Gluten-free Berry Tiramisu

I follow King Arthur Flour on Instagram and Facebook, so when they post a new recipe I always glance at it. More often than not I look at beautiful pictures of amazing breads, and once again I’m reminded of how much I am missing out… though seldom do I see a dessert that I know I can’t adapt to its gluten-free version. Last week, during a hot day, they posted a picture and a recipe of a Berry Tiramisu.

Growing up in Italy, we didn’t eat dolci al cucchiaio – literally translated as spoon desserts – at home. My mom loved to bake, but for some reason my family liked cakes and, at times, cookies, but almost never did we indulge in soft desserts like pudding or tiramisu.

So I think I have made Tiramisu only a few times in my life, but I was sure that it called for eggs. The King Arthur Flour recipe didn’t, so I searched for the original Italian Mascarpone Cream and substituted it in the King Arthur Flour recipe. In Italy we occasionallhy use raw eggs in recipes – pasta Carbonara for example, Tiramisu, etc. I grew up also eating uovo sbattuto – a whipped egg with sugar – as a snack sometimes. I am not sure why we trust the freshness of eggs in Italy more than we do here in the United States. Though I know that since moving here I like to pasteurize my eggs as much as possible, so I used a recipe for Mascarpone Cream with pasteurized eggs.

In addition, the King Arthur Flour recipe called for liquor but I really don’t like to soak my cakes in liquor. When I was getting married, I remember discussing that with the chef who tried to convince me that he needed to soak my wedding cake layers in liquor to moisten them or it would be too dry. I wasn’t a very demanding bride, but the cake, well that had to be just the way I wanted it. I told him that I didn’t care if it came out too dry, because with liquor in it, I wouldn’t eat it. Too bad that on the day of my wedding I was able to take only a couple of bites because they cleared the table when I went to say goodbye to a few guests… Bottom line, I omitted the liquor in my version of the Berry Tiramisu as well.

The final result is a very fresh, light, irresistible dessert, with a hint of citrus and sweet berries. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did.

ENJOY!

Gluten-free Berry Tiramisu

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Recipe by Simona Gluten-free Course: DessertDifficulty: Medium
Prep time

1

hour 
Cooking time

18

minutes

Ingredients

  • For the sponge cakes
  • 6 large 6 Eggs

  • 200 gr 200 Granulated sugar – 1 cup

  • 1 tsp 1 Vanilla extract

  • 2 Tbsps 2 Glycerin

  • 120 gr 120 Simona’s Flour Mix – 3/4 cup

  • 1 tsp 1 Baking powder

  • 1/2 tsp 1/2 Salt

  • For the citrus soaking syrup
  • 170 gr 170 Water – 3/4 cup

  • 150 gr 150 Granulated sugar – 3/4 cup

  • 2 Tbsps 2 Fresh lemon zest – from 2 lemons

  • 74 to 113 gr 74 to 113 Fresh lemon juice – juice of 2 lemons – 1/3 to 1/2 cup

  • For the Mascarpone Cream filling
  • 3 large 3 Eggs

  • 454 gr 454 Mascarpone cheese – 2 cups

  • 150 gr 150 Granulated sugar, divided – 3/4 cup

  • 25 gr 25 Water – 1/8 cup

  • 227 gr 227 Heavy cream – 1 cup

  • 2 quarts 2 Fresh berries of your choice – I used strawberries, sliced.

Directions

  • Make the sponge cakes
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and line with parchment two 9″ square pans. I didn’t have two 9″ square pans, so I opted for my USA 10″ round pans. Depending on the pans chosen, adjust the baking time.
  • Combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and glycerin in a bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed until the eggs thicken and lighten in color, about 5 minutes.
  • In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sprinkle 1/3 of the dry mixture over the beaten egg and gently stir it in. Repeat twice more, using 1/3 of the flour mixture each time. The batter will begin to look spongy and fluffy.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pans (approximately 340 gr per pan.) Bake the cakes for 18 to 23 minutes (depending on the pans used) or until the top is lightly browned and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and place on racks to cool in the pan completely.
  • Make the citrus syrup
  • Combine all of the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for one minute, or until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, strain, and set aside to cool.
  • Make the Mascarpone cream filling
  • Place the heavy cream in a bowl of a stand mixer and whip using medium speed, until firm. Put in a bowl and refrigerate until later.
  • Place the eggs and half of the granulated sugar (75 gr) in a bowl of a stand mixer. Start whipping the eggs and sugar at medium speed.
  • Place the rest of the sugar (75 gr) in a pan with 25 gr of water. Occasionally wash the side of the pot with a clean pastry brush dipped in water if you see that the sugar starts crystallizing on the side of the pot. I usually avoid the problem by using a pot with a large diameter.
  • When the sugar syrup reaches 238 degrees Fahrenheit pour it steadily over the eggs paying attention not to hit the whisk while pouring, or the hot syrup would splatter.
  • Add the Mascarpone cheese to the egg and sugar mixture, a quarter cup at a time. Initially it might look like it melts, but it will firm up to a creamy consistency. Finally, add the whipped cream delicately, making sure not to deflate it.
  • Assemble the Tiramisu
  • Place one cake layer on your serving platter and brush it with the syrup. Allow the syrup to soak in, then apply more. You’ll use about half of the syrup for the first layer- I honestly used a little less and ended up with some leftover.
  • Spread half of your sliced berries over the moist cake. Dollop on half of the cream filling, and spread in an even layer.
  • Top with the second layer of cake, repeating the soaking process. Spread with the remaining cream filling, then top with the last of the berries. If you prefer, individual servings can be topped with whole berries.
  • Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour (or up to overnight) before serving.
    Store any leftover cake in the fridge for up to 2 days. Freezing is not recommended.

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