Strawberry season is upon us, and what better way to make use of the sweet and plentiful bounty than by amping up the freshness of a classic tiramisu with a strawberry makeover? This tiramisu twist is sure to delight with its lighter, seasonal flavors, and omitting the traditional coffee and liquor makes it palatable for those young and old.
A strawberry riff will be less tart and juicier than this raspberry tiramisu recipe, but just as easy to assemble. As with any recipe using fresh fruit, the fresher the better for texture, flavor, and presentation. If you have a decorative glass bowl on hand, it will showcase the vibrant red strawberry and cream layering that will surely be a showstopper to cap any summer meal.
This fruit and cream crowd pleaser will wow guests, but even better is the happy secret that it doesn’t require any baking and is really about assembling the ingredients and then letting them shine. The hardest part is making it enough in advance (great for make-ahead party prep) to let the flavors meld as the ladyfingers absorb the juicy sauce in the refrigerator.
Decadent layers of fresh strawberries, ladyfingers, and cream
The main ingredients you will need are fresh berries, sugar, lemon, and vanilla for Ree Drummond’s four-ingredient strawberry sauce that makes a punchy quick dip for the ladyfingers (also called biscotti savoiardi at some grocery stores). You will also need mascarpone, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and some fresh strawberry jam or more berries for the cream mixture and decorating.
For the filling, grab heavy cream (straight from the refrigerator is best) and whip until you have stiff peaks. Then, mix the cream with mascarpone that you’ve whipped together with powdered sugar and add in a bit of vanilla. Now it’s time to layer and be creative. Depending on the shape of your serving vessel (or individual serving glasses), you can line the outer rim or the bottom of the dish with ladyfingers that you’ve soaked for just a few seconds in the strawberry sauce and then continue in alternating layers with the cream and fresh sliced strawberries.
If you’d like to rev up the luscious, syrupy angle, feel free to add strawberry jam to the cream mixture and additional pieces of fresh berries to the cream as well. Then, tightly cover the container(s) and store in the fridge for at least six hours or overnight. Add sliced fresh berries on top before serving and voilà — strawberry tiramisu.
