Description
A festive twist on classic tiramisu featuring gingerbread spices and a luscious mascarpone cream layered with gingerbread cookies and coffee-soaked lady fingers, perfect for holiday gatherings or cozy dessert moments.
Ingredients
Scale
Gingerbread Mascarpone
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup + 3 tbsp (104g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 oz mascarpone, cold
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided
- Crisp gingerbread or gingersnap cookies (e.g., Pepperidge Farm gingerman cookies)
Gingerbread Coffee Soak
- 2 cups strong brewed gingerbread coffee (or unflavored coffee)
- 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 7oz package lady fingers
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare the Gingerbread Mascarpone: Fill a pot with a couple inches of water and set over medium heat. In a heat-safe bowl that fits over the pot without touching the water, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth.
- Cook Egg Mixture: Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk continuously until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 5 minutes, testing by rubbing the mixture between fingers to ensure no granules remain.
- Add Flavorings and Chill: Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract. Chill the mixture either by refrigerating it until completely cold or by placing the bowl inside a larger ice-filled bowl, whisking to chill evenly within 5 minutes.
- Incorporate Mascarpone: Once chilled, whisk in the cold mascarpone until smooth and combined.
- Whip Heavy Cream: In a separate bowl using a hand or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream to stiff peaks.
- Fold Cream into Mascarpone: Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until incorporated; the filling should be fairly thin.
- Prepare Coffee Soak: Mix the sugar into the brewed gingerbread coffee and allow it to cool completely before assembly.
- Assemble First Layer: Briefly dunk lady fingers in the cooled coffee for just a second and arrange them in a single layer covering the bottom of an 8×8-inch pan, trimming as needed.
- Add Mascarpone Filling: Scoop five full portions (about 1/4 cup each) of the mascarpone mixture over the lady fingers and spread evenly.
- Layer Cookies: Arrange a layer of crisp gingerbread cookies over the mascarpone filling without dipping them in coffee to keep them crisp.
- Add More Filling and Lady Fingers: Spread five more scoops of mascarpone filling over the cookies, then place another layer of soaked lady fingers on top.
- Top with Remaining Filling: Spread 3 to 4 scoops of filling over the last lady finger layer; reserve about 1 cup of mascarpone mixture.
- Finish with Whipped Cream: Whip the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold into the reserved mascarpone filling. Load this into a piping bag and pipe dollops over the surface of the tiramisu.
- Decorate and Chill: Dust the tiramisu with cocoa powder and garnish with additional gingerbread cookies. Cover and refrigerate for at least overnight, ideally 24 hours, to allow flavors to meld.
- Serve: Slice and enjoy your festive gingerbread tiramisu.
Notes
- Use a good quality gingerbread coffee such as Starbucks, Death Wish Coffee, or Trader Joe’s seasonal offering for the best flavor.
- If you cannot find gingerbread coffee, substitute with strong brewed unflavored coffee and add a pinch of ground ginger and cinnamon to the soak.
- Do not soak the gingerbread cookies to keep their crisp texture intact inside the dessert.
- Chilling the egg yolk mixture thoroughly is crucial for safety and texture before adding mascarpone.
- For easy assembly, use a piping bag for the final dollops of mascarpone cream.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 160 mg
