Strawberry Tiramisu Recipe

Hull and quarter 600 g fresh strawberries. Place them in a medium bowl with 3 tbs granulated sugar and 1 tbs lemon juice.

Mash roughly with a fork or potato masher until you have a chunky purée with some whole pieces remaining (about 1–2 minutes). Taste and adjust sweetness if needed. Set aside to macerate for at least 15 minutes; juices will form.

Reserve about 120 g of the macerated strawberry pieces/juice to drizzle between layers and for topping; lightly mash the remainder to create the main strawberry filling.

Brew 240 ml strong coffee and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in 2 tbs strawberry liqueur or orange liqueur if using. Place the cooled coffee mixture in a shallow bowl suitable for dipping.

Have 24 ladyfingers ready. Quickly dip each ladyfinger for 1–2 seconds per side—do not soak; they should be moist but not falling apart.

Arrange a single layer of dipped ladyfingers in the bottom of a 23 x 23 cm (9 x 9 in) square pan or similarly sized dish, trimming one or two to fit if necessary.

Cook the egg yolk custard (optional but recommended)

Whisk 4 egg yolks with 100 g granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened. Place the bowl over a simmering water bath (double boiler) and whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 71°C (160°F) or becomes thick and ribbonlike, about 6–8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. This step pasteurizes the yolks for food safety.

If you used the cooked yolks, fold cooled yolk mixture into 500 g mascarpone until smooth. If not cooking yolks, beat mascarpone with 100 g sugar and a pinch of salt until smooth, then whisk in egg yolks carefully until homogenous.

In a chilled bowl, whip 240 ml cold heavy cream with 1 tsp vanilla extract to medium-stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture in two additions, keeping the mixture light but fully combined.

Spread about one-third of the mascarpone cream evenly over the layer of dipped ladyfingers.

Spoon half of the macerated strawberry mixture (including some of the juices you reserved) evenly over the cream layer, leaving some strawberry pieces for the top.

Add a second layer of quickly dipped ladyfingers, arranging them to cover the strawberry layer. Press gently so they adhere but do not tear.

Spread another one-third of the mascarpone cream over the second ladyfinger layer. Drizzle with some of the reserved strawberry juice if you want more fruit flavor.

Top with the remaining mashed strawberries, then spread the remaining mascarpone cream smoothly over the top.

Decorate the top with the 150 g extra sliced strawberries, dust lightly with 1 tbs powdered sugar if desired, and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Cover and refrigerate the tiramisu at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, to allow flavors to meld and ladyfingers to soften to a cake-like texture.

Before serving, remove from refrigerator 15 minutes to take the chill off, then slice and serve chilled. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days.