Our strawberry tiramisu parfaits are a fruity, creamy twist on a classic dessert. They’re layered with soft vanilla cake, sweet strawberry filling, and a fluffy mascarpone cream that melts in your mouth.
This fresh, summery spin on classic tiramisu is loaded with bright strawberry flavor in every bite. It’s perfect for parties, date nights, or anytime you want a dessert that looks fancy but is totally doable at home.
If you love creamy strawberry desserts, try our no-bake mini strawberry cheesecakes, strawberry shortcake dessert, or stuffed strawberries.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Light, creamy, and not overly sweet
- Fresh strawberry flavor in every layer
- Beautiful presentation and perfect for guests
- Make-ahead friendly
- A fun twist on classic tiramisu
Key Ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients and their amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries bring that juicy, sweet-tart flavor, while the freeze-dried ones boost the strawberry taste even more.
- Mascarpone Cheese: Gives the filling a rich, creamy, slightly tangy flavor, with a lighter, smoother cheesecake vibe.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Whips up into a light, fluffy texture that keeps the filling from feeling too heavy.
- Milk: Creates a smooth batter and keeps the cake super moist.
- Lemon Juice: Brightens up the strawberry filling and keeps the flavor fresh instead of overly sweet.
Variations
- Swap the Berries: Use your favorite berries for the fruity filling. Any of them works!
- Add Whipped Cream: Add a layer of whipped cream for extra fluffiness.
- Use Cake Mix or a Store-Bought Cake: Using cake mix saves time. Using a store-bought cake saves A LOT of time.
- Change the Cake: Chocolate, strawberry, or lemon cake works well with the strawberry flavor.
- Make a Tangier Version: Use cream cheese instead of mascarpone for a tangier twist.
How to Make Strawberry Tiramisu Parfaits
Step 1: Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Then, beat in the sugar until light. Mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
Step 2: Whisk the dry cake ingredients together. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk until the batter is just combined.
Step 3: Bake in two prepared 9-inch cake pans until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
Step 4: Cook the strawberry filling until hot and softened, breaking up the strawberries into smaller pieces. Cool.
Step 5: Beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Then, add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form.
Step 6: Cut the cakes into rounds to fit your dishes.
Step 7: Next, add strawberry juice to the bottom of each dish, followed by cake, mascarpone filling, more strawberry, cake, and more mascarpone.
Step 8: Dust with powdered freeze-dried strawberries, then chill for at least 3 hours. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use a food processor to easily grind the freeze-dried strawberries into powder.
- Mix the cake butter until just combined.
- Stop mixing the mascarpone as soon as stiff peaks form. Overmixing collapses it.
- Cool the cake and strawberry filling completely before assembling the parfaits.
- If possible, chill the parfaits overnight for the best results.
Strawberry Tiramisu Parfaits FAQs
Store the parfaits covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep them chilled until ready to serve.
Freezing isn’t recommended, as the mascarpone cream can lose its smooth, creamy texture once thawed.
This can happen if the cream is under-whipped or overmixed. Make sure to whip the cream to stiff peaks before gently folding in the mascarpone.
Raspberries, blueberries, or a mixed berry blend all work wonderfully in this recipe.
Serve These Parfaits With:
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Strawberry Tiramisu Parfaits
Ingredients
Strawberry Filling
- 3 cups strawberries, sliced
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Mascarpone Filling
- 8 ounce mascarpone cheese
- 8 ounce heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla Cake
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and place parchment paper on the bottom and lightly spray the sides with non-stick cooking spray on two 9-inch round cake pans.
Vanilla Cake
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter on high for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add sugar, and beat on high for an additional 3 minutes.
- Next, add eggs, one at a time, beating each one in for 1 minute.
- Add vanilla, mix until incorporated.
- Add 1⁄3 of the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
- Next, alternate with 1⁄3 of the milk.
- Repeat until milk and flour have all been added.
- Bake at 350° in the prepared cake pans for 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack to cool.
Strawberry Filling
- In a medium sized saucepan, add strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat.
- Cook strawberries down about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and breaking up any large chunks.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Mascarpone Filling
- In a large bowl, beat heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat an additional 1-2 minutes until stiff peaks have formed.
To Assemble
- Puree freeze dried strawberries until they resemble fine powder. Set aside.
- Once cakes have cooled, using a bowl or cookie cutter, cut rounds of cake to desired size to fit parfait dishes.
- Add a spoonful of strawberry juice to the bottom of dish, top with a round of cake, and press down gently.
- Top with mascarpone filling, followed by a spoonful of strawberry mixture.
- Top with another slice of cake and top with mascarpone filling.
- Dust with powdered freeze dried strawberries and let sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Notes
- Use a food processor to easily grind the freeze-dried strawberries into powder.
- Mix the cake butter until just combined.
- Stop mixing the mascarpone as soon as stiff peaks form. Overmixing collapses it.
- Cool the cake and strawberry filling completely before assembling the parfaits.
- If possible, chill the parfaits overnight for the best results.
I love the simplicity of this. I can see doing this in a full-sized trifle dish with chunks of cake for parties.
Nice. I made these with chocolate cake mix, and it was fully awesome.
These were incredibly light and refreshing. The combination of fresh strawberries and creamy mascarpone felt so indulgent but still perfect for spring.
I made these and love how light and fresh they feel with the strawberry twist. The layers of cake, cream, and fruit come together perfectly and make such a beautiful dessert.
Perfect warm weather dessert! These are light yet so satisfying…simply delightful!
This dessert was such a hit! It was easy to prepare and the entire family loved it…looking forward to making it again!!! YUM!!!!