Strawberry and Raspberry Tiramisu

This Christmas I was in charge of the dessert (as is often the case — my family doesn’t seem to mind). Since we celebrated Christmas over at my aunt and uncle’s, I had to make something that was relatively easy to transport. Besides that, I also needed to make sure it didn’t involve any chocolate, because neither my grandmother nor my father can eat it (they get migraines — I really hope it’s not hereditary…). Oh, and it would need to feed 17 people as well, let’s not forget that part.

During my internet travels in search of the perfect dessert I came across a great recipe for a strawberry and raspberry tiramisu. I found it on a Dutch blog I’ve only been following for a short while called Lekker en Simpel (translation: Tasty and Simple). It looked really delicious, and quite easy and quick to make, which was a pro as well, since Christmas is quite a busy time.

So, I came up with the plan to make two tiramisus: one regular one (with chocolate), and this fruity one. It was a huge success! Everyone loved it, and the strawberry and raspberry one was gone before I knew it!

The lovely Sofie and Jorrit from Lekker en Simpel agreed to let me translate their recipe to share it with you guys, so here it is! (And here’s the link to the original recipe for those of you interested).

You’ll need…

– 250 g mascarpone

– 250 g strawberries (fresh ones, preferably)

– 250 g raspberries (frozen ones are fine!)

– 250 ml whipping cream

– 8 g vanilla sugar (= 1 sachet)

– 175 g ladyfingers

– 10 tablespoons lemon squash syrup

– 10 tablespoons water

– optional: a bit of white chocolate or leftover meringue

– an oven/casserole dish

So, let’s get baking! (without any actual baking this time)

1. Mix together mascarpone and vanilla sugar Well, that’s pretty straighforward I’d say. Take a bowl, and mix the mascarpone and vanilla sugar with a whisk.

2. Add whipped cream Take a second bowl to whip your whipping cream. Once whipped, add it to the mascarpone mix, and gently fold it through using a spoon or a spatula. It should be evenly mixed through, but you have to be careful, because you want it to remain airy.

3. Dip ladyfingers in lemon squash Now, you have to take a small bowl and mix together the 10 tablespoons of lemon squash syrup and the 10 tablespoons of water. Get your oven dish, and line the bottom of it with ladyfingers after dipping these (one by one!) in the lemon squash for a few seconds. Make sure the bottom of the dish is entirely covered.

4. Divide half of the mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers Again, pretty straigtforward. Slather half of the mascarpone mixture on top of the ladyfingers, and spread it out with a spatula or knife. Make sure you even it out properly.

6. Add mashed raspberries Mash the entire 250 g of raspberries in a separate (small bowl). This is why it’s fine if you use frozen ones (but make sure they’ve defrosted first). Once your raspberry goo is done, spread it over the mascarpone layer in your oven dish. Again, make sure it’s evenly spread.

7. Add another layer of ladyfingers In other words; repeat step 3. Dip the ladyfingers in the lemon squash, and put them on top of the raspberry layer until it’s covered.

8. Add rest of mascarpone mixture Now, it’s time to add the second layer of mascarpone mixture on top of the ladyfingers. Remember; spread it evenly.

9. Add strawberries and white chocolate/meringue Time for the last layer! Cut your strawberries however way you want and divide them over the mascarpone layer. Then, for the finishing touch, grate some white chocolate on top of the strawberries, or crumble up some meringues over it, instead of the chocolate. That’s what I did, since my mother had some leftover meringue from another dinner party.

The tiramisu needs to chill and set for a while in the fridge (an hour or two should be enough, but leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it). If you make it a day in advance, wait with adding the strawberry layer until right before your serve the tiramisu. That way the strawberries will remain fresh!

And that’s it! There you have a delicious strawberry and raspberry tiramisu! Enjoy!