No Bake Tiramisu Charlotte
This tiramisu charlotte combines the traditional flavors of a tiramisu with the elegant presentation of a classic charlotte cake. It’s a no-bake chilled dessert that is stunning, delicious and perfect for any spring or summer occasion!
Made with coffee soaked ladyfingers, a mascarpone cheese mixture then arranged in a springform pan and chilled until ready to eat, this tiramisu charlotte will impress friends and family at any gathering!
It’s everything I love about my easy tiramisu but in a cake form like my tiramisu cake and as if that wasn’t enough I made it tall and elegant with ladyfingers around the edge of the cake like my lemon charlotte.
This cake is a classic Italian tiramisu cake from the taste, to the texture to the elegant presentation. Top it with whipped cream, chopped chocolate and a dusting of cocoa powder and this dessert is perfect for any food lover!
Tiramisu Charlotte recipe Ingredients Needed
- Tiramisu filling: Egg, granulated sugar, mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, gelatine and whole milk.
- Cold strong coffee: Adds that signature taste. Espresso can be used as well.
- Lady fingers: Either store purchased or homemade.
- Whipped cream: Homemade whipped cream rather than canned adds the best taste!
- Candy coated chocolate eggs: Or any other garnish as desired such as dark chocolate curls.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: I used dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy: While there are a few steps to making this charlotte-style tiramisu, by using store bought ladyfingers and an easy tiramisu recipe, this dessert comes together quite quickly!
- Elegant and impressive: A classic French charlotte cake is beautiful and an Italian tiramisu is creamy and delicate in flavor, combined together a tiramisu charlotte is irresistible!
- Creamy, rich and flavorful: With a light and airy texture that is not overly sweet yet has a rich taste this dessert is heavenly!
How to Make a Tiramisu Charlotte Recipe
Putting the Tiramisu charlotte together.
No Bake Tiramisu Charlotte
Equipment
- 1 8 inch springform cake pan
- hand beaters or stand mixer
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING
- 1 large egg (room temperature) optional
- 1½-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese (room temperature)
- 1¼ cups cream whole, whipping or heavy cream, at least 30% fat content
- 1 tablespoon gelatine
- 2 tablespoons milk (2% or whole milk)
EXTRAS
- ½ cup strong coffee (cold)
- 25 lady fingers (more or less)
- ⅓ cup cream whipped
- ½-¾ cup chopped mini candy coated chocolate eggs
- 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (dutch processed)
Instructions
THE FILLING
- In a large bowl beat together the sugar and egg until frothy, then add the mascarpone and cream, beat until thickened, if not using the egg then use powdered sugar and beat with the mascarpone and cream until thickened.
- In a small pot mix the gelatine and 2 tablespoons of milk, let sit for 5 minutes. Then heat, stirring just until the gelatine dissolves, do not boil. Add a tablespoon of the tiramisu filling and stir to combine. Then add to the bowl of tiramisu filling, beat just to combine.
- Cut some of the lady fingers to fit the height of a an 8 inch / 20cm springform pan. Place the cut fingers touching around the pan, place lady fingers cut and or whole to fit the bottom of the pan as a base. (Remaining lady fingers are for the 2nd layer). Drizzle the bottom cookies with a little coffee, do not soak through.
- Spread half the filling over the base then top with another layer of lady fingers that have been dipped in the coffee (don't soak), spread the remaining filling on top of the lady fingers. Cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours or better overnight. Decorate the cake with the whipped cream, spread the chopped chocolate eggs on top and dust the whipped cream with cocoa before serving. Decorate with a coloured ribbon. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Substitutions and Variations
- Homemade ladyfingers: If you have some extra time on your hands and want to make this tiramisu charlotte more decadent, make homemade savoiardi or lady fingers as they are commonly called!
- Tiramisu: Make an authentic tiramisu or try any other fun variation of my best tiramisu recipes from traditional tiramisu to unique!
- Type of pan: To make removal easier, I love using a springform pan. You can use a regular cake pan, but you will need to line the pan with parchment paper.
- Egg: Just like my Easter egg tiramisu recipe, if you wish you can omit the egg and substitute powdered sugar/icing sugar for the egg and granulated sugar. You can also use pasteurized eggs or an egg replacer.
- Garnish: For Easter, I decorated this with chopped mini candy eggs. You could decorate it with chocolate shavings, chocolate chips or even fresh berries if you would like for occasions like a birthday cake, Valentine’s Day or any other special event.
Expert Tips
- Soak the ladyfingers for a second: I am serious! You do not want your ladyfingers to be a soggy mess.
- Room temperature ingredients: Bring egg and mascarpone cheese to room temperature for best results.
- Adhere to the chilling time: This is a no-bake dessert that needs time to set and firm otherwise it will be hard to slice and serve.
- Brush with a simple syrup: If you would like to make an espresso simple syrup to brush around the sides of the ladyfingers and the bottom layer is easy to do by dissolving 1 Tablespoon of instant espresso with ½ Tablespoon of sugar into ½ cup boiling water.
- Finishing touch: While not necessary, tying the finished tiramisu charlotte with a colorful ribbon adds a gorgeous finishing touch!
Recipe FAQs
What is Charlotte cake?
This is a French molded cake often referred to as an icebox cake. Often it is made with bread, a sponge cake or some type of soft cookie that is used to line a mold and then filled with a softer filling and chilled until set.
Can I add other fillings?
Yes! You could try a lemon curd, Bavarian cream, pastry cream, fruit purees, stabilized whipped cream or really anything that is able to set firm yet still be soft. Just be sure to adjust the syrup brushed on the ladyfingers to match the filling!
How to store leftover tiramisu charlotte?
You can store leftovers of the charlotte tiramisu covered in the refrigerator for a few days.
Can I freeze it?
Yes. Stored tiramisu charlotte covered in a freezer safe container it should stay good for a month or two. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before serving. Texture may change slightly.
Whether you make it for a special occasion or holiday I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Enjoy.
Can I use a 10 in springform pan?
Hi Alexis, I think that would be too big unless you 1 1/2 – 2 x the filling. Take care!