For March, the Avid Baker's Challenge group chose the Brown-Eyed Baker's Easy Tiramisu Trifle for us to make.
The easy part is that you don't have to make the ladyfingers and there's no custard layer like the full-blown version.
Even though there's no real baking in this recipe, I'm glad we chose it because I've never made a trifle or a tiramisu before!
Of course I had to embellish it a little with chocolate syrup... (and it's wonderful that way).
This Easy Tiramisu Trifle is so easy to throw together. I halved the recipe and used a 2 quart glass dish since I don't actually have a trifle bowl. It worked out great for the two of us and we'll be able to finish it up fairly quickly.
I can see this working great for a last minute elegant dessert for a get together. It's rich, but not cloyingly sweet and the coffee flavor really comes through on the layers. If you don't want to use Kahlua, just substitute a little of the coffee mixture.
I've never used mascarpone before, mainly because our local grocery never carried it until lately. I was pleasantly surprised because frankly I thought it was going to be grainy like cannoli filling. It whipped up creamy and delicious and made the dessert taste perfect!
Easy Tiramisu Trifle
Layers of ladyfingers dipped in a coffee/kahlua mixture and fluffy mascarpone blended with rich whipped cream.
Ingredients
- 1 C heavy cream
- 1 C coffee, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee or espresso powder
- 2 tablespoon Kahlua, divided
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese
- ½ C powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 oz lady fingers (about 24)
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, about 45 seconds. Place the whipped cream bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- In a medium bowl, stir the coffee, instant coffee and 1 tablespoon of the Kahlua until the powder dissolves. Set aside.
- In another medium bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese until smooth and light (may look like curds, but will smooth out later). Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar , vanilla and remaining tablespoon of Kahlua. Mix until smooth.
- Fold ⅓ of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until thoroughly mixed in and lightened. Gently fold the rest of the whipped cream in until most of the white streaks are gone.
- Spread about 1 tablespoon of the mascarpone mixture onto the bottom of a 2 quart glass bowl (or bowl of your choice). Then one-by-one, dip the lady fingers into the coffee and quickly roll to cover. Put a layer of the dipped ladyfingers on the bottom of the bowl, adjusting to fit.
- Spread about half of the mascarpone mixture over the bottom layer of ladyfingers, smoothing to the edge. Dust the cocoa over this layer.
- Next, dip more ladyfingers in the coffee and gently lay horizontally around the edges of the bowl and also a layer of ladyfingers over the mascarpone. Put the rest of the mascarpone mixture in the glass bowl (should come to the top of the bowl). Dust the top of this layer with the remaining cocoa.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
Tips and Stuff:
I used store-bought lady fingers, but you can make your own if you wish. Don't soak the ladyfingers in the coffee or they may fall apart - just dip them in quickly.
You could use cream cheese in a pinch instead of mascarpone, but the mascarpone really is outstanding in it. If you use cream cheese, bring it to room temperature before beating.
When stored in the refrigerator, a little moisture winds up on the plastic wrap. Use a new piece of plastic wrap when you store the leftovers.
I halved the original recipe, so if you have a big trifle bowl, double the recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 301Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 140mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 4g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
I love tiramisu and I love trifle, so this sounds perfect to me.