I am sneaking in a delicious and yet unhealthy dessert today! 
I was inspired to learn how to make Tiramisu due to my Italian roots. This is an all-time favorite dessert for those special occasions. Life is too short not to enjoy such delicacies every once in a while, and we enjoy these splurges immensely. It is amazingly scrumptious, light, and yet not overly sweet. Perfect balance of sweetness, rich coffee and smooth brandy flavor soaked in ladyfingers. I made this recently for my brother-in-law’s engagement party and it received rave reviews!
1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar (organic, if possible)
4 cups whipping cream (raw, if possible)
2 (8 oz) containers cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
4 Tbsp whipping cream
2 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3 packages ladyfingers (I find this in the bakery section at my local Fred Meyer’s)
1/2 cup cold strong coffee or espresso
1/2 cup marsala wine, brandy, amaretto or white rum (I use brandy with great success)
Cocoa powder, or grated chocolate
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, lightly beat the cream cheese, sour cream and 4 Tablespoons whipping cream to smooth it out.
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar, 4 cups whipping cream, vanilla, and salt and using an electric beater, beat this mixture until it is smooth and thickened like fluffy cream.
3. Using one 15 x 11 inch glass pan or two 8 x 8 baking pans, line the bottom with ladyfingers, flat side down.
4. Combine the cold, strong coffee and the liquor in a cup.
5. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush half of the coffee/liquor mixture over the ladyfingers.
6. Cover with half of the mascarpone mixture. Sprinkle liberally with powdered cocoa.
7. Add another layer of ladyfingers, and repeat as above. Sprinkle top liberally with the cocoa.
8. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 24 hours. This is important, as it blends the flavors and the ladyfingers soak up the liquid. A perfect tiramisu should slice easily, but can be a little soft and perhaps even a little runny when served, rather than holding its shape perfectly.
Makes 12-15 slices.
Okay, this is really a strange question, but does anyone know if the brandy is a cooking brandy or a drinking brandy? I’m a southern teetotaller and I don’t even know where to buy it short of going to a liquor store! You can’t even buy liquor in our grocery store, can you believe that?! I did notice cooking white wine once in the baking aisle so maybe I can find it there? Wow, I get a little nervous at the thought of getting carded at the checkout:) It’s kind of funny – my husband and I both grew up in dry counties, but you may well know that the KY landscape is quite thick with big bourbon distilleries.
So where can I buy brandy? Is it expensive?
That looks so good!
I’m so excited to have a simple tiramisu recipe! It’s my favorite dessert, and I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks!!
I love Tiramisu so much! I could probably eat that whole thing myself!
I so appreciate your healthy recipes, but it is refreshing to see that you can have a special treat from time to time and not fret about it!!! Goes along with doing your best to eat nourishing foods, but not making an idol of them. Thanks!
I am so excited to see this recipe. I love this kind of cake, but have never made it. I can’t wait to try baking it. Thanks for sharing!
Oh this looks delicious! I might have to make this for my husband’s birthday party.
Oh thank you so much for the recipe! This was the cake my husband and I had at our wedding, I’ve been wanting to make it ever since. Now I just need some Gluten Free Ladyfingers…
Colleen,
I saw these Gluten-Free Ladyfingers advertised recently, but I’ve never tried them:
http://www.glutenfreemall.com/catalog/shabtai-gourmet-glutenfree-lady-fingers-cookies-p-1773.html. That would be so special for you to be able to re-create your wedding cake!
When I worked in my college dorm, a student of mine had attended a family wedding, where they served tiramisu. She brought the leftovers home for all us girls to share. Oh, yum.
Blessings,
Michele
Thank you so much Michele!
I did also find this blog which looks like a pretty good recipe for making them…
http://www.celiacteen.com/2010/gluten-free-ladyfingers/
Lori, maybe that will help you as well. I have Celiac too.
I have celiac disease, and GF lady fingers would be awesome!! I’ll look online and see if I can find and and post the URL here
Have you heard of “Gluten Free Baking Classics” by Annalise Roberts?
It has the best recipes I’ve found for GF goodies as wells as pizza crust and breads. Except it doesn’t have a recipe for Tiramisu.
Is there an alcohol replacement? We don’t drink alcohol, and are very much opposed to it.
Hello Danielle,
It don’t use alocohol when the kids want to eat some tiramisu, too and I don’t miss it. In this case we use cacao instead of coffee and it’s not that “special” anymore, but still delicious.
Thanks Melanie!!
Off topic, but not, we did try your coconut milk ice cream over the weekend with all coconut milk for my dil who cannot have any dairy. And we are SUCH a dairy family, poor girl:-/ It never froze, so we finally blended it in the blender with ice for a really cold smoothy. I cannot tell if it was just the temperature, the new Cuisinart which I had never used before, or using all coconut milk. I was wondering if you think the the product called coconut cream might have helped? Or does the Cuisinart have to be run in more civilized conditions – aka air conditioning?!!
Ooh, I may not have needed to see this today:-) Now if I had seen it before the weekend, I could have made it and served it to the twenty kids, spouses, and grandfather who were home over the weekend and there would have been no leftovers – the ideal way to serve dessert!! I DO think I would have liked to use Amaretto. Yum…
Oh. My. I may need to go to the store…right now. I adore Tiramisu. Thanks Lindsay!
Traditionally this is made with Marscapone and not cream cheese, and the making of a custard as well, but Marscapone is prohibitively expensive unless you can make your own, and the custard makes the recipe more involved. I’ll have to give this version a try…it looks really good!
Yes, I adapted this from a recipe calling for macrophone cheese, and yes, it is expensive and this way works just as well and tastes better in my opinion!
I agree, this looks delicious!
Oh my. I *love* tiramisu. It’s my favorite… my weakness!!!
Have I died and gone to heaven?
This looks absolutely scrumptious!