Hi everyone! It’s April from Relax Lang Mom here. I hope you’re all having a great week so far. The Holiday Season is officially here and today I want to share with you a delicious recipe that our family loves to share with company- the Filipino Style No-Bake Tiramisu Cake!
Being a mom means juggling a lot of responsibilities with very little time for yourself. Cooking and baking elaborate desserts is usually the last thing on our minds. That’s why I’m sharing my foolproof recipe for an easy dessert for company -the tiramisu cake – it has all the heavenly flavors of traditional tiramisu but packed into an easy no-bake cake using Filipino ingredients instead of the traditional ones. Yup, no need to turn on the very hot oven for this no-bake dessert!
The Tiramisu Cake is an Italian dessert made with ladyfingers soaked in coffee liqueur layered with a rich mascarpone cream. It’s incredibly elegant and decadent. But as we know here in the Philippines, some of those traditional ingredients can be difficult to find outside the big cities. Not a lot of us can find -nor afford (!) Mascarpone cheese. That’s where the Filipino version comes in – using more readily available local ingredients to achieve a similar coffee and cream flavor profile.
Before I share the Tiramisu cake recipe, here’s a bit of tiramisu history: The name translates to “pick me up” in Italian which makes sense, with the bold flavors of coffee and cocoa it’s sure to perk you up! Traditionally it’s made with raw eggs, which provides a silky cream, but for food safety, we’ll skip that step in our version. Early recipes date back to the 1960s in Treviso, Italy. It became popular internationally in the 1980s.
Now for our Pinoy take on this classic dessert! The Filipino style substitutes mascarpone with cream cheese and uses broas bread sticks from Quezon in place of ladyfingers. Broas is our own version of Ladyfingers and there are a lot of brands available such as Mazapan and La Pacita. The broas are so easy to find here versus importing biscotti. Another easy replacement is the graham crackers available in most grocery stores. We also use all purpose cream which works just as well and has a similar texture to heavy cream.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups All Purpose cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 24 ladyfinger, OR broas cookies OR slices of graham
- 1 cup brewed coffee, cooled
- 1/4 cup brandy or rum (optional)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
Prepare the Cream:
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Make the Filling:
In another bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Slowly mix in the sweetened condensed milk until fully combined. Gently fold about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream.
Assemble the Cake:
Prepare an 8×8 inch baking pan and line the bottom with ladyfinger cookies (cut to fit if using full size) or the graham biscuits dipped in the coffee-brandy mixture. You can also use biscotti of course.
If you can’t find ladyfingers or broas, any type of hard bread, bread slices, or even ground cashews also work well. The coffee soaks into them nicely.
Spread half the cream cheese filling evenly over the ladyfingers. Top with another layer of ladyfingers/bread dipped in the coffee-brandy mixture. Spread the remaining filling on top.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. This allows the flavors to meld together.
Dust with Cocoa:
When ready to serve, remove the tiramisu cake from the fridge and dust the top generously with unsweetened cocoa powder. Enjoy!
The layers of light and fluffy cream paired with the hearty cheesecake filling and coffee-soaked ladyfingers/bread create the best of both worlds. It truly tastes like a decadent tiramisu but requires way less effort than the individual cups. Perfect for a crowd or for casual gatherings at home.
I always keep cream cheese and condensed milk on hand in my pantry so I can throw this together anytime company is coming over. No last minute rushing to the store!
Let me know if you give this tiramisu cake a try. Leave any other questions in the comments. Now get mixing and relaxing! There’s a list of other Refrigerator Cakes here if you’re looking for other ideas!
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups All Purpose cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 24 ladyfinger, OR broas cookies OR slices of graham
- 1 cup brewed coffee, cooled
- 1/4 cup brandy or rum (optional)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
- Make the cream: In a bowl, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Make the filling: In another bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the sweetened condensed milk until fully combined. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream.
- Assemble the tiramisu: Line a baking dish with ladyfingers dipped in cooled coffee. Spread half the cream cheese filling over top. Add another layer of ladyfingers and remaining filling.
- Refrigerate for 4+ hours to allow flavors to develop.
- Dust with cocoa powder before serving.
Notes
Tips: Use high-quality ingredients for best flavor. Substitute ladyfingers with other cookies if needed.
Variations: Add fruits like berries, chocolate shavings or try different flavored liqueurs.
Pair With: Espresso, cappuccino or try with fresh berries on the side.
Leftovers: Well-wrapped tiramisu will last 3-4 days in the fridge. Slices also freeze well for 2 months.
Nutritional Benefits: Provides calcium, protein and carbohydrates. Condensed milk adds sugar but also protein and minerals.
