Strawberry Rose Cream Tiramisu

This recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day, as strawberries are starting to get back into season and everyone wants to do something cute for loved ones. Let’s be real, tiramisu is SUPER romantic! And now I introduce Handsome Espresso Chocolate Tiramisu’s younger sister- Strawberry Rose Cream Tiramisu. But don’t be fooled, she’s not as sweet as she seems.

Tools You’ll Need:

• large mixing bowl
• electric whisk or regular whisk
• blender
• shallow wide bowl
• rubber spatula
• small strainer
• cutting board
• paring knife
• tall glass
• piping bag with large tip
• off-set spatula
• bench scraper
• small spoon
• parchment paper
• scissors/shears
• med/sm rectangular container

Strawberry Dust

For this recipe, you will be required to make strawberry dust, and it’s really simple! Blend a bag of freeze-dried strawberries until a powder consistency. Don’t fret if there are still some little lumps, you’re going to be required to use a strainer anyways to sift out the powder from the lumps. Freeze-dried strawberries should be available at your local target or grocery store. You don’t even necessarily have to only use strawberries, freeze-dried cherries or raspberries will also do the trick, but since it’s this recipe is a Valentine’s Day special, I urge you to use strawberries.

Cream Layer

Unlike a regular tiramisu, the cream doesn’t contain any eggs, as it’s more so mimicking a strawberry shortcake cream filling, so it’s many whipped cream. For good flavors and to make it more tiramisu-like, there is a little bit of cream cheese and mascarpone.

Whipped Cream

To start the cream filling, the heavy whipping cream will be whipped to whipped cream! Add sweetener and vanilla to start, and use an electric whisk or hand whisk until the liquid turns into a fluffy texture. By hand, it should take no more than five minutes, and with an electric whisk maybe around two minutes.

Adding Dairy into Dairy

It’s super duper important for the cream cheese and mascarpone to be soften before mixing into the whipped cream. I would even recommend adding them to a separate bowl and give it a good whisk, then mix it together with the whipped cream base. Be careful to not over mix, or else the fat will get separated. Mix together for a very short period of time, then gently fold until smooth.

Strawberry Rose Tea

The strawberry rose tea is made to dip the lady fingers in. Similar to how lady fingers are dipped into espresso for regular tiramisu, the lady fingers will have the flavor profile of sweet strawberries and fragrant roses.

Brewing Rose Tea

Use a shallow, wide bowl that is the appropriate size to dip lady fingers in, and throw in 4-5 dried rose buds, or half a tablespoon of dried rose pedals. Steep in one cup of hot water for at least 5 minutes. Remove the rose buds with a spoon or for rose pedals use a strainer to take them out.

Strawberry Magic

Add a tablespoon of strawberry dust to the rose tea and mix so the dust dissolves into the tea. Sifting the strawberry dust is optional, as little strawberry lumps can add personality to the tea and lady fingers.

Forming the Layers

Lady Fingers

The first layer will be row of strawberry rose tea-infused lady fingers. When dipping lady fingers, five seconds is the perfect amount to absorb the liquid and flavors. Any longer can make the lady finger too soggy and break apart, but depending which brand you use, lady fingers can be pretty durable. Once a full row is covering the bottom of the container, sprinkle strawberry dust on top of the lady fingers. Make sure to have paper towels or parchment paper underneath before sifting strawberry dust.

Cream

The cream filling should be transferred into a piping bag with a large tip. Using a tall glass to place the piping bag in to fill it with cream is my favorite way to transfer anything into a piping bag. Push the cream with a bench scrapper to remove any air bubbles and make it easier to tie the piping bag or prevent cream from spilling out of the bag when piping. Squeeze the cream on top of the lady fingers until the layer forms, and using an off-set spatula, spread the cream to an even, smooth surface. The cream layer should be around 1/2-3/4 of an inch thick.

Strawberries

The third layer is a bunch of sliced strawberries placed as evenly as possible. Don’t worry about making it a neat layer, as it won’t matter much when the tiramisu is sliced. The most important thing is to have the strawberries sliced and layered evenly.

Cream Strawberry Dust Top

Add another layer of cream. Cut out a heart from parchment paper by folding a piece in half and with scissors or kitchen shears, cut half a heart to the best of your motor skill abilities and open it up to a full heart. Place on the center of the cream top and sift strawberry dust on top until the whole top is bright red in dust. Peel off the parchment paper to have a visible heart in the center.

Resting Process

Allow the tiramisu to rest in the fridge at least overnight to have the ladyfingers completely soften and to maximize the flavor of the cream. The cream filling honestly doesn’t taste as good when you first make it versus when tasting it the day after. Use a clean knife to cut through the tiramisu before using a spatula to fish it out. Giving it time to rest will also result a cleaner slice.