Mini Tiramisu Trifles
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These Mini Tiramisu Trifles have layers of mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers and espresso. They’re super easy to make and are a fun twist on one of my favorite Italian desserts – tiramisu!
If you enjoy this tiramisu recipe you should also check out my Easy Classic Tiramisu Recipe!
Mini Tiramisu Trifles
So winter is not my favorite. We don’t really have the worst winters in the South as far as cold, but the lack of sunlight and abundance of rain and clouds is not my fave. We’ve had very few days with nice sunlight in the last couple of months, which makes photo taking more complicated. I had no idea when we bought our home 6 years ago that sunlight would be my best friend. Fortunately we’ve always been lovers of big windows and natural light so when it is sunny, I have plenty of places to chase the sun around the house. 🙂
In December we were actually considering moving to a new home not too far away. Same general area, but with more office space for me. The equipment I have for this blog just seems to grow, especially as I work to create more video content (and stock up on cake stands 😉 ). The biggest challenge in finding a new home was finding a similar amount of windows and sunlight, as well as a home that faced the general direction of the sun. Most homes we looked at were eliminated purely because of sunlight and direction. So ridiculous, right? Part of the reason we didn’t move forward with a house was that the home we loved and would have build didn’t have a good lot option with good sunlight. We could either have the sunlight I wanted, or the lot that would really be a better purchase.
The whole thing made me realize just how perfect our house is set up for good light. I love my windows! They are exactly where I need them. 🙂 I guess we’ll stay put and I’ll just take over another room – ha! After all, I need space so I can make you trifles like these!
How to Make Mini Tiramisu Trifles
These trifles are super easy to make and even easier to eat. The hard part is not eating them all yourself in one sitting.
The mascarpone layer is just a few ingredients. A little sugar is mixed into the mascarpone to sweeten it up a bit. I used my mixer, but mascarpone cheese is generally fairly soft, even when cold. It’s pretty easy to mix, so just combine the cheese and sugar however you prefer. Be sure not to over mix them though, as mascarpone cheese can break down and become really soft and almost watery when over mixed. Added to the mascarpone cheese is some whipped cream, which lightens in up perfectly.
For the espresso layer, dissolve some espresso powder in hot water, along with a little sugar. Typically I use Kahlua, but decided to switch it up this time and just go with espresso. The biggest difference between using one or the other is that Kahlua naturally is sweeter. Espresso on its own is quite bitter, so don’t leave out the sugar thinking it’s a great way to reduce the sugar and sweetness in the recipe – unless you are really a fan of bitter. The sugar is just enough to sweeten the espresso and make it enjoyable in a dessert. 🙂
The ladyfingers I used are the softer ones you typically find at a grocery store. I love the more traditional firm ladyfingers, but I wanted these trifles to be a little simpler. With the firm ladyfingers, they’re usually thicker and take longer to soften. The ones I used this time make more manageable (less thick) layers and you can eat them more quickly because there’s no wait time for softening. Score!
The trifles are topped with some whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa. I did use Kahlua in the whipped cream (I just couldn’t resist!) but you could swap it out for a little vanilla extract or something if you want. Either way, these trifles are light, easy to make, delicious and perfect for sharing!
Read transcript
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Classic Tiramisu
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Mini Tiramisu Trifles
Mini Tiramisu Trifles with a layer of mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers and espresso! A delicious, easy & fun way to enjoy tiramisu & trifle at the same time!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5-6 Mini Trifles 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
MASCARPONE FILLING
- 20 oz (565g) mascarpone cheese
- 3 tbsp (39g) sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1/2 cup (58g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
ESPRESSO MIXTURE
- 3/4 cup (180ml) hot water
- 3 tbsp (45ml) instant espresso powder
- 3 tbsp (39g) sugar
- 36 lady fingers*
WHIPPED CREAM
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (29g) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp (30ml) kahlua
Instructions
1. Mix mascarpone cheese and sugar together until combined. Do not over mix or the mascarpone cheese can thin out. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and whip until stiff peaks form.
3. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cheese mixture. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, combine the hot water, espresso powder and sugar.
5. To layer the trifles, dip the ladyfingers into the espresso mixture one at a time and place into the bottom of the trifle cup. Use two to three ladyfingers and break into pieces as needed so they fit in the cup and create a full layer.
6. Pipe or spoon a layer of mascarpone filling on top of the ladyfingers.
7. Repeat another layer of ladyfingers and mascarpone filling.
8. After completing the trifles, make the whipped cream.
9. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and kahlua to a large mixer bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.
10. Pipe a swirl of whipped cream on top of each trifle, then sprinkle with cocoa powder, if desired.
11. Refrigerate trifles until ready to serve. Trifles are best for 2-3 days.
* I used the softer more cake-like ladyfingers in these trifles, as opposed to the more traditional hard ladyfingers.
Keywords: tiramisu recipe, tiramisu trifle, mini tiramisu, mini trifle recipe, tiramisu dessert, min trifles
Enjoy!
I'm a wife and mom to twin boys and a sweet black lab with a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the sugar!
Oh boy, do I love Tiramisu! It doesn’t matter if it’s in cheesecake form, traditional form, with fruit or in little trifles! Thanks for the recipe. Can you tell me where you got those adorable little trifle cups, please?Â
Thanks Sharon! They are actually from Walmart. 🙂
How many servings does this makeÂ
5-6 mini trifles
Hi.Â
Can this be made a day ahead
Yes, that’ll be fine.
Oh wow! These look so amazing!
These are no mere trifle! hehe xo Loren
I love tiramisu desserts! Making trifles is such a great idea!
hi Lindsay
, instead of espresso can u use normal coffee
Regular coffee wouldn’t be as strong, but if you prefer it you can certainly try it.
This dessert is sooo beautiful! I’ve shared this in my blog, with a link to your recipe. Thanks for the delicious things you share with us!
Patricia.
Your desserts look incredible!!!
Thank you Joanne!
What size desert cups did you use
I believe they are little 9 oz cups
If using kahlua, do you use it in place of the 3/4c water for dissolving the espresso powder? Thank you!Â
Depends on how strong you want the Kahlua flavor to be. You could definitely replace all of it, or just half of it. I’ve done both. You can also leave out the sugar when using the Kahlua.
What brand ladyfingers did you use? And where did you buy them from?
I use these and they are easy to get on Amazon.
Whoops, just realized that’s incorrect. I used the soft ones for these. I got them in the bakery section of my grocery store. If you can’t find those though, the ones on Amazon will work. They’re just the firmer lady fingers.
can I make these a day ahead of serving them?
Yes, you can.
Great recipe, I’m planning to make this for Father’s Day! What piping tool did you use?
Are used Ateco tip 844 for the piping on top.
Excited to try this for a Christmas party! My ladyfingers aren’t as caky I think. How long should I soak them? Still like you did in the video?
If they are the more traditional firm ones, I would just dip them an extra seconds or so. The main thing is they may take a little longer to soften up from all the moisture in the trifle once you make them. I might make these the night before you’re going to serve them if they are those hard ladyfingers.
This looks so yummy! They were all out of lady fingers at my grocery store so I got nilla wafers instead, I hope they work!
Vanilla wafers should work pretty well as a substitute. I hope you enjoy them!
Hi there, these look soo pretty!!! If I wanted to make these without Kahlua (non alcoholic) what can I use as a substitute?
You can replace the Kahlúa in the whipped cream with some espresso.
Thank you so much for responding to both questions! I’ll try it with an equal replacement of espresso to Kahlua
sorry one more question, if I make these a day in advance do the lady fingers get soggy? does it ruin the taste in anyway?
No, making them a day ahead would be totally fine.
Hi! These look amazing! Would I be able to make this in a big baking dish as opposed to making them in individual cups? If so, what size dish would you recommend? Thank you in advance!
It’s hard to say for sure without testing out amounts. I have a regular full sized trifle dish and I’d probably double this recipe if I were to do it in that size.
Super simple and fun recipe!
★★★★★