Berrymisu

Here is another no-bake dessert to make your summer entertaining (or just eating!) cool and delicious. The minute I saw this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe I knew I would have to make it. I love all things tiramisu (frozen or regular) and this is a delicious twist. This is the stuff dreams are made of: lemony soaked lady fingers covered in delicious cream-cheesy raspberry layers.

Mel makes this as a trifle. I don't have a trifle dish, and I prefer the look of it in a 9x13 pan, so that's what I did. (Do check out Mel's picture of her trifle though!)

Start by making the lemon syrup. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar, water and lemon juice.



Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.



Remove from the heat and let cool until lukewarm; you can speed up this process by pouring the syrup into a pie plate (which you'll need later anyway!).

While it cools, in a small bowl, whip the cream.



Set that aside for a moment, and now, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese and remaining sugar



until fluffy. (If you do it in this order, you don't need to wash the beaters - just take the same whipped cream beaters and beat the cream cheese! I know how to avoid creating more dishes to wash...)

Now gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.



Puree the raspberries in a blender or food processor, then gently fold them into the cream cheese mixture. (If you want to strain out the seeds, go ahead. I skip it!)



Now get ready to layer the berrymisu. I like to get everything lined up: lady fingers, syrup and pan.



Dip the ladyfingers in the syrup for one second.



Then flip them over to dip the other side for a second.



Don't let them sit in that syrup for more than one second - they'll get way too soggy (and you'll run out of syrup). Place the ladyfingers in the pan. I find they fit best when lined up 2 across, as shown here.



Cover the ladyfingers with half of the raspberry mixture.



Then dip more ladyfingers to add another layer on top of the raspberry.



Cover with the remaining raspberry mixture.



Refrigerate overnight. You can garnish with fresh raspberries, or just leave unadorned. In any case, it's absolutely fabulous!

One year ago: Blueberry Ice Cream TartTwo years ago: Oriental Coleslaw

Find more great ideas at What's Cooking Wednesday, Whatcha Makin' Wednesdays, Recipes I can't wait to try, Let's do Brunch, What's on the Menu, What's on your plate?, Made it on Monday, These Chicks Cooked, Foodie Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, Sweet Treats Thursday, It's a Keeper, Full Plate Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets for a Saturday, Sweets this Week, So Sweet Sunday.

Berrymisu

1-12 oz. package frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
12 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
50 crisp ladyfingers
fresh raspberries, for garnish

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let it cool until lukewarm to the touch. Pour the syrup into a shallow pie plate.

Meanwhile, In a medium bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until smooth. Using a rubber scraper, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

In a blender or food processor, puree the thawed raspberries until smooth. Gently fold the raspberry puree into the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture until just combined.

Briefly dip the ladyfingers in the syrup – about 1 second on each side. Layer the soaked ladyfingers in a single layer in a 9x13 baking dish. Gently spread 1/2 of the raspberry cream cheese mixture over the ladyfingers then repeat the layers once more. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, garnish with fresh berries, if desires. Serves 12.