This raspberry tiramisu recipe is the perfect dessert when you want a quick, make-ahead, indulgent dessert. It’s rich but light all at once and has the zing of raspberries and amaretto.
Love a no-cook dessert? Try these no bake blueberry cheesecake parfaits or this creamy chocolate ripple cake.
❤️ Why you’ll love it
You’ll be addicted to this incredibly simple twist on an Italian classic dessert.
- Quick and easy – just 15 minutes to make.
- Fresh and light, yet dreamy and creamy.
- No raw eggs – but still the perfect airy, creamy texture.
- No bake dessert – perfect when you don’t want to turn the oven on.
- Make it ahead – perfect for a gathering.
- Easy to scale – perfect for even larger gatherings.
This recipe was first published here on August 24th, 2021 and has been updated with clearer step by step images.
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Raspberries are one of my favourite fruits and I can rarely pass them by if I see big plump raspberries in the store. Sadly, they turn bad so quickly, but never fear because raspberry tiramisu is a great way to use up loads of them while they’re at their peak.
Being a make-ahead dessert, it’s perfect for potlucks or larger gatherings where you want to get ahead on preparing the menu and you want a dessert that can be easily scaled up.
What is tiramisu?
Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert that literally translates to pick-me-up. No doubt this is in reference to the traditional coffee flavoured version that is filled with espresso and marsala or coffee liqueur.
While this raw egg free tiramisu has no coffee, it does have the zing of vibrant raspberries and amaretto liqueur. You could always add some coffee if you wanted.
If you love citrus, try this lemon tiramisu or orange tiramisu or for strawberries, try my strawberry tiramisu.
Ingredients & substitutions
Detailed quantities and directions in the recipe at the bottom of the post.
- Sponge biscuits / lady fingers: Also known as Savoiardi, sponge fingers make up the structural part of this berry tiramisu.
- Raspberries: Use fresh raspberries if possible. You can use frozen raspberries in the first layer and that works fine but they won’t look so good for decoration on top. You could turn frozen raspberries into a raspberry compote for the top, if you absolutely can’t find any fresh ones. You can make this with other fresh berries if you like – blackberries would be perfect, chopped strawberries and blueberries would be great after being macerated in a little sugar. You could use raspberry jam but it will add quite a bit of sweetness in comparison to plain fresh berries.
- Cream: You’re looking for a thickened, heavy or whipping cream. It needs to be at least 35% fat content to whip properly. Use full fat, no light cream
- Mascarpone cheese: Mascarpone is a vital ingredient for tiramisu. It’s a very thick, Italian cream. It’s rich, smooth and delicious. Make sure to only use a full-fat version.
- Liqueur: I use Amaretto (almond liqueur) in this easy raspberry tiramisu most of the time but I’ve also tried it with Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) which is also lovely, just more subtle. You could also use Limoncello or Cointreau. See the FAQs section to make this child-friendly.
- Sugar: You just need a little caster sugar (superfine sugar) for this dessert. White granulated is too granular for this recipe.
- Chocolate: Use a good quality, at least 50% cocoa solids, chocolate in this dessert.
- Vanilla: Use a pure vanilla extract (not essence). It is the most wonderful addition to the creamy layers.
Is it egg-free?
Keep in mind, when I call this an eggless tiramisu, I’m referring to it having no raw eggs. So, if you prefer not to eat raw eggs, this will work perfectly. There is eggs baked into the biscuits though.
In a classic tiramisu the raw egg yolks are added to give richness and the whites are added for air. I add both richness and air to this tiramisu using whipped cream (the exact same way I make my raspberry mousse).
If you have an allergy or sensitivity to eggs, you will need to hunt down egg free Savoiardi / ladyfingers for this recipe as they generally have eggs in them.
How to make tiramisu
Just two bowls, a 9-inch square baking pan or a similar sized baking dish and an electric mixer are all you need to make this incredibly simple berry tiramisu.
See the recipe below for the full recipe details.
1. The creamy filling
First, whip the cream in one mixing bowl to soft peaks. In a separate mixing bowl beat the mascarpone with vanilla and sugar. Add the cream to the mascarpone mixture, ⅓ at a time , just gently folding it together each time until it looks smooth and creamy.
2. Layer it up
The first layer: Dip half of the ladyfingers individually into the amaretto, then lay them in an even layer on the bottom of your tin.
Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over them.
Mash up half the raspberries and spread them over
The second layer: Repeat the layers with the remaining ladyfingers, then cream.
Now use a vegetable peeler to shave your chocolate and scatter it all over the top. Top it with half torn and half whole raspberries.
Tips and tricks
- Make sure the cream is cold: This means both the thickened / heavy cream and the mascarpone. Cream won’t whip properly if it’s not cold.
- Don’t overwhip the mascarpone: Mascarpone is already very thick so if you beat it too long, it will end up becoming grainy. Just whip it enough to beat everything through.
- Be careful to fold the creams together: You don’t want to beat or stir the two cream mixtures together. Not only will you lose the fluffy texture, you risk the cream ‘unwhipping’ and making your biscuits soggy. Just fold gently and do it in 3 parts.
- Don’t soak the biscuits: You just want to lightly dip both sides of the Savoiardi / ladyfinger biscuits. If you let them soak, they end up just becoming mushy.
- The right tin: I use a 9-inch square baking tin for this. It needs to be at least 2 inches deep. You could really use any similar sized tin or dish, even round ones but you may need to get a little creative with how you place the Savoiardi in.
- Trim the biscuits if you need: If the biscuits are the wrong size to fit in flat and snuggly, feel free to trim them to size.
- Chill and serve chilled: Chill the raspberry tiramisu for at least 6 hours or overnight is even better. Serve it straight from the fridge. It slices fairly easily.
Variations
- Alcohol free option: If you want to make this alcohol free there are a few options. You could simply use a little diluted raspberry cordial for flavour, or use some milk with a little raspberry cordial. You could also make a raspberry simple syrup by disolving ½ cup of sugar into ½ cup of water over low-medium heat. Add 1 cup of raspberries and cook it mashing as you go for about 5 minutes, then strain.
- Coffee option: In addition to the options above and if you’d like a little of that classic tiramisu flavour, dunk the ladyfingers into strong coffee instead of (or along with) Amaretto. If serving children, you can use a decaffeinated instant coffee.
- Mini tiramisu: You can divide this mixture between 9-12 small ramekins for smaller individual tiramisu serves (perfect for a party).
FAQs
Also known as sponge fingers or ladyfingers, these are a very light, dry cookie with a sponge like inside. The ‘fingers’ in the name refers to their long skinny shape, they’re about 1 inch wide and 4-5 inches long.
Savoiardi can sometimes be tricky to find but I normally find them in the biscuit / cookie aisle right at the top or you may find them in the international section. If you can’t find them anywhere, try using a plain sponge cake, cut into fingers and dried on a wire rack overnight.
Traditional tiramisu does not contain cream cheese nor does mascarpone taste like cream cheese, however, if you want a cheesecake flavoured tiramisu, have at it. Swap the same amount of cream cheese for mascarpone.
You can swap the amaretto for a variety of other liqueurs in this berrymisu. Cointreau, Grand Marnier Frangelico and Limoncello are all lovely. You can also use the more traditional marsala.
If you want to make this for kids or for adults that don’t drink alcohol, you can substitute the alcohol for milk with a dash of raspberry syrup or raspberry cordial. Or just use the milk on it’s own. You could also use a raspberry simple syrup.
Keep an eye out for gluten free ladyfingers to make this a gluten free berrymisu.
Storage and make ahead tips
This quick no bake raspberry tiramisu will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. The longer it sits, the softer the sponge fingers will get and the more the raspberry juice will seep into both the cream and biscuit layers. Serving the day after making is perfect.
This tiramisu should not be frozen, or at least won’t taste good once it thaws, as the texture of the cream will change.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Ingredients
- 300 ml thickened cream (heavy / whipping cream) (1 ¼ cups)
- ⅓ cup caster sugar (superfine sugar) (66g/ ~2 ⅓oz)
- 500 g mascarpone cheese (~17 ½oz)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 28 Savoiardi (ladyfinger) biscuits (notes 2-4)
- ½ cup Amaretto (almond liqueur) (125ml) (notes 6&7)
- 3 cups fresh raspberries (375g / ~13 ¼) (notes 5)
- 50 g dark (50%) chocolate, shaved (1 ¾oz)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- electric mixer or stand mixer
- 2 inch deep, 9 inch square baking pan or similar sized serving dish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream with an electric beater to soft peak stage.
- In a separate bowl, beat the mascarpone, sugar and vanilla, until just combined (don’t overbeat).
- Fold ⅓ of the whipped cream into the mascarpone gently so as not to knock out the air and repeat two more times with the remaining whipped cream until all incorporated.
- Quickly dip each biscuit into the liqueur (don’t soak) and lay them side by side in a 9 inch square tin – roughly 14 in the first layer – press down lightly to make them all level and trim some if you need to.
- Top the biscuits with half the mascarpone cream mixture, spreading it over evenly with an offset spatula.
- Place ½ the raspberries in a bowl and mash with a fork until it's a little mushy and little lumpy. Spread this over the mascarpone layer.
- Repeat the biscuit and mascarpone cream layers again.
- Top with the shaved chocolate, followed by the raspberries, tearing some and leaving some whole.
- Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before serving, covered with plastic wrap.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- I use a vegetable peeler along the edge of a block of chocolate to shave it.
- The number of Savoiardi’s you’ll need will depend on their size. I use ones that are just over an inch wide and I fit two layers of 14 into a 9 inch tin.
- Savoiardis are an sweet, dry Italian biscuit about 1 inch wide by 4 long with a crusty sugar coating on one side. You’ll find them often in the biscuit / cookie aisle on the top shelf or in the international section.
- If you can’t find Savoiardi, use a sponge cake, cut into fingers and dried, uncovered overnight on a wire rack.
- You can use frozen raspberries in the first layer if you want but they won’t look pretty if you use them on top. If all you can get is frozen raspberries, it will look nicer if you turn the top berries into a compote instead and dollop that over.
- Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur), Cointreau (orange liqueur), Marsala all work well in place of the Amaretto.
- For a non-alcoholic version, use milk with a dash of caramel syrup or raspberry cordial.
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10 Comments on “Raspberry Tiramisu”
So easy to make and tastes great.
Made for a wet winter stay at home weekend, huge success with the family!!
I’m so happy you love it, Janet. Thanks so much for dropping back to leave a review.
Hi. I made this for a group of friends at a barbecue. I used Frangelico liqueur and it was amazingly simple to make and to
eat. I can’t wait to make the lemon version and have already made the lemon curd. Thanks, great recipes.
So happy you love it, Kathy. Can’t wait to hear what you think of the lemon version.
Tried this with chambord, added some flaked almonds for texture. Really nice, not too sweet. Thank you!
So happy you love it, Surene.
What a great and delicious desert. Can be made in advance and takes very little time to prepare. It was really popular with the family gathering for Australia Day. Used fresh blueberries instead of raspberries and it was amazing. Thanks Marie
So happy you love it, Kim. Thanks so much for leaving a review 🙂
This looks terrific! I’ve tried many tiramisu versions, but I don’t think I’ve ever had it with raspberries. Loving it – so refreshing and beautiful. And I think the idea of using some limoncello is awesome!
Thanks so much Ben.