Strawberry Elderflower Tiramisu (with Eggless Mascarpone Cream)

A cross between classic tiramisu and a springy strawberry shortcake, this strawberry tiramisu has a dreamy eggless mascarpone cream and a splash of elderflower flavor to bring out the fragrant, floral notes of the berries.

The mascarpone whipped cream is eggless, meaning no concerns about raw eggs nor fussy tempering custards! It’s simply whipped cream stabilized with mascarpone, making for a fluffy, cloud-like cream in between layers of softened ladyfinger cookies and jammy strawberries. (Note that ladyfinger cookies DO contain eggs, so this recipe isn’t completely egg-free, just the cream part is).

The tiramisu renaissance is upon us. Sure there will always be the sticklers that insist that it’s not really tiramisu unless it’s got espresso, mascarpone cream and cocoa powder, but I like to take a looser interpretation. Really, anything that involves ladyfinger cookies layered with mascarpone cream can be called a tiramisu in my opinion.

In the past I’ve made an orange marmalade variation on the classic, swapping the coffee for orange juice, marmalade, and Grand Marnier liqueur (spoiler alert: it’s wonderful).

But here I wanted something a bit more… springy.

And what’s more springy than ripe spring strawberries, picked straight from the field?

This strawberry tiramisu features the layers of ladyfinger cookies and mascarpone cream like the classic version (though this mascarpone is lighter and made without eggs), but that’s where the similarities end.

Instead of espresso, we’re using a loose strawberry jam that’s been spiked with a bit of St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and an extra brush of elderflower syrup for added flavor and moisture.

The classic dusting of cocoa powder? It’s now a vibrant flurry of freeze dried strawberry powder dusting the tops of the mascarpone mountains.

What you get is part tiramisu, part strawberry shortcake: an elegant dessert that’s entirely delectable. It’s impressive but surprisingly easy to throw together, and throw together well ahead of your dinner party to free up your time for other tasks (and in fact, the make-ahead nature of tiramisu is not a can, rather a must—allowing at least 3-4 hours or more for the layers to soften and meld is non-negotiable, overnight is even better).

I tested a few different preparations for this recipe, with the goal to make it as simple and strawberry-forward as possible.

I had high hopes for the version that didn’t use a lick of heat; instead of a strawberry jam, I made a strawberry syrup by simply macerating strawberries in sugar and then straining off the resultant juice, which served as the ‘dip’ for the ladyfinger cookies; the leftover strained berries were then layered in between.

Unfortunately, the strawberry flavor wasn’t quite as fresh, if you can believe it or not, than the version that used cooked strawberries. The simple act of simmering the strawberries deepens and concentrates the flavor. When tasted side by side, the cooked strawberry version was the clear winner.

But aside from the flavor—which was spot on—my first test batch wasn’t perfect. The strawberry jam, cooked to a sticky and pectin-y rich finish, was actually too thick, and the ladyfinger cookies weren’t able to absorb enough liquid from it to soften fully, leaving the final tiramisu just a little bit dry. The ladyfingers really need to be well and fully soft all the way through, which meant we needed more liquid.

So for the next batch (and in the final recipe), we still cooked the strawberry but cooked it for less time and to a lower temperature, resulting in more of a jammy strawberry sauce than a stick-to-your-spoon jam. If we’re being honest, we’re intentionally making a underset jam (so the next time you’re trying to make strawberry jam but it doesn’t set properly? Bookmark this recipe because that mishap would be perfect here!)

This loose, jammy strawberry sauce makes the perfect flavor-packed interlude between layers of ladyfingers and mascarpone cream, with plenty of flavor and more than enough liquid for the cookies to absorb to boot.

Tiramisu makes a great make-head dessert, as it needs to sit for at least 3-4 hours in order for the cookies to soak and soften. In a perfect world, you’ll make and assemble your tiramisu a day ahead of time—I think it’s at it’s best the next day—but the assembled tiramisu will keep for 2-3 days just fine.

In addition, if you’re looking to get an even bigger head start, the strawberry sauce can be made up to a week in advance if necessary. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

All that said, save the dusting on top—whether strawberry or cocoa—until just before you serve it, as the strawberry powder does get a bit weird looking as it absorbs moisture from the air and the cream. But I think you can handle that. :)

Whip it good.

A traditional tiramisu filling is made from mascarpone whipped with cream and an egg-based custard called a zabaione (sometimes cooked, sometimes not).

I wanted a slightly lighter cream layer to offset the strawberry jam, so I nixed the custard and just whipped the mascarpone with heavy cream. This creates a light and fluffy filling that’s just a bit sturdier than standard whipped cream. It’s not as rich as traditional tiramisu, but I felt like it complimented the strawberries perfectly.

Keep in mind that because the mascarpone increases the fat content of the cream significantly, it will whip up much quicker than regular heavy cream, and will go from perfect to over-whipped in a few strokes of the whisk (over-whipped mascarpone cream will appear a bit curdled and grainy). For this reason I recommend beating it until it just barely holds soft peaks. After a few swoops of the spatula to transfer to the piping bag, it will be perfect.

Be sure your cream is very cold and your mascarpone is too, as if the ingredients are at different temperatures the cream will be more prone to curdling and separating.

While I piped my mascarpone into the ramekins (I find it easier to be precise and controlled), you can also just spoon it too.

Keep it personal.

Tiramisu is generally presented in one big pan, and you can certainly do that with this recipe (it makes enough for an 8 or 9-inch square pan worth).

However, if you want perfectly portioned, pristine layers, then I recommend going the ramekin route, specifically glass ramekins which will showcase the dessert’s stunning layers.

I used these 6-ounce glass ramekins, which are approximately 3-inches diameter by 2-inches tall. With this size ramekin you’ll end up with 8 individual servings, 6 pretty ones and 2 made from the scraps of the cookies. If your ramekins are slightly larger or smaller, your mileage may vary.

But… you see the problem here, don’t you? Round peg, square hole (or in this case, rectangular cookie and round ramekin). Fitting finger-shaped cookies into small, round ramekins is not necessarily intuitive.

To make your ladyfingers perfectly fit into the round ramekins, arrange 3 cookies on a cutting surface, then use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut a circle out of the cookies. If your cookie cutter is exactly the right size, this works beautifully; mine cutter was ever so slightly larger, so I had to shave down the circle a little bit more to get them to fit. A bit finicky, but it made for beautiful layers.

With one package of ladyfingers you should be able to make 6 full rounds from 3 cookies each. Then take the pieces and jigsaw them together to get 6 more rounds, enough to fill 6 ramekins. I put the uglier, multi-piece sections in the cups first as they get fully covered with cream and jam, and then the prettier rounds in the top layer.

For the final 2 ramekins, just crumble up the bits that are left and sprinkle them into the remaining cups, as they’ll be much too small to try to piece together. You’ll assemble these last two like a trifle, basically. These last two scrap cups make excellent chef’s treats (wink wink). You could also use the scrap method for all the cups if you wanted a more rustic look and didn’t want to deal with cutting out cookies.

However you choose to assemble your tiramisu(s), it will need to refrigerate at least 3-4 hours, though I think it’s best after sitting overnight. This rest period allows the ladyfingers to absorb the liquid, transforming them from crunchy, dry cookies into moist, cake-like layers, easily eaten with a spoon.

Respect your Elder(flower)s.

The elderflower flavor comes from a splash of St. Germaine in the strawberry jam sauce, as well as an elderflower syrup brushed on top of the ladyfinger cookies. The hint of floral flavor lifts and compliments the natural strawberry, making it more springy and fragrant.

You can make your own elderflower syrup or use store-bought. It can also be omitted entirely or replaced with another flavored syrup, it just adds a little extra moisture to soften the cookies further.

In place of the St. Germain, you can use more elderflower syrup (if you want to keep the recipe alcohol-free), or you can replace it with any other liqueur of your choice. I think limoncello, ginger liqueur, or another fruit-based liqueur like Chambord or Grand Marnier would be lovely!

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Strawberries: fresh or frozen berries work well here, since they’re cooked and we want them juicy anyway it’s totally fine if they are frozen!

If you want to use pre-made jam in place of the strawberry sauce, warm it slightly on the stovetop and add the St. Germain liqueur and a bit of lemon juice, maybe a tablespoon or two of water if it’s on the thick side. The strawberry layer needs to be more saucy than jammy so that the ladyfinger cookies have some liquid to absorb!

Freeze-dried strawberries: these are mainly for decoration but also a little extra hit of strawberry flavor on top. I buy freeze-dried strawberry slices and then grind them up in a (clean!) coffee grinder until they are a fine powder, but you can also buy strawberry powder which would work too.

In place of the freeze-dried strawberries you could also use cocoa powder like a classic tiramisu (maybe give it a dusting in between layers too!) or leave it off entirely and garnish with some fresh strawberries instead or just leave it plain.

Mascarpone: You really need mascarpone to make tiramisu. Some recipes say cream cheese is a substitute but I disagree, the flavor is not even close. Using just whipping cream would be too light and not sturdy enough, the mascarpone gives it enough substance to support the subsequent layers.

St. Germain: A French elderflower liqueur. This is totally optional, it adds a little extra elderflower zing to the strawberry jam sauce. Feel free to omit, or replace with any other liqueur of your choice (limoncello, ginger liqueur, chambord, etc).

Elderflower syrup: Also optional, it adds a little extra flavor and moisture for the cookies to absorb. Feel free to omit or replace with any other flavored syrup of your choice!

Vanilla bean paste: You can also use the seeds of 1/2 a fresh vanilla bean or 1/2 to 1 teaspoons vanilla extract to taste.

Ladyfinger cookies: Look for Italian savoiardi ladyfingers, which are the crispy ones. I used Vincenovo and Alessi brands, both were great. They come in 7oz packages which is a perfect amount to make 8 individual ramekins or one 8 or 9-inch square pan.