When I first saw the recipe for “Wild Berry Tiramisu” in this month’s Edible Allegheny, I was immediately hooked. It included mascarpone in the icing, which I am kind of obsessed with but too cheap to buy on a regular basis. Mascarpone is creamy and savory like cream cheese, but better – and when I saw it at Trader Joe’s for only $3.99, this recipe was the perfect excuse to use it.
The original recipe uses the mascarpone in combination with fresh whipped cream to make the icing for this cake. I substituted strained greek yogurt to save almost 30 grams of fat and 100 calories per slice. The angel food cake, while being fat-free, is packed with sugar, so it’s not necessarily a “light” dessert – but it’s full of summer berries, a bit of liquor, and that decadent mascarpone icing.
The angel food cake is a process in itself – I never trust a recipe that states NOT to grease a pan before baking, but I know fat interferes with the whole egg white process. The stress of hoping I could get the cake out of the pan was much more daunting than flipping the Honey Apple Upside Down Cake.
Straining the greek yogurt helps to keep the icing nice and thick (this method can also be used to make regular yogurt thick and creamy like greek yogurt).
The cake does need to stay refrigerated thanks to all of the dairy, but the longer it sits, the more the flavors combine and the tastier it becomes – but it won’t be around for too long.
Triple Berry Tiramisu Cake (Lightened Up)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 angel food or sponge cake, prepared according to package directions (or from scratch)
For the Fruit Filling
- 1 package frozen berry blend (red and black raspberries, blueberries, strawberries), thawed, with juice reserved
- 1 cup fresh berries (I used strawberries), in small slices
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
For the vodka mixture
- 3 Tablespoons vanilla (or plain) vodka
- 1/4 cup reserved juices from frozen berries
- 3-4 drops stevia (or 1 Tbsp sugar)
For the frosting
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 16 oz 0% vanilla greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Drain excess liquid from greek yogurt using cheese cloth or a paper towel over a strainer. Let sit at least 30 minutes.
Prepare cake according to package directions. Let cool.
While cake is baking, combine thawed fruit (reserve liquid), fresh berries, and sugar. Set aside.
Combine strained yogurt with mascarpone, mixing well. Add powdered sugar 2-3 Tbsp at a time, mixing until well combined. Set aside.
Combine liquor ingredients in a small bowl.
Cut cooled cake into three layers. Brush bottom layer with vodka mixture, then spread with icing and top with 1/3 of fruit mixture. Add the second layer of cake, and repeat with each layer, reserving about half of the total frosting.
Use remaining frosting to cover the outside of the cake.
Chill for at least 2 hours before serving and store leftovers in the fridge.
Approximate nutrition information (per slice, 1/15th of cake): 250 calories, 6 grams of fat, 43 grams carbs, 4 grams protein [Original recipe (per slice): 480 calories, 33 grams fat]
Red, white, and blue enough for you? Happy 4th!
OMG.. that cake looks heavenly! I’m beyond jealous of everyone that had a chance to taste it!!
–Also, I finally decided to start my own blog.. check it out please
**Happy 4th of July!
jessie recently posted..It’s finally time!
Thanks Jessie, I will check it out!
Drooling at 830 in the morning. so good.
Alex @ therunwithin recently posted..Trade em Up Tuesday
Alex, me too!! What a tease right!! Happy 4th of July
jessie recently posted..It’s finally time!
So Im just letting you know that first- this looks absolutely insanely delicious- second- because I myself have been tricked- TJs only has greek STYLE yogurt…tricksters
Hmm, I’ll have to look more closely at the labels! Thanks!
I love the idea of straining the Greek yogurt for icing! Brilliant!
Do you know what the sugars in this are?
Unfortunately I lost the file where I ran the nutrition stats. I’ll try to analyze it again, but I’m afraid they were around 30g… eek! Fat free = high sugar with that cake mix!
Wow wow wow. Gimme! I love angel food cake and berries and think the marscapone is a yummy twist. Nom!
Shanna, like Banana recently posted..Sawyer: 6 months
What a perfect 4th of July dessert! I love it.
This looks great, as always!
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie recently posted..Using the Oven = Not the Best Idea
Well now, look who is quite the chef!! This looks great, Claire! Would you believe that I’ve never had tiramisu?
Brittany @ Itty Bits of Balance recently posted..One Year Blogging
The classic is super heavy, but something you need to try eventually!
Oh yes, yes yes! I’ve never sliced a cake horizontally though! It kind of intimidates me
I like the idea of buying a premade angel food one though 
LOVE mascarpone cheese!
Oh me oh my does this look good!
OMG. I’m going to have to make this for my Mom. She LOVES tiramisu & Angel food cake! Perfect combination!!! I’m actually going to see her this weekend, so this is great timing
I’ll have to let you know what she thinks!!
Holly recently posted..The REAL Stuff.
I hope you got to make it!
Remember how I told you that I’m more of a pie girl than a cake girl? Well I make a huge exception for tiramisu! It’s one of my favorite desserts, and I never pass up an opportunity to eat eat it! Creamy mascarpone really IS amazing; in fact, I’m pretty sure it’s the reason I go so ga-ga over this treat. I love your lightened up berry variation–perfect for summer!
Wish I would have seen this 2 days ago! I was in charge of dessert last night.
we had take and bake cookies.
this looks fantastic!
teabagginit recently posted..Winner Winner