Give your Tiramisu a fun 4th of July flair!

Today is all about fun! Before we know it, the 4th of July will be upon us. So, strike up the barbecue, invite your family and friends, and definitely make my Fourth of July rendition of tiramisu! Your guests are going to love this tasty, easy to make, no bake, no egg version. Three pillowy layers of homemade whip cream made from mascarpone cheese and fresh berries become the star of this show. Held together by rows of Savoiardi cookies (lady fingers) which are dipped in a sauce blend of fresh strawberries, almond milk, and an optional surprise ingredient- a shot of strawberry creme liquor. A delicious & festive dessert all made, of course, with the finest and freshest ingredients!

I created this recipe as a twist on a very classic Italian dessert, tiramisu. Tiramisu means “pick-me-up” in Italian. Even though the traditional tiramisu has a very specific recipe (which I’ll explain in my traditional tiramisu recipe post coming soon), this recipe is all about fun to celebrate an American holiday- the 4th of July. It’s finally summer! Treat your guests to an unforgettable dessert and don’t forget the sparklers to make it the highlight of the party!

One slice is all you’ll need to fall in love with this delicate and delicious dessert!

Fourth of July in a margarita glass!

Here is another great way to serve your Fourth of July Tiramisu. Break out the margarita glasses! You can use glass, plastic, disposable, or any fun party cups you have at home. I’ve seen great styles of margarita glasses at several party stores in my neighborhood. The main idea is to have fun with it! As with the cake version, just layer your ingredients starting with the bottom layer. Soak your cookies, but this time, you’ll break the cookie into four parts. Afterwards, put them at the bottom of the glass, add your filling, then fruit and layer to the top. Decorate your top with the berries and some sprinkles, then refrigerate until ready to serve. It really is that easy and can even be made the night before.

When beginning any recipe, be sure to have all of your ingredients on hand and ready to assemble. Make a grocery check-list and have your kitchen prepped. (download my free guide and get a adorable grocery checklist as a bonus on the last page of the guide when you sign up for my newsletter) This makes creating a recipe more enjoyable and efficient when the time comes to get started. Usually, when I’m prepared, things seem to run so much smoother in the kitchen and makes the experience that much better. Cooking with less stress seems to always bring out the best in my recipes… every time.

I hope you and your loved ones will have a wonderful summer! Please let me know all the compliments you get when you serve this to them on the 4th of July or at any of your summer gatherings! Follow the recipe step by step and remember to make it fun!

Fourth of July Tiramisu with Fresh Berries and Mascarpone Cheese

Print Recipe

Prep Time 45

Servings 10 people

Equipment

hand mixer
stainless steal mixing bowl
spatula
long serving tray
3 cake decorating piping bags
red, white, blue, silver sprinkles (your choice)
3 medium sized bowls

Ingredients

1 qt heavy whipping cream
1 pkg savoiardi/ladyfinger cookies (about 30 cookies)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
16 oz mascarpone cheese
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 shot strawberry creme liqueur (optional)
2 pints clean and slice fresh strawberries (or raspberries, if preferred)
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup nut milk of your choice
blue and red cake coloring (1 to 2 drops each)
red, white, and blue sprinkles for decoration

Instructions

One hour before, you will need to wash and clean the strawberries. Remove the stems and cut each strawberry into three slices. Slice them from top to bottom, long ways. Rinse and strain. Place the strawberries in a bowl and add the one tablespoon of granulated sugar. With a spoon, gently stir the sugar and strawberries being sure to coat and distribute the sugar evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.
For one half hour (30 minutes) before, place your stainless steel bowl and mixing blades in the freezer. Also place your container of heavy whipping cream in the freezer for half hour before whipping. (Do NOT forget in freezer, half hour only) This will help the cream to whip more easily and with better thick consistency.
At this time (30 minutes before), take your mascarpone cheese out of the refrigerator to allow to it to soften.
From your bowl of mixed strawberries and sugar, remove one cup of your the mixture and add to the blender along with your choice of nut milk and vanilla extract . (and optional) one shot of strawberry creme liqueur. Blend the combination on medium to high until it turns mostly liquid. Pour into a small sauce pan and heat on the stove until warm. The warm mixture will help the cookies absorb the liquid easier and faster. Once warm, pour the liquid into a bowl, Set aside until you are ready to soak your savoiardi cookies. This will allow it to be touchable when you dip your cookies.
Now begin to make the filling. Remove the stainless steel mixing bowl, blades, and heavy cream from freezer. Prepare your mixer for use and attach your blades.
Give the mascarpone a nice stir with your spatula to smooth out any clumps. Pour the heavy whipping cream into the cold stainless steel bowl and begin to blend on medium/high. After a few minutes, add the mascarpone cheese and continue to blend. When the combination starts to have a thicker consistency, add the powdered sugar and keep mixing until it is fluffy with firm peaks.
Evenly divide the filling into three equal parts and place into smaller separate bowls. Leave one white and place in the fridge. Add 1-2 drops of red food coloring to one bowl and 1-2 drops of blue to the other. Stir. You should have one bowl with red filling, one with blue filling, and the white filling in your refrigerator. Play around with the amount of food coloring to get the right color you're wanting for the recipe! When all three fillings are mixed and ready, place them into three separate pastry bags and have them ready to pipe.
Set out your long serving dish and open your package of savoiardi cookies. Place your bowl of the strawberry/nut milk mixture nearby to prepare for soaking each cookie.
One by one, dip your cookies into the mixture being sure they are completely immersed. Turn them several times (about 5 seconds should be enough) to allow the cookie to become moist without becoming too soft. Begin to line your cookies next too each other in a row of 10 or 11 across, depending on your serving plate.
Once the first row is complete, begin to pipe your blue filling. Place 4 dollops in a row on each cookie.
After you've added your dollops to the first layer of cookies, add the blueberries. One blueberry on top of each dollop.
Repeat the steps to create another layer of cookies by dipping them into the liquid strawberry mixture. This time, place the moist cookies in even rows on top of the blue layer of filling and blueberries. Give each cookie a very gentle push as you stack them on top of the layer below.
Now, you will pipe the red filling in the same manner as you did with the blue. Once you've added your dollops of red filling, place one slice of fresh strawberry to each dollop. If you prefer to have more fruit, you can add a bit more.
When you've finished the strawberry layer, make one more row of dipped cookies. This will be stacked on top of the strawberries. Pipe your white filling the exact same way as you did with the blue and red filling (4 dollops per cookie).
Once you've dolloped the white filling on your final layer of cookies, take your fresh strawberries and row them across the length of the cake. Then, create a row of blueberries, another row of sliced strawberries, and one final row of blueberries (see photo for reference).
If desired, garnish your tiramisu with red, white, and blue confetti sprinkles. I also added some star cookies just to for fun. You could make your own or buy them at your local grocery store or bakery.
After garnishing, place the tiramisu in a very cold refrigerator and keep chilled until ready to serve. You could make this the night before by carefully covering the tiramisu with foil (so not to disturb the decorations or filling) and placing it in the fridge.