Strawberry tiramisu

Name: Strawberry tiramisu
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 14 ounces / 400 grams fresh strawberries (hulled and thickly sliced); ½ cup / 100 grams white sugar; 1 medium lemon (juice only); 2 tablespoons cold water; 24 sponge finger biscuits (Savoiardi / lady fingers) (approximately); 1 cup / 240 ml double cream; 8 ounces / 225 grams mascarpone cheese; ½ cup / 60 grams icing sugar; Mint leaves (for garnish (optional))

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Strawberry tiramisu is a dessert that will see you right through the long hot summer days. Made with succulent, fresh strawberries, double cream and tasty mascarpone this is a light yet indulgent dessert that everyone will love. And let's face it - a dish of strawberries and cream is an absolute Wimbledon institution!

A slice of strawberry tiramisu on a white plate showing the layers of filling.

With the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament set to start on 1st July, I've been thinking of a recipe to make to celebrate the event. This strawberry tiramisu fits the bill perfectly. It is an easy no-bake dessert using only 7 ingredients and whips up in minutes.

Strawberry tiramisu is based on the classic Italian tiramisu dessert, but unlike its classic counterpart, this recipe doesn't use coffee, raw eggs or alcohol. I've flavoured the tiramisu with strawberries instead of coffee and even macerated the strawberries in sugar to create the syrup to moisten the sponge fingers.

The cream filling is made by beating double cream, mascarpone and icing sugar into a thick, luscious consistency, and spreading it between layers of strawberries and strawberry syrup-dipped sponge fingers.

The result is a delectable dessert, packed with fruity flavours and a creamy velvety texture. This dessert is perfect for any occasion and offers a delightful twist on a classic favourite.

Overhead shot of a dish of strawberry tiramisu garnished with mint leaves and strawberries.

And if this recipe isn't quite what you are looking for, you might like to try my no-bake strawberry cheesecake instead.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Tips for a perfect outcome
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tiramisu FAQ
Save for later
Related recipes
📋The recipe

Ingredients

Let's take a look at what you will need. This recipe will be sufficient for a 7" x 9" dish.

Note - looking at the ingredients you might think the dessert will be too sweet, but trust me on this one! Strawberries can have quite a tart taste and the lemon also helps balance out the sweetness of the sugar. If you are worried it will be overly sweet you can cut down on the icing sugar or leave it out.

Sponge finger biscuits - you may know them as Savoiardi, Boudoir or even ladyfingers. You will need approximately 24 biscuits, which will make 2 layers.
Strawberries - these should be hulled and thickly sliced.
Double cream - you may know it as heavy cream or whipping cream. Don't use single or pouring cream as it will not thicken no matter how long you beat it.
Mascarpone - this is a sweet creamy cheese, normally found in the cheese aisle in the supermarket. If you can't find it, ricotta makes a good substitute.
Lemon - you will only need the juice. It is used to cut through the sweetness of the strawberry syrup.
Sugar - used to macerate the strawberries. It looks like a lot of sugar, but you will probably find you won't use all the syrup that gets produced.
Icing sugar - this is whipped with the cream and mascarpone to form the creamy filling.

**You can find the exact measurements for the ingredients on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

Instructions

This cake takes around 20 minutes to put together. However, the strawberries will need to stand for at least 1 hour so the syrup can form so please factor this in if you intend to make this recipe.

Here are the easy steps:

Macerate the strawberries

A glass bowl of sliced strawberries mixed with sugar.

Step 1: Place the sliced strawberries into a small mixing bowl and add the sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir, then cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for at least an hour or longer if possible.

A glass bowl of strawberries showing the liquid that has been released to form a syrup.

Step 2: Stir occasionally as the strawberries are standing. They will release moisture and create a delicious syrup.

Strawberries in a sieve next to a dish of strawberry syrup.

Step 3: Strain the strawberries through a fine sieve and reserve the liquid in a shallow bowl.

Note - if you would prefer to decorate the top of the cake with fresh rather than macerated strawberries, keep a few strawberries aside to use as a topping.

Make the filling

Double cream whippd to stiff peaks in a glass bowl.

Step 4: Using an electric whisk, beat the cream until it forms stiff peaks.

Mascarpone cheese and icing sugar mixed together.

Step 5: In a larger bowl, beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar until the cheese has softened.

Double cream stirred into a bowl of mascarpone and icing sugar.

Step 6: Add the cream to the mascarpone mixture and cut it lightly through with a flat-bladed knife until well combined.

Assemble

Sponge fingers dipped in strawberry syrup and arranged in a single layer in an oblong dish.

Step 7: Dip the biscuits into the strawberry syrup and arrange in a single layer on the bottom of your baking dish.

A layer of cream filling covered with sliced strawberries covering a layer of biscuits in a dish.

Step 8: Cover the biscuits with half of the cream and mascarpone mixture. Arrange a layer of strawberries on top.

Overhead shot of a fully assembled strawberry tiramisu.

Step 9: Repeat with another layer of biscuits, cream and strawberries. Optionally garnish with mint leaves.

Cover with a layer of plastic wrap and leave for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight in the refrigerator to give the biscuits time to soften and absorb the flavours. Serve chilled directly from the refrigerator.

Tips for a perfect outcome

Here are my top tips to ensure your strawberry tiramisu turns out exactly as intended!

When macerating the strawberries, leave them in the refrigerator for at least an hour. If you have time you can leave them longer, or even overnight. You should aim to get at least three-quarters of a cup of syrup so that you have enough to dip all the biscuits. Stir the strawberries occasionally so that the sugar dissolves.
When making the filling take care not to overwhip the cream or it may turn into butter. Stop beating the moment the cream starts to hold its shape.
If you feel that the icing sugar will make the cake too sweet you can cut down on the amount or leave it out altogether. Different people have different tastes - use sufficient for your own taste.
When dipping the biscuits in the syrup, don't soak them completely or they will become soggy. Dip them just long enough to let the syrup penetrate the outer crust. The biscuits will soften further in the cake as they absorb moisture from the cream.
I find that garnishing the cake with mint leaves provides a subtle hint of mint that really enhances the flavour of the cake. Remove the mint leaves before serving.

A slice of strawberry tiramisu on a white plate with a cake fork.

Variations

Add a dash of alcohol!

I purposely left alcohol out of the cake because I wanted it to be family-friendly!

However, suppose you'd like to make a more adult version of this strawberry tiramisu. In that case, I think a splash of Strawberry-flavoured Baileys in the syrup and one or two tablespoons in the cream filling would taste amazing!

Equipment

For assembling the tiramisu you will need a dish which is approximately 7" x 9" in size. That's the size I used, but I did find the cake was slightly higher than the dish. You could use a dish slightly larger in size.

You will also need a couple of bowls to mix the filling and for macerating the strawberries.

If you have an electric hand mixer this will make short work of beating the cream and the mascarpone, but if you don't have one, a balloon whisk will do the job.

Storage

You can eat this tiramisu the day it is made, but it definitely improves on being left to stand overnight before eating.

Cover with cling film or a sheet of tin foil and store it in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for 4 to 5 days.

Tiramisu FAQ

What is tiramisu?

Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert, the name of which loosely translates to 'pick me up'. The traditional recipe is made with sponge fingers dipped in strong coffee and layered between a mixture of mascarpone, double cream and egg yolks. To finish it off, it is dusted with cocoa powder. Some people like to add Kaluha liqueur or similar alcohol.

What are sponge finger biscuits?

Sponge finger biscuits are often referred to as ladyfingers. Italians call them Savoiardi, and in France, they are known as boudoir biscuits. They are a crispy sugar-coated biscuit which turns into a cake-like consistency when moistened.

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📋The recipe

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Strawberry tiramisu

Ingredients