Tiramisu

Tiramisu is one of our most favorite desserts to buy for any occasion.  If there is a birthday or anniversary celebration, invariably we will have a store-bought tiramisu for dessert

Tiramisu is a coffee flavored Italian dessert, and looks and tastes like it takes hours to make.  The original recipe calls for raw eggs, heavy whipping cream, and mascarpone cheese.  Once I read the recipe, I was wary, because after reading about all the salmonella poisoning, I really did not want my family eating raw eggs.  

So I decided to explore further and find a recipe that does not use raw eggs.  There are several short-cut recipes available online.  I have made several versions – some using mascarpone cheese and heavy whipping cream, others using cream cheese and whipping cream, and my latest version, using cream cheese and store-bought whipped topping.  I used to make it with mascarpone cheese till last year, when my grocery stores ran out of it! Apparently tons of people were making tiramisu!  I have since switched to cream cheese and it works just as well.

This version hardly took any time at all and tasted great!  This recipe is mostly based on the one I found on Kraft Recipes (original recipe here).

 

Here is what you need:

• 2 Tbsp. instant coffee
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup hot water
• 16 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups whipped topping, thawed
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. orange liqueur
• 2 pkgs. ladyfingers (3 oz. each)
• unsweetened cocoa for dusting
• chocolate shavings

 

Here is how I made it:

1. Mix the coffee powder and sugar.  Pour in hot water to make a strong cup of coffee.  Set aside.  You may use espresso or other strong coffee instead.  I normally brew a really strong cup, but my coffee maker was not cooperating this morning.
2. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer, on medium speed, till smooth.  Add sugar and mix well.  Add orange liqueur.  You may use Kahlua or other coffee flavored liqueur if you like.  I like the hint of orange in the tiramisu.  Gently mix in the whipped topping.  Set aside.
3. The ladyfingers come in 3 oz. packages and are sliced.  Remove the top half and set aside.  Arrange the bottom half (from both packages) in a 9 X 13 serving dish.
4. Brush coffee gently onto the ladyfingers so that they are soaked through.  I used about ¼ cup for this layer.
5. Using a spatula spread half of the cream cheese mixture on top of the ladyfingers.
6. Layer the remaining ladyfingers on top of this.  Brush with coffee (I used another ¼ cup for this layer)
7. Spread the remaining cream cheese mixture and smooth it out. 
8. Put cocoa powder in a tea strainer and tap gently over the tiramisu to give it an even dusting.
9. Take a bar of chocolate and using a peeler, shave some chocolate curls for garnish.
10. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Thanks Ram, for the picture!

Note:  This dessert can be made almost fat-free if you use fat free cream cheese and fat free whipped topping.  I used regular versions of both.   

I ended up using only ½ cup of coffee.  For stronger coffee flavor, you may want to use all of it.