Lemon Berry Tiramisu
A classic Italian dessert with all the taste of the original, Lemon Berry Tiramisu puts a fun summer spin on an old favorite with lemon ladyfingers, raspberry liqueur, fresh berries, and a limoncello mascarpone filling.
My favorite dessert in the entire world is tiramisu. What could get better than soft (but never mushy) ladyfingers, a touch of bitterness from espresso, mixed with a sweet and creamy mascarpone, and just a touch of alcohol?
In my house, tiramisu is more of a Christmas tradition and eating it in July just felt wrong (but dessert can never be wrong) so I put a spin on an old favorite, perfect for bringing it with me into the summer months.
All elements remain the same – we still have a ladyfinger layer, a luscious mascarpone filling, something to sprinkle on top, and some booze.
What do I need to get started?
- An electric mixer. You need either a handheld or a stand mixer to whip the eggs.
- Ladyfingers. I like to make my own (which is why they’re a bit uneven – it’s the homemade touch) and I included a recipe for lemon ladyfingers. If you do not want to make your own, store bought will work as well.
- Mascarpone. I do not think cream cheese is a good replacement – tiramisu needs mascarpone.
- Fresh berries. I chose raspberries, but any berry you prefer is great too.
- Liqueur. I chose a raspberry liqueur, and something like Chambord would be delicious as well.
- Limoncello. You can buy this from a liquor store, or make your own. You can also make a lemon syrup for a non-alcoholic option.
- Powdered Sugar and sliced almonds – for topping.
- Lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Heavy cream or whipping cream.
- Eggs (see my notes below about eggs)
- Granulated sugar.
Does tiramisu have raw eggs?
A lot of tiramisu recipes do include raw eggs in the mascarpone mixture. This recipe does not – the egg yolks are cooked over a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved and eggs are cooked all the way through before being removed from the heat. The mascarpone mixture is given additional lift from heavy cream, not egg whites.
Tips and Tricks for Lemon Berry Tiramisu
- For an added booze kick, dip your berries in the liqueur as well. Raspberries dipped in raspberry liqueur added another depth of flavor.
- Be VERY QUICK with dipping your ladyfingers. Don’t flip them. One second on one side is enough. They will still feel a bit dry, but I promise that the flavor will soak in. The very last thing you want is a mushy ladyfinger and liquor seeping all over your dessert.
Can I omit the alcohol?
Alcohol can absolutely be omitted. You can add lemon zest to the mascarpone, or make a lemon simple syrup. To replace the raspberry liqueur, make a raspberry simple syrup. Follow this recipe for simple syrup, just replace the strawberries with raspberries.
How to assemble tiramisu
A traditional tiramisu has 2 layers each of ladyfingers and mascarpone. I have added an additional layer of fresh berries to this recipe.
Dunk the ladyfingers in the liqueur QUICKLY, then layer on the bottom of the baking dish. If you wish to dunk your berries in the liqueur as well, do that at this point as well. Then top ladyfingers with your berries, then top all of it with the mascarpone. Dunk the remaining ladyfingers and berries, then repeat layers in the same order.
Storage, Make Ahead, and Freezing
This tiramisu needs at least 8 hours or overnight in the fridge. I always recommend chilling overnight, to give all the flavors a lot of time to meld together and give the mascarpone time to firm up. I actually think tiramisu is better after a few days, so it is great for making ahead of time.
Normal tiramisu can be frozen. I have not attempted to freeze this, but if you do want to freeze it, cover with plastic wrap first.
Lemon Berry Tiramisu
A classic Italian dessert with all the taste of the original, Lemon Berry Tiramisu puts a fun summer spin on an old favorite with lemon ladyfingers, raspberry liqueur, fresh berries, and a limoncello mascarpone filling.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raspberry liqueur or raspberry simple syrup
- 30-40 ladyfingers
- 1 lb raspberries
- 16 oz mascarpone
- 1/4 cup limoncello
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Powdered sugar and sliced almonds for topping
Instructions
- Beat mascarpone and limoncello together until it is smooth, then set aside.
- Mix the egg yolks and sugar over a double boiler, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is lighter in color. Remove from heat.
- Beat egg mixture into mascarpone mixture.
- Whip heavy cream until you reach medium peaks, then fold into the mascarpone mixture.
- Dip half the ladyfingers in the raspberry liqueur and arrange in the bottom of the pan. Dip half the raspberries and place them on top of the ladyfingers.
- Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers and raspberries, then repeat the assembly one more time.
- Refrigerate for a few hours, then take out and dust with powdered sugar and almonds, then refrigerate overnight.
Lemon Ladyfingers
Light and airy lemon scented ladyfingers - perfect for summer and soaking up raspberry flavor.
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided into two
- Zest of half a lemon
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and have large cookie sheets prepared with parchment paper.
- Separate eggs (be very careful that they are totally separated - absolutely no yolks can be in the whites)
- Whip egg whites and cream of tartar until medium peaks. Add half of the sugar while the egg whites are mixing, one spoonful at a time.
- Whip until stiff peaks form - the mixture should be glossy.
- Beat the egg yolks, lemon zest, and remaining sugar until it has thickened and grown in volume and is a light yellow color. It should fall down in ribbons.
- Sift cake flour over the egg yolk mixture, and do not mix it.
- Take 1/3 of the egg white mixture, and slowly fold it in along with the cake flour. Add in the remaining egg whites in two more stages.
- Fill a piping bag with the batter, and pipe into ladyfinger shapes - do not worry if they are perfect. No one will see them under the mascarpone.
- Lightly dust the ladyfingers with powdered sugar, then bake for 8 minutes.
- Only cool on the pan for about a minute, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.