This strawberry tiramisu has a creamy, tangy, strawberry filling, green tea dipped ladyfingers, and fresh strawberry hearts on top. Easy to make strawberry curd is folded into the filling, giving it a similar texture and body to traditional tiramisu because of the eggs. Whipped cream makes the filling light and fluffy, making it the perfect tangy refreshing dessert. You can spike the green tea for a boozy twist if you prefer!
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🍓 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Tangy strawberry flavor: The filling is packed full of tangy, fresh strawberry flavor and it isn't overly sweet.
- Creamy tiramisu: It's similar to a tiramisu with its soaked ladyfinger layers and light, creamy mascarpone filling. Except it doesn't have raw eggs.
- No raw eggs: The filling has strawberry curd which gives it that eggy richness without using raw eggs. It uses whipped creamy to give it the mousse-like texture instead of whipped egg whites.
- Strawberry hearts: Cutting strawberries into heart shapes gives the tiramisu the cutest fresh strawberry topping.
For more heart shaped desserts, these heart shaped chocolate chip cookies and this strawberry galette can be made into hearts. And check out this giant heart shaped cookie!
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
- Strawberries: Use fresh or frozen for the curd. Only use fresh for the heart shaped strawberry topping.
- Cream: Heavy whipping cream (at least 35%) is essential for whipping and making the filling light and fluffy.
- Mascarpone cheese: This is what gives the filling that traditional tiramisu flavor. If you can't find mascarpone cheese, replace with cream cheese. It will be tangier but the texture will be the same! Don't substitute with ricotta because it will be grainy.
- Ladyfingers: Depending on the dimensions of your baking dish, you may need more or less ladyfingers. I used two 5 oz packages of Milano giant ladyfingers. You can use your favorite vanilla cookies or sandwich cookies instead.
- Green Tea: A strong brewed green tea is what I used for dipping the ladyfingers. Jasmine green tea will give beautiful flavor or just use your preferred kind (matcha tea will work so beautifully here). Spike the green tea with ¼ cup of mild flavored alcohol like sake or white rum, if you prefer.
✔️ Ingredient substitutions
Ladyfingers: Use your favorite ladyfingers or cookies to layer inside the cake. You can use gluten free cookies for a gluten free version.
Tea soak: Use strong tea, milk, or matcha for soaking the ladyfingers. Check out my matcha tiramisu recipe. You can also add ¼ cup of mild flavored alcohol like sake or white rum to spike this tiramisu. Limoncello will give a beautiful lemon twist.
Strawberries: Experiment with using different fruit curds for making this tiramisu. You can use raspberry curd or even check out this popular lemon curd tiramisu recipe.
For more traditional coffee tiramisu flavors, try this oreo tiramisu!
👩🍳 How to make strawberry tiramisu
Step by step strawberry curd
Step 1: Wash strawberries and trim the tops off. Cut them into pieces and add into a medium saucepan. Alternatively, use frozen sliced strawberries.
Step 2: Add lemon juice and sugar into the strawberries, heat on medium heat to release the juices. Once it comes to a simmer, let simmer until it reduces to about one and a half cups of strawberry sauce. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Optionally, blend the strawberry sauce until smooth after cooking.
Step 3: In a separate medium heat safe bowl, whisk together eggs until fully combined.
Step 4: Pour half of the hot strawberry sauce into the eggs, and whisk well to combine. Pour the egg and strawberry mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the strawberry sauce. Whisk until smooth.
Step 5: Place back on medium-low heat, whisking frequently until thickened. Whisking frequently and scraping the bottom helps prevent the curd from burning.
Step 6: Pour the hot curd in a non-metal bowl or container (strain through a sieve if lumpy). Add cubed cold butter, salt, and vanilla. Whisk to melt the butter, place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap on top to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until cold.
Tip: You can freeze the curd for 30 minutes to help it cool down faster. Or refrigerate it overnight and finish the next day!
Step by step assembly
Step 1: Place tea bags or loose leaf tea in a bowl or wide cup. Pour boiling water over the tea and let it steep while you work on the filling.
Step 2: In a very large bowl, beat mascarpone cheese until smooth.
Step 3: Pour the cooled strawberry curd into the mascarpone and beat until combined. It should be smooth and creamy.
Step 4: Separately, in a chilled bowl, whip the whipping cream using a whisk attachment. Whip to stiff peaks, being careful not to over whip until grainy. Add whipped cream into the strawberry mascarpone filling and gently fold until incorporated.
Step 5: Briefly dip each ladyfinger in the steeped tea and place a single layer inside a casserole dish.
Step 6: Spread half of the filling over the ladyfingers, smoothing the filling all the way to the edges. Dip more ladyfingers in the tea, arranging them on top of the filling in a single layer. Add the rest of the filling and smooth the top.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Step 7: The day of serving, cut fresh strawberries in half. Cut a notch at the top to remove the greens and form a heart shape. Arrange them in an alternating pattern (see photo for reference) on top of the tiramisu.
Step 8: Scoop or slice the tiramisu to serve!
Tiramisu Pro Tips:
- Use non-metal dishes for storing acidic desserts. This includes anything made with fruit or berries. The acid can leech metal flavor into the tiramisu giving it a metallic flavor.
- Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold it into the filling very gently. This helps thicken the filling and sets the tiramisu. It adds a lot of air into the tiramisu giving it a mousse-like texture. This tiramisu uses whipped cream instead of raw whipped egg whites like traditional tiramisu does.
- Food coloring: If your strawberries aren't red enough, try adding a touch of red food coloring to make the pink color pop! Alternatively use beetroot juice or even a touch of strained raspberries.
- Chill the tiramisu for 8 hours or overnight to set. This allows enough time for the ladyfingers to soak through and soften up, and for the filling to set.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
You can make ahead the strawberry curd and store it in the fridge until you're ready to make the tiramisu. It will keep well covered and refrigerated for up to a few days.
This tiramisu is the perfect make ahead dessert because it needs to set in the fridge! I like to set the tiramisu and let all the flavors combine overnight. It needs at least 8 hours in the fridge.
This tiramisu will keep well in the fridge for up to four days. Freeze, wrapped tightly, for up to two months. It keeps really well in the freezer and tastes like ice cream when frozen.
✔️ What makes it the best strawberry tiramisu
The addition of strawberry curd instead of just using a strawberry sauce gives it a rich and complex flavor. Traditional tiramisu contains eggs so this helps achieve that texture and flavor without using raw eggs.
This strawberry curd uses whole eggs in order for it to be thick enough without using too many eggs. Also, it helps prevent the curd from being too yellow from the yolks.
You might also love these strawberry donuts filled with custard and strawberry sauce, as well as these easy, gooey strawberry cream cheese rolls.
❔ Can I use other types of curd instead?
Yes! Check out my lemon curd tiramisu that inspired this recipe!
You can also substitute the strawberry curd in this recipe with this raspberry curd.
📖 Recipe FAQs
This tiramisu is safe for everyone to eat because it doesn't contain raw eggs. It does contain eggs that are cooked in the strawberry curd, giving it that richness and body that traditional tiramisu with eggs have. Whipped cream instead of raw egg whites gives it a light and fluffy texture. I use this technique in my lemon tiramisu and Oreo tiramisu.
Use your favorite vanilla cookie! Or experiment with Oreos like in this Oreo tiramisu.
Use gluten free ladyfingers or cookies. The filling is naturally gluten free.
You can use cream cheese instead. It won't have such a mild and creamy flavor that mascarpone cheese gives but the texture will be very similar! With cream cheese it will have a bit more of a tang. Don't substitute the mascarpone with ricotta because the texture will be grainy.
I don't recommend trying this because it's not meant to hold its shape for very long. The creamiest tiramisus are made in casserole dishes!
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📖 Recipe
Strawberry Tiramisu
Equipment
- 8” by 11” oval dish or any non-metal dish of similar size
Ingredients
Strawberry Curd
- 1 lb strawberries fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup granulated sugar add an extra ¼ cup if strawberries are acidic
- 4 large eggs
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter cubed and cold
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Assembly
- 1 cup water boiling
- 2 green tea teabags or 2 tablespoons looseleaf
- 1 lb mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 1 cup whipping cream cold
- 2 packages ladyfingers about 22 large ladyfingers, see notes
- 1 lb fresh strawberries optional
Instructions
Strawberry Curd
- Wash strawberries and trim the tops off. Cut them into pieces and add into a medium saucepan. Alternatively, use frozen sliced strawberries.1 lb strawberries
- Add lemon juice and sugar into the strawberries, heat on medium heat to release the juices. Once it comes to a simmer, let simmer until it reduces to about one and a half cups of strawberry sauce . Stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Optionally, blend the strawberry sauce until smooth after cooking.½ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- In a separate medium heat safe bowl, whisk together eggs until fully combined. Pour half of the hot strawberry sauce into the eggs, and whisk well to combine. Pour the egg and strawberry mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the strawberry sauce. Whisk until smooth.4 large eggs
- Place back on medium-low heat, whisking frequently until thickened. Whisking frequently and scraping the bottom helps prevent the curd from burning.
- Pour the hot curd in a non-metal bowl or container (strain through a sieve if lumpy). Add cubed cold butter, salt, and vanilla. Whisk to melt the butter, place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap on top to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until cold.⅓ cup unsalted butter, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Tip: You can freeze the curd for 30 minutes to help it cool down faster. Or refrigerate it overnight and finish the next day!
Assembly
- Place tea bags or loose leaf tea in a bowl or wide cup. Pour boiling water over the tea and let it steep while you work on the filling.1 cup water, 2 green tea teabags
- In a very large bowl, beat mascarpone cheese until smooth. Pour the cooled strawberry curd into the mascarpone and beat until combined.1 lb mascarpone cheese
- Separately, in a chilled bowl, whip the whipping cream using a whisk attachment. Whip to stiff peaks, being careful not to over whip until grainy. Add whipped cream into the strawberry mascarpone filling and gently fold until incorporated.1 cup whipping cream
- Briefly dip each ladyfinger in the steeped tea and place a single layer inside a casserole dish.2 packages ladyfingers
- Spread half of the filling over the ladyfingers, smoothing the filling all the way to the edges. Dip more ladyfingers in the tea, arranging them on top of the filling in a single layer. Add the rest of the filling and smooth the top.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- The day of serving, cut fresh strawberries in half. Cut a notch at the top to remove the greens and form a heart shape. Arrange them in an alternating pattern (see photo for reference) on top of the tiramisu. Scoop or slice and serve!1 lb fresh strawberries
Notes
- Use non-metal dishes for storing acidic desserts. This includes anything made with fruit or berries. The acid can leech metal flavor into the tiramisu giving it a metallic flavor.
- Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold it into the filling very gently. This helps thicken the filling and sets the tiramisu. It adds a lot of air into the tiramisu giving it a mousse-like texture. This tiramisu uses whipped cream instead of raw whipped egg whites like traditional tiramisu does.
- Food coloring: If your strawberries aren't red enough, try adding a touch of red food coloring to make the pink color pop! Alternatively use beetroot juice or even a touch of strained raspberries.
- Chill the tiramisu for 8 hours or overnight to set. This allows enough time for the ladyfingers to soak through and soften up, and for the filling to set.
Zainab
Thank you for sharing the recipe . Marvellous ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Kari Clarke
This was a huge hit with our family. So fluffy, sweet and unique. It will definitely be made again. Thank you Dessert Goddess!
Mary
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for making it 😀