White Russian Tiramisu is an old recipe from Cooking Light. I use to make it fairly often back in Texas, but like so many others the recipe got lost in the shuffle. I'm not sure why because this layered ladyfingers icebox cake is pretty good. It's also relatively quick for a refrigerator dessert because it only needs to be chilled for 2 hours.
How to Make White Russian Tiramisu
To make this dessert, you mix together brewed coffee and Kahlua. You then dip ladyfingers quickly in this mixture and lay them in a dish. Next, you beat together softened cream cheese (or a mixture of mascarpone and fat free cream cheese), brown sugar and granulated sugar plus a little more Kahlua. You then layer the cream between the slightly softened ladyfingers. The last step is one I added, which is you cover the whole thing in sweetened whipped cream or light whipped topping.
Using Hard Ladyfingers Instead of Soft
I don't think I've ever made this with soft ladyfingers because they were always hard to find in Texas grocery stores. I don't see them very often (well, never) in Raleigh grocery stores, either. Even the hard ones are elusive lately, but I found some at Wegmans. The hard ladyfingers don't need to be split. Just briefly soften in the coffee mixture and lay over the bottom of the dish. It only takes 1 package.
Mixing Mascarpone with Fat Free Cream Cheese
This seems like such a strange thing. I haven't bought fat free cream cheese in years, but back in the day I followed the directions and used the mascarpone and fat free combo. I think the mascarpone is supposed to dial down the tartness from the cream cheese. So if you happen to have some mascarpone and fat free cream cheese, it's worth doing. Otherwise, regular or light cream cheese works well.
Recipe
White Russian Tiramisu
Ingredients
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese (or just use Philadelphia)
- 8 oz fat free or ⅓ less fat cream cheese
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups brewed strong coffee
- ¼ cup Kahlua
- 24 soft ladyfingers (or use the hard ones)
- 2 cups sweetened whipped cream or whipped topping
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat both cheeses and the sugars until creamy. Beat in 2 tablespoons of the Kahlua. Set aside.
- Mix the coffee and remaining Kahlua together in a long, shallow dish. Split ladyfingers in half (if using the soft ones) and quickly dip each half in coffee mixture. Place dipped side down over the bottom of the dish, overlapping. If using hard ladyfingers, just dip the whole ladyfinger in the mixture quickly and then lay across the dish.
- Spread half the cream cheese mixture over the ladyfingers, then sprinkle on 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder. Repeat, adding another layer of dipped ladyfingers and another layer of cream cheese mixture plus cocoa powder.
- Spread sweetened whipped cream over the top, then garnish with more cocoa powder. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until ready to serve.
Jessica says
I adore Cooking Light recipes. I haven't tried this one yet, but if it has your approval I'll take to whisk ASAP.
Julie O'Hara says
That's a really good looking light version, and I have no beef with Cool Whip! I noticed that the CL Recipe says there are 12 servings in an 8x8 dish--not for my greedy appetite:) Even cut into 6 servings, the calories would still be low.
Anna says
Anna, thanks for the comment! Glad there's another Jeopardy fan around.
Cakespy, this one is very light. The fat free cream cheese brings the total way down.
Maggi, thanks for that link! I'm going to check it out.
Swissmiss, I'd love to hear what you think about this one. In my opinion, this one is better than a lot of the high fat versions.
Jen, I followed the directions in the recipe using the suggested ingredients, but I put whipped topping all over the top. Sometimes I fold about a cup into the cheese mixture just to mellow it out. It's pretty tangy.
Jen says
Hi. This looks wonderful. Just to clarify - did you use cool whip lite instead of the cheese mixture? Or in addition to the cheese mixture? Thanks!
swissmiss says
I love tiramisu!! Don't shoot me, but that's one of the few things I LOVE at Maggianos. (uh oh... here we go). I've made it a couple of times in the full-fat mascarpone version, and let's just say that I could feel my pants getting tighter by the end of the week! Thanks for the review and lovely pic of the low-fat-cal version. It's in the "to try soon" file!
Cakespy says
Yum! I love Tiramisu but sometimes it is even too heavy for me!! I like this lighter version.