I’ve searched high and low to try to find a ‘mascarpone-less’ recipe for Tiramisu. Tiramisu is Italian for ‘pull me up’, which literally translated, means “pick me up”. After much searching, I found some recipes with combinations of cream cheese and smooth ricotta cheese, but I never quite felt they were as good as traditional mascarpone, until I started experimenting with the quantities. I find mascarpone to be very rich both in the pocket book and in taste.
For this recipe, you can substitute the ‘lighter’ and lower fat cheeses without compromising this dessert’s rich taste.
Ingredients:
• 4 eggs separated (beat the egg whites with pinch salt into a stiff meringue and set aside in fridge)
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 sticks of light cream cheese
• 2 cups reduced fat ricotta cheese
• 3 packages of lady fingers (about 48 cookies)
• 4 shots of espresso coffee
• 1 shot spiced rum
• 1 shot amaretto
• cocoa powder for dusting
• pinch salt
Directions:
• Add cream cheese to stand mixer and blend on medium for one minute
• add sugar and cream together
• add egg yolks and beat until creamy
• add in vanilla
• scrape sides of bowl down and continue mixing until fluffy
• add in ricotta and beat at low speed for one minute
• fold in egg whites with spatula.
• refrigerate the mixture while preparing / brewing the coffee
In a shallow pie plate mix brewed espresso, amaretto and rum. Dip each lady finger and place on bottom of deep 9×13 pan. Cover bottom.
Spread half the mixture onto the cookie layer. Dip more cookies and place on second layer.
Once this layer is complete, layer top of the tiramisu with remaining mixture.
Don’t worry if mixture is a little loose as it will firm up in fridge. Once complete, flatten out top, and sift powdered cocoa on top. Refrigerate for one day prior to serving. Cut in 3″ squares to serve.
**for a more decadent spin on this dessert, replace the middle layer of lady fingers with President’s Choice Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookies dipped in the coffee / alcohol**
Enjoy!