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Raspberry Tiramisu
This raspberry tiramisu trades the usual coffee soak for a homemade raspberry syrup, so the fruit flavor carries through every layer. Soft, syrup-soaked ladyfingers, a light mascarpone filling, and a fresh raspberry topping come together for a no-bake dessert that looks far more complicated than it is.
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This raspberry tiramisu is bright, fruity, and easy to fall in love with. Once you make tiramisu from scratch, you realize why it's been a traditional favorite for decades.
Tiramisu is usually made by soaking ladyfingers in espresso ot coffee, but for this summery raspberry version, I went in a different direction. Instead of the usual coffee soak, every layer gets its flavor from a homemade raspberry syrup, so the fruit carries through the whole dessert from the first bite to the last.
It's still built the way classic tiramisu is built: soft, syrup-soaked ladyfingers layered with a light mascarpone filling, chilled until the layers set into clean, sliceable bars. Raspberry preserves between the layers add a second hit of fruit, and a finish of white chocolate shavings and fresh raspberries on top make it pretty as a picture.
It's a no-bake dessert, which makes it a good option when you want something special without turning on the oven. Plan for it to chill overnight. That's not optional with tiramisu, unfortunately. It's what gives the ladyfingers time to soften into the right texture without turning to mush.
What Makes This Different from Classic Tiramisu
Classic tiramisu is built on espresso-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone cream, layered with cocoa powder on top. This raspberry version keeps the same structure and technique but swaps the coffee for a homemade raspberry syrup, so the ladyfingers soak up fruit flavor instead of coffee.
Ingredients For Raspberry Tiramisu
What you'll need to make raspberry tiramisu:
Raspberry Syrup
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Mascarpone Filling
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 16 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assembly
- 36 to 42 hard ladyfinger cookies (savoiardi), amount depends on the size and shape of your dish
- 2 cups seedless raspberry preserves
- 1 ounce white chocolate bar, finely grated for shavings (extra on hand for garnish if you'd like)
- 3 to 4 cups fresh raspberries, for topping
Ingredient Notes
Use hard ladyfingers, not soft. Look for Savoiardi, the dry, crisp Italian cookies, not the soft cake-like ladyfingers sold in some grocery stores. The soft kind absorb too much liquid and turn to mush.
Mascarpone, not cream cheese. Mascarpone has a cleaner, more neutral flavor that lets the raspberry come through instead of competing with it. It also needs to be at room temperature before mixing. Cold mascarpone won't blend smoothly with the sugar and vanilla, and you'll end up with a lumpy filling instead of a smooth one.
Fresh raspberries are worth it here. Frozen raspberries will work in the syrup, but they release more liquid as they thaw, which can throw off the texture if you're not draining them well. For the fresh raspberries on top, stick with fresh.
How to Make Raspberry Tiramisu
Make the raspberry syrup. Combine the water, fresh raspberries, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until the raspberries break down and the sugar fully dissolves. Don't let it go much longer than that. The syrup will thicken as it cooks, and a thicker syrup is harder for the ladyfingers to soak up.
Pour the syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to strain out the seeds, then set it aside to cool completely. Warm syrup will melt the mascarpone filling on contact, so don't skip the cooling step. If you're short on time, set the bowl over an ice bath to speed it up.
Whip the cream. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the very cold heavy cream on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until it holds stiff peaks. Start on low speed and work your way up to avoid splattering. Set it aside.
Make the mascarpone filling. In a separate bowl, beat the room temperature mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture, about ½ cup at a time, just until no white streaks remain. Overmixing at this stage will deflate the filling, so stop as soon as it's combined.
Assemble the layers. Dip each ladyfinger into the cooled raspberry syrup for a second, no longer, and arrange them in a single layer across the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Break cookies as needed to fill any gaps. A quick dip is all it takes. The ladyfingers will keep absorbing moisture as the tiramisu chills, so soaking them too long now leads to a mushy texture later.
Spread 1 cup of the raspberry preserves evenly over the ladyfingers, then top with half of the mascarpone filling, smoothing it out with an offset spatula so the layers stay distinct.
Repeat with a second layer of dipped ladyfingers, the remaining preserves, and the remaining filling.
Sprinkle the white chocolate shavings evenly over the top.
Chill. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. This isn't a step to rush. The chill time is what softens the ladyfingers into the right texture and lets all the layers set.
Top and serve. Just before serving, arrange the fresh raspberries in rows across the top, and add a final sprinkle of white chocolate shavings if you'd like. Hold off on adding the raspberries any earlier. Their juice will bleed into the mascarpone layer and make the top look messy.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-ahead: This is a make-ahead dessert by design. Prepare it up to a day in advance, cover it tightly, and let it chill in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
The overnight rest isn't just convenient, it's what gives the ladyfingers time to soften properly, so it's best not to plan on serving this the same day you make it.
Hold off on the fresh raspberry topping until just before serving, even if you're making the rest ahead of time. Adding it too early will let the berry juice bleed into the mascarpone layer.
Leftovers: Once assembled, raspberry tiramisu keeps well in the fridge for up to three days, covered tightly with plastic wrap. The texture will keep softening slightly as it sits, which is normal and part of how tiramisu is supposed to age.
This recipe doesn't freeze well. The mascarpone filling and soaked ladyfingers don't hold their texture after thawing, so it's best enjoyed fresh within those first few days.
How To Serve Raspberry Tiramisu
I like serving this raspberry tiramisu straight from the fridge when it's cold and fully set. The fresh raspberries on top make it look extra special, and a little whipped cream never hurts.
It's a great make-ahead dessert for summer gatherings, baby showers, Easter brunch, Mother's Day, or anytime you need an easy dessert that looks impressive without much effort.
You can't go wrong serving coffee with tiramisu. To make dessert extra special, Caramel Iced Coffees or Iced Mochas will hit the spot.
More Raspberry Recipes ⭐ Raspberry Pie Recipe | Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie | Raspberry Squares | Raspberry Lemonade
Raspberry Tiramisu
This raspberry tiramisu trades the usual coffee soak for a homemade raspberry syrup, so the fruit flavor carries through every layer. Soft, syrup-soaked ladyfingers, a light mascarpone filling, and a fresh raspberry topping come together for a no-bake dessert that looks far more complicated than it is.
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Ingredients
Raspberry Syrup
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Mascarpone Filling
- 16 ounces mascarpone cheese (room temperature)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (very cold)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assembly
- 36 to 42 hard ladyfinger cookies (savoiardi; the exact count depends on your dish size, and a few may need breaking to fit)
- 2 cups seedless raspberry preserves
- 1 ounce white chocolate bar (grated into fine shavings, plus more on hand if you want extra for garnish)
- 3 to 4 cups fresh raspberries (for the top)
DIRECTIONS
- Bring the water, raspberries, and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once boiling, drop the heat to medium and let it simmer 3 to 4 minutes, just until the berries break down and the sugar's fully dissolved.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing out as much liquid as you can and discarding the seeds. Let the syrup cool completely before moving on; this step can't be rushed.
- Beat the cold heavy cream in a stand mixer or large bowl, starting on low and working up to high speed, until stiff peaks form, roughly 3 to 4 minutes. Set it aside.
- In another bowl, beat the room temperature mascarpone with the sugar and vanilla on medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the whipped cream into the mascarpone in stages, about ½ cup at a time, folding gently after each addition. Stop as soon as the streaks disappear; overmixing will flatten the texture.
- Working one at a time, dip the ladyfingers briefly into the cooled syrup and line them across the bottom of a 9x13 dish, breaking pieces as needed for a flat, even layer.
- Spread 1 cup of the raspberry preserves over the ladyfingers, then layer half the mascarpone filling on top with an offset spatula, keeping the layers distinct.
- Build a second layer the same way: dipped ladyfingers, the rest of the preserves, then the remaining mascarpone filling, smoothed evenly to the edges.
- Finish the top with the grated white chocolate shavings.
- Wrap tightly and chill for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.
- Right before serving, line the top with fresh raspberries and a final dusting of white chocolate shavings if you like.
Notes
- Stick with hard ladyfingers (savoiardi) here. The soft, cake-like kind can't hold up to the syrup and will turn the layers mushy.
- Don't let warm syrup near the mascarpone filling. It'll melt on contact and ruin the texture, so give it time to cool fully first.
- Keep the ladyfinger dip short, about a second. They'll keep softening as the tiramisu chills, so anything longer turns mushy by the time it's set.
- Add the raspberries on top only right before serving. Any earlier and their juice will run into the mascarpone layer.
- This keeps in the fridge up to 3 days, tightly covered. It's not a freezer-friendly dessert.
Nutrition
Calories: 535kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 982IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 1mg
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FAQ
Can I use frozen raspberries instead of fresh?
For the syrup, yes. Frozen raspberries work fine since they're cooked down and strained anyway. For the topping, stick with fresh. Frozen raspberries lose their shape as they thaw and won't hold the clean, layered look on top.
How far ahead can I make this?
Up to a day ahead is best. Build the full dessert, cover it, and let it chill overnight in the fridge. Just wait to add the fresh raspberry topping until right before serving so the juice doesn't bleed into the mascarpone layer.
Why isn't there any coffee in this recipe?
This version skips coffee entirely and uses a homemade raspberry syrup as the soak instead, so the ladyfingers pick up fruit flavor rather than competing with a coffee base. It's still built the same way classic tiramisu is, just with raspberry doing the work coffee usually does.
Can I freeze raspberry tiramisu?
No. The mascarpone filling and soaked ladyfingers don't hold their texture once thawed. It's best made within a few days of when you plan to serve it.
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