Mixed-Berry Tiramisù with Lime Curd

This is an all-time favorite in my family full of bakers and is the best, most foolproof, go-to summer dessert. Definitely make the lime curd linked here (rather than using store-bought), and maybe make a 1.5x batch of the curd and/or add extra lime zest to the mascarpone to counterbalance the richness. Also, make sure you give the cream enough time to set in the fridge beforehand -- it has more of a cheesecake than a tiramisu texture, as an FYI. Seriously amazing dessert that we make year after year!

• 匿名

• Arlington, VA

• 9/3/2019

I made this yesterday in a shorter window of time (<4hrs) and it still got rave reviews, so I thought I'd leave my shortcuts here: - chill the berry mixture by putting it in the freezer & stirring frequently (this part took the longest) - use soft ladyfingers instead of crisp ones (they don't need to soak as long) (I know some people think this is a travesty, but it tasted good to me :P) - omit the Lime Curd (it sounds too heavy to me anyway) - instead, I added some lime juice and maple syrup to the mascarpone cheese & cream mixture to give it some sweetness and lime-ness. I also made this in a trifle bowl with three rounds of layers (ladyfingers, berry mixture, whipped mixture) and then zested some lime on top. Beautiful!

• erin_ant

• San Francisco

• 5/5/2017

FABULOUS. I have made this many times over the last several years and there are a few tricks that help it out. For one thing, I use about an extra cup of berries -- usually strawberries as they are my favorite. I omit raspberries when cooking for a crowd (they seem to be a controversial berry) and add extra blueberries and blackberries instead. That's a crowd-pleaser. I always make the berry mixture, lime syrup mixture (which is basically simple syrup and will keep for quite some time), and the lime curd the night before. Layer the whole thing in the morning, and let it chill for a good 8 hours or so until the evening. Here is an important trick: don't add all of the syrup from the berries. I remove all the berries with a slotted spoon and place them over the ladyfingers. Then, I take a spoon and drizzle about HALF of the remaining syrup over the berries and ladyfingers. I used all of the syrup once, and it came out too soggy. I also made the mistake of not letting it sit for long enough once. You really need time to let the flavors blend. 6 hours chill time at least, maybe in a pinch. This is not a dish you can make last minute. If you're careful it will turn out WONDERFUL!

• leebroadway

• Austin

• 7/10/2016

Real crowd pleaser at summer BBQ. Will make it again, exactly as per recipe.

• Colettestp

• Montreal, Canada

• 9/1/2014

I hate to be the naysayer in the group, but I would not make this again. I make trifles, summer pudding and tiramisu. This is a poor imitation of them. The mascarpone/lime curd base is too dense over the ladyfingers. The fruit would have been nice over the lime curd. I wasted a lot of fresh organic berries on this recipe.

• 匿名

• Pennsylvania

• 4/11/2013

My friends RAVED about this dessert, & my husband said it is the best dessert I have ever made (& I make fancy desserts often). I used frozen berries & added a scant tsp of cornstarch. Next time I will add either beaten egg whites or whipped cream to the marscapone/curd mixture to make it lighter/creamier. I made it more like a trifle, in a glass bowl, with 2 layers of ladyfingers. Excellent recipe!

• 匿名

• Victoria, BC

• 6/16/2011

I added some whipped egg whites to the marscapone/lime curd topping and it added a light and fluffy touch that was perfect. I also used lime zest on the berries and served the each portion with some fresh berries washed in lime juice syrup over the top and lime zest.

• TedVaughn

• Solana Beach, CA

• 4/9/2011

This recipe was amazing. Served it over the weekend for a dinner party we had. I found it quite a bit of work but totally worth it. Everyone went crazy for it. You could also use a white cake, angel food or crunchy plain cookies as well. Kitchenpuss

• kitchenpuss

• Newmarket, Ontario

• 3/1/2011

Sensational!!! Can actually be made way quicker than suggested if you are in a rush. I normally like doing everything way ahead of time but was out of time when guests suddenly were coming to dinner. The curd sets in the freezer in a few hours, and the berries cool down quickly. I served in individual glasses and easily served 6 big servings with lime curd left over. In the glasses I had 2 layers of everything. I reduced the amount of cream and mascarpone as I love lime curd and the leftover curd cream was devoured as an extra when serving. I used quickfrozen berries which were fine. Super delicious and looked fab in individual glasses.

• Travelingcooks

• 11/21/2010

Delicious....realized too late that I had no limes in the house so made the 'lime' curd into 'orange curd' and still tasted fabulous. Served it in a trifle bowl (large clear glass bowl) and everyone awed when I brought it to the table for the final course. Heeding the warning about 'sogginess', I made the curd/marscarpone topping AND the berry layer the night before, refrigerated both and then layered the morning of the dinner party and it was perfect (even though I used 'soft' ladyfingers. Would be easy to sub pound cake, angel food cake or any kind of cake for this layer and the result would likely be similar...will make again

• VintageLLB

• Ontario, Canada

• 11/20/2010

This was fabulous! It is now one of my favorite summer desserts. Everyone I have served it to has been impressed. By the way, I follow the recipe exactly and it always turns our wonderful.

• nam

• Excelsior, MN

• 6/20/2010

Much effort, but deleicous. I had problems with the texture. It came out very soupy, next time I would add more lady fingers. I did use organic lady fingers, so this might have had an effect on how they absorb the syrup.

• JAHamman99

• 7/23/2009

Made this dessert for our gourmet group last night and it was just sinfully delicious. Yes...many steps, but nothing technically difficult and everything done in advance. One thing was I had trouble spreading the mascarpone/lime curd layer without the berry mixture bleeding through a bit, so there were some streaks of purple on top (I know I am incredibly picky about this kind of stuff). If anyone has a recommendation on how to avoid this, I would greatly appreciate it. Also...I think the berry mix would be wonderful over pound cake with maybe a little of the mascarpone/lime curd mix on top...just to change it up a but. Otherwise, this is a fabulous dessert for summer entertaining. Will definitely make again!

• anncancook

• Chicago

• 7/11/2009

While time consuming, it's simple to make and YUMMY! Personally, I prefer recipes that I can make in advance; just plan to make the curd & bery mixture one day in advance. Make sure to click on LIME CURD as it's a hyperlink to that recipe, and it is indeed divine. To avoid soggy berries, I simmered the blueberries for 5 minutes, then added the blackberries & raspberries for the last 3 minutes. Worked well, but will do the timing as 6 minutes + 2 minutes next time. I used more strawberries than recipe called for as visually, I felt it needed it. Truly delicious.

• 匿名

• Potomac Falls, VA

• 7/6/2009

This was great. I was skeptical of the powdered sugar in the berry mixture but it worked really well. The little bit of cornstartch found in powdered sugar actually worked as a slight thickener if you bring this just to a boil for a quick second so as not to hurt the berries. I actually prepared this in a glass pie plate and doubled the laters of lady fingers and berries and then topped with one layer of the lime curd mix. I think that without the extra layer the topping would have smothered the berries. This may be a matter of preference since I prefer the flavor of the summer fruit to really stand out. It is a beautiful and easy dessert. Give it a try.

• JA696

• Cincinnati, Ohio

• 7/2/2009