheese, smoothing over into one even layer. Spread on half of your cherry sauce. Repeat these layers one more time, ending with the cherry sauce.
Cover your pan with foil, without touching the cherry layer, and refrigerate for at least six hours. Before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan, and top your tiramisu with chocolate shavings and fresh cherries. Slice and enjoy!
3 reasons you’ll love this dessert
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- Your ladyfingers don’t have a leavening agent (baking soda or baking powder) but rely on the air you whip into the egg whites for their puff. I prefer to slightly overwhip my whites before folding in the rest. Once you start adding the other ingredients, you will knock a little bit of air out. This will help the batter hold more easily when you pipe it.
- Once you make your ladyfinger batter, you need to pipe and bake them immediately. The batter will start to separate if left to sit for too long.
- Keep a close eye on your cherry sauce as it cooks. Once it starts to thicken, it will do so quickly, and you don’t want it to burn.
- On the other side, be careful not to undercook your cherry filling. It will thicken as it cools, but you don’t want it too runny or risk it not holding between each layer.
- Your cherry sauce filling needs to be cooled to room temperature or in the fridge before assembling. If it’s too hot, it will melt right through the whipped cream cheese layer!
- You can use frozen cherries if you don’t have access to fresh. Note that frozen cherries will release more liquid and will take a little longer to cook down.
- When ready to assemble, give your ladyfingers a good dunk in either the cherry juice or coffee, but don’t leave them to soak by any means. These bakes are very airy, and too much liquid will make them mushy.
- Give your tiramisu ample time to chill! This is good for both flavor and texture.
- If you’re not a cherry fan, you can easily swap for raspberries or strawberries. Noting that, depending on the fruit, you might need to add a splash of water to loosen the sauce or, if using a more watery fruit, need to cook it down longer.
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
You can make your chocolate ladyfingers a day in advance, storing them in an airtight container at room temperature until you’re ready to assemble your tiramisu. Your cherry sauce and cream filling can also be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge.
Once assembled, your black forest cake tiramisu should be wrapped airtight and stored in the fridge. It will keep for up to 4 days.
MORE CHOCOLATE RECIPES
If you’re a chocolate + cookie dough lover like me, you have to try this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake. Edible cookie dough frosting between layers of a moist chocolate cake, topped with edible cookie dough! If you love the sweet and salty, try this Simple Chocolate Toffee Tart. Tart crust filled with a quick homemade toffee and topped with chocolate ganache. Looking for a tiramisu for one? This Mint Chocolate Tiramisu is perfect for a solo night in.
Equipment
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Piping Bags
- Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Medium Pot
- Immersion Blender
- 9" Springform Pan
Ingredients
- 4 eggs separated
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 ½ tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla
- ½ cup flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup cherry juice or coffee
- 3 cups pitted fresh cherries see tip section above for frozen
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar sifted
- Fresh cherries
- Dark chocolate shavings
Instructions
LADY FINGERS
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
- Separate your egg whites into a big bowl and your yolks into another bowl
- Using a mixer, beat your egg whites until frothy, and then add your ¼ cup of sugar in, one-third at a time. Mixing in between until all are added. Once all the sugar is added, beat until stiff peaks form
- To the bowl with your egg yolks, whisk in vanilla and 2 ½ tablespoons of sugar for one minute until the mixture becomes pale yellow
- Add the yolk mixture to your egg whites and use a spatula to lightly fold together. Don’t fully combine at this stage; it’s important not to over-mix this mixture and risk losing too much air.
- Sift your flour, cornstarch, and cocoa powder into the mixture and fold through until just combined. Again, do not overwork your batter.
- Place mixture into a piping bag and cut a ½-inch wide cut off the tip of your bag
- Pipe your ladyfingers about 3-4 inches long. Give them a little space on the tray as they may spread slightly as they bake (but they won’t spread too much).
- Bake for 5-8 minutes, until lightly puffed and appear dry
- Slide your parchment paper with your baked fingers off your baking sheet onto a cooling rack immediately after removing them from the oven.
- Cool completely
CHERRY FILLING
- Stir together your 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with ⅓ cup of water until dissolved. Then, in a medium pot, add your pitted cherries, ⅓ cup of sugar, lemon juice, and your cornstarch slurry, stir, and place over medium heat
- Stir until lightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend into a thinner, sauce-like consistency
- Pour into a heat-safe bowl to cool to room temperature or place in the fridge to chill
- Allow to completely cool before assembly (you don’t want to melt your whipped filling)
WHIPPED FILLING
- Add your cream cheese to a bowl and give it a quick beat
- Pour in your heavy cream and sift over your powdered sugar. Beat until thick and fluffy; it should no longer be runny
- Place into the fridge until ready to assemble
ASSEMBLY
- Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper
- One at a time, quickly dip a ladyfinger into your cherry juice and place it dipped-side up on the bottom of your pan. Do only a quick dip!
- Once the bottom is lined with fingers, top with half of your whipped filling, spreading into an even layer. Then top with a third of your cherry filling, again spreading into an even layer. Repeat these layers 2 more times, ending with your cherry filling on top
- Cover with foil, without touching the cherry layer, and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours
- Before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan and, if desired, top with fresh cherries and chocolate shavings
- Slice and enjoy!
