Tiramisù seems to be a universally loved dessert and my traditional Chew Town recipe for tiramisù is indeed one of this site’s most popular recipes. I am often asked to make it again and again for family and and friends as it is easy to make in advance and serve quickly with little effort. I love it because it can even be made, frozen for long term storage and defrosted the day before you serve it.
While I agree that it is a wonderful dessert, even I can get a little bored with making the same thing over and over again. Recently, another tiramisù request was made and I found that I had finally reached my traditional tiramisù limit, so I negotiated to instead bring a Tiramisù Semifreddo. All the same incredible flavours, but in ice cream slice form… what is not to love about that?
While researching recipes I realised that many people just take a traditional tiramisù recipe and freeze it for a semifreddo version. I knew that the texture of the mascarpone cream wouldn’t be right when frozen so instead I decided to take my all time favourite semifreddo recipe (this one that I created for Foodiful last year) and combine it with my traditional tiramisù recipe for the perfect semifreddo texture and tiramisù taste.
The experiment was a success and this new variation was the topic of much debate at the dinner party. Having previously tried my traditional tiramisù, the guests couldn’t decide which was better. So, we universally agreed that the semifreddo tiramisù is perfect for the warmer months.
Tiramisù Semifreddo
Ingredients
- 1 whole egg
- 5 egg yolks
- 100g caster sugar
- 250ml thickened cream
- 150g mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup freshly brewed espresso coffee
- 60ml Frangelico liqueur (or brandy)
- 16-18 savoiardi (ladyfinger) biscuits
- 100g dark chocolate, grated
Directions
Combine the whole egg, yolks and sugar in a metal bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Use electric beaters to beat the egg mixture until it thickens and your beater leaves a trail (about 10 minutes). Remove from the heat and place the bowl in the fridge to cool.
In another bowl, beat the cream for 5-6 minutes until stiff peaks form. Remove the cooled egg mixture from the fridge and stir in the mascarpone, then fold in the cream gently keeping the mixture light and airy as you fold through.
Line a 2 litre-capacity loaf tin with plastic wrap, smoothing out as many folds as possible and ensuring you have a decent amount of overhang with the plastic wrap. Spoon 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture in the bottom. Sprinkle an even layer of grated chocolate on the top using 1/3 of the chocolate.
In a pasta bowl combine the coffee and frangelico. Take a savoiardi biscuit and quickly dip both sides in the coffee mixture (just dip the biscuits quickly do not soak them) and then place on top of the mascarpone mixture. Repeat with a few savoiardi until you have one layer of them. Top the savoiardi with another third of the mascarpone mixture and grated chocolate, then top that again with another layer of dipped savoiardi. Finally place the remaining mascarpone mixture on top and top with grated chocolate.
Wrap the overhanging plastic wrap over the top of the semifreddo and freeze for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.
To serve, pull the semifreddo out of the tin using the plastic wrap, then invert the semifreddo onto a serving plate. Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle with remaining grated chocolate.
This looks fabulous, Amanda! A few questions before I make it: What is thickened cream? And do you use soft (sponge-cake type) ladyfingers or the crisp ones? Also, what are the dimensions of your pan? The most common loaf pan in the US is c. 9″ x 5″, and yours looks much longer. Thanks!
Hi Marlene, in Australia we call thickened cream what you call heavy cream in the US. For ladyfingers use the crisp Italian Savoiardi biscuits not the soft ones. In terms of pan, as long as your container holds 2L, it doesn’t really matter what shape it is. Hope that helps!
This looks and sounds incredible!! I love a good semifreddo so much!!! Gorgeous pics too
Thanks Swayam!
Amazing clicks there! This recipe is calling my name!
I am not a huge fan of tiramasu myself, but my husband is so I am going to have to make this for him on date night.
YUM!!! Love the combination of tiramisu and semifreddo – brilliant. perfect for summer indeed! I try to stay away from dairy products so might try making this with coconut milk/cream instead : ))
What a great idea turning tiramisu into a frozen treat!
What a beautiful dessert! I know some tiramasu lovers that will love this!
I love the flavors of coffee, chocolate and mascarpone in a dessert. Yum.
Now this is best looking dessert I have come across today! I can’t think of anything else until I give this recipe a try 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration. I am going to recreate it in my kitchen this weekend for the party if everything goes as per plan.
What a perfect idea Amanda. it looks so much better than traditional.
I am not a fan of tiramisu at all, it is all about the texture, but I do love the flavours. This is my perfect solution!!
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