In this fresh take on the classic Italian dessert, this delicate berry tiramisu is made with fresh berries and cream cheese whipped topping. Layered with ready-made ladyfingers soaked in fresh orange juice, this dessert is kid-friendly too.
Boy loves exploring new desserts and is always on the lookout for new recipes for us to try out. Actually what that means is, he points to pictures in cookbooks and on the internet, and asks me to recreate them. In fact, in kindergarten, he came up with a business plan to open a restaurant that served seafood and desserts (I have no idea why that particular combo though!). He had the entire thing planned out from the name, the location, and the employees (mommy and daddy, of course). Well this year, he wants to be an author; but who knows, he might write a cookbook!
While I do treat my boys to cakes and cookies on a fairly regular basis, my favorite recipes are the ones that take very little hands-on time to make. No cook, no bake recipes are a godsend and I am always looking for ways to put creative spins on traditional recipes.
I love working with fresh fruit and I’m obsessed with berries. They’re the prettiest things ever!
This time I decided to put a spin on a classic Italian dessert, the ubiquitous tiramisu. Berry tiramisu will work with any kind of berries, but I used mostly blackberries here. I added a couple of strawberries that I had to use up as well. But really, anything will work.
The color of the creamy filling will depend on the berries that you use. Blackberries give a lovely lilac color like you see here; use raspberries or strawberries for a pastel pink shade.
The blackberry tiramisu recipe is really simple. We begin by macerating the berries so they can soften and release all their lovely juices.
Meanwhile we will whip the cream cheese and heavy cream and fold them together to make a creamy filling. Fold in the crushed berries and layer with ready-made ladyfingers dipped in fruit liqueur or dessert wine. I decided to skip the liqueur and used freshly squeezed orange juice to make a kid friendly tiramisu. It worked out perfectly, because nothing goes better with berries than citrus. If you don’t have fresh oranges, even a light lemonade will work. Layer and serve the dessert right away or refrigerate till needed. The flavors get better with time, so this is a great make-ahead dessert recipe.
Berry tiramisu is lighter and less expensive than a regular chocolate, coffee and mascarpone tiramisu. I have made this in individual dessert glasses, but you can layer them in a large trifle bowl or pie pan. But I love how pretty it looks in simple glasses.
It’s incredibly creamy, delicious and full of berrilicious goodness! This beautiful layered tiramisu makes a great Valentine’s Day dessert. Or just imagine how lovely it would be for a Mother’s Day summer soiree!
Let’s see how to make this easy dessert now, shall we?
- Blackberries - 8 oz (or any kind of berries)
- Sugar - 1 tbsp
- Cream cheese - 8 oz, softened
- Heavy cream - 1 cup, cold
- Powdered sugar - ¼ cup
- Lemon zest - 2 tsp
- Ladyfingers - 16
- Orange juice - ½ cup, freshly squeezed (or any light fruit juice, see Notes)
- Chocolate shavings - to garnish
- Take the berries in a bowl and sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar on top. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes so that they soften and release juices.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed till smooth and creamy.
- In another bowl, whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar on medium-high speed till soft peaks form. Gently fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese.
- Gently mash the macerated berries with a spoon. Add the berries (reserve juices) and lemon zest to the creamy filling mixture. Gently fold to combine.
- Dip ladyfingers lightly in juice. Place a layer at the bottom of a dessert glass. You can tear the ladyfingers so that they fit.
- Spoon or pipe some of the creamy berry filling on top. Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers and so on till you get to the top. Repeat for other glasses.
- Garnish with shaved chocolate and serve chilled.
2. Cream cheese is a less expensive alternative to the more traditional mascarpone used in tiramisu.
Don’t forget to PIN & SAVE the recipe for later.
Do you like tiramisu? Have you put any other spin on the traditional version? What are your go-to no bake desserts? Do share.
Here are more easy dessert recipes, most of them are no-bake and no-cook or involve just a bit of easy cooking.
Strawberry Chia Falooda Parfait.
Layered Mango Berry Lassi Popsicles.
Lemon Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait.
Looking for more Valentine’s Day recipes? I’ve got you covered.
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I am sharing this over at Fiesta Friday & Saucy Saturday.
What a great spin on a classic! I have to say it sounds even better than the original! For me it is the addition of the berries, they always bring freshness and are so delicious 🙂
Thank you, Petra. I love berries in everything as well!!
Oh, now I wish I had picked up that package of ladyfingers I was eyeing at the store! I would love to make this for myself and my kids. No one in our house likes coffee, but berries are a different story! Yum!
This is absolutely Fantastic Anjana
Thank you, Swati. Happy Valentine’s Day!!