Very Berry Tiramisu
Mixed berry tiramisu topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and white chocolate
Does anyone else hear Michael Scott’s voice when you see “tiramisu”? I can’t not hear him coughing over the cocoa powder in his throat. Anywho, I made the statement a few months ago that I hate tiramisu. But let me be clear, I am NOT a coffee gal, and classic tiramisu is dunked in it (well at least the lady fingers are). Do I really enjoy the smell of coffee? Yep. Hate the flavor? Absolutely. After making this statement, someone suggested I try a fruity tiramisu and here we are.
You really can’t go wrong with homemade lady fingers (which are basically cookie air), fresh mascarpone whip, and all the juicy mixed berries. This omits the coffee completely - YAY - and makes it a perfect warm-weather treat especially as the heat is COMING for us (if only the humidity would stay away).
Bring it to your next picnic or eat it by the spoonful standing at your kitchen island. No judgment here, you do you, my friend.
Equipment:
Yields: 7x7 dish of tiramisu
Ingredients:
LADY FINGERS
4 eggs, separated
Granulated sugar, separated
60g
40g
¼ tsp vanilla
1 lemon, zested
100g all-purpose flour
30g cornstarch
2 tbsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling
WHIPPED MASCARPONE CREAM
1 ½ cups of heavy whipping cream
8oz container mascarpone
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
BERRY SIMPLE SYRUP
3 cups frozen berries (baker's choice!)*
⅛ cup lemon juice
⅓ cup water
⅛ cup granulated sugar
TOPPINGS (if desired)
Fresh fruit*
White Chocolate
Directions:
LADY FINGERS
Preheat oven to 356F CONVECTION; line two baking trays with parchment paper.
Separate your egg whites into a big bowl and your yolks into another.
Using a mixer, beat your egg whites until frothy, and then add your 60g 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.
In your bowl with your egg yolks, add your lemon zest and vanilla. Once you are ready* add your 40g of sugar and whisk for approx. one minute until the mixture becomes pale yellow.
Add the yolk mixture to your egg whites and use a metal spoon 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 and cornstarch into the mixture and fold through until just combined. Again, do not overmix.
Place mixture into a piping bag*
Pipe half-inch fingers about 3-4 inches long. Give them a little space on the tray and they may spread slightly as they bake (but they won’t spread too much).
Sprinkle piped fingers with coarse sugar.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, flipping your trays halfway through, until lightly golden in color.
Place fingers, you can keep the parchment, onto a cooling rack immediately after removing them from the oven.
Cool completely.
WHIPPED MASCARPONE CREAM
Pour your heavy cream and vanilla into a bowl and beat with a mixer (or whisk by hand, you go!) until slightly thickened. Add your sugar and then beat until you have stiff peaks
Add your mascarpone and fold in until combined
Set aside or place in the fridge until ready to use
BERRY SIMPLE SYRUP
Add your frozen berries to a pot and place on your stove over medium-high heat. Allow the juices to release from the berries a little.
Once the pot starts to look juicy, add in your lemon juice and water, stir, and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add sugar, reduce heat to low, and stir to combine
Keep on low heat until all the fruit is relatively soft - doesn’t have to be a pulp but if you have fruit like strawberries, they take a little longer to warm through.
Strain the mixture over a bowl through a fine mesh strainer. Place your berries in a separate bowl.
Allow to completely cool before assembly (or risk melting your whipping cream! I placed mine in the fridge for at least an hour)
ASSEMBLY
Quickly dip one side of your lady's fingers into your berry syrup and place it dipped-side up on the bottom of your 7x7 baking dish. Do only a quick dip - no lingering! - of the lady's fingers otherwise, they will disintegrate.
Once the bottom is lined with fingers, top with half of your mushy berries - spreading out as best you can. They won’t completely cover just dot them around evenly!
Top the berries with half of your whipped mascarpone mixture and gently spread over evenly.
Repeat the layering process one more time until all your ingredients are used up, ending with the whipped mascarpone
If desired, top the whipped layer with fresh fruit and shavings of white chocolate
Cover with foil and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours before serving
Notes:
I used a mix of frozen strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries but you can choose to do any berries (or just one) of your liking.
Do not add your sugar to your egg yolks until you are ready to finish the lady fingers - if you need to go to the toilet, do that (and wash your hands!) before coming back and adding your sugar. If sugar sits with your yolks it will start to cure them.
You can use a rounded tip in your piping bag if you please…personally, I think it works the same as just snipping the tip of the bag off (and I like fewer dishes).
I received the recipe for the lady fingers from Chef Ashley during my patisserie course in Scotland and pulled the whipped mascarpone from this highly-rated tiramisu recipe (with coffee…)
Tag @accentgolden in your tiramisu posts! Just the fruity ones, ok?
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