Cranberry and Orange Tiramisu

Celebrate the festive season with this charming Cranberry and Orange Tiramisu featuring cranberry mascarpone, orange-soaked ladyfingers and a silky cranberry sauce topping. Serve as dessert during Thanksgiving or Christmas.

The holiday season is officially upon us! I've been busy preparing unique recipes for my Christmas dessert table, and this cranberry and orange tiramisu is an absolute stunner. It's topped with a showstopping, vibrant, glossy ruby-red cranberry sauce, orange slices, sugared cranberries, and sugared rosemary, making it a beautiful festive centrepiece. It's definitely not your traditional tiramisu since it doesn't include coffee, but the combination of cranberry mascarpone cream and orange-soaked ladyfingers makes this dessert refreshingly bright and truly memorable.

You may also enjoy this Cherry Amaretto Tiramisu, Coconut Raffaello Tiramisu, or Dubai Tiramisu.

Why This Recipe Works 

• This cranberry and orange tiramisu is a celebration of the classic Christmas flavors of cranberry and orange. They come together perfectly with mascarpone and ladyfingers to create a fruity, tiramisu-inspired variation.
• The cranberry sauce and orange juice are made with fresh ingredients, which makes every flavor taste bright and delicious.
• It's a stunning dessert centrepiece, decorated with plenty of Christmas cheer.
• You can easily halve, double, or triple this recipe depending on how many people you plan to serve.

Cranberry and Orange Tiramisu Ingredients 

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

• Cranberries: I prefer to use fresh cranberries for this cranberry and orange tiramisu, but you can also use frozen cranberries. If you are using fresh cranberries, rinse them thoroughly before cooking.
• Orange zest: Wash the orange before grating the zest. As an alternative, you can use a peeler to remove the skin.
• Heavy cream: Use full-fat heavy or double cream for this recipe, and make sure it's cold to achieve the right texture.
• Mascarpone cheese: Choose good-quality mascarpone for the best results. It should also be cold so it combines smoothly with the heavy cream.
• Oranges: Use fresh oranges for the best flavor.
• Ladyfingers: Select high-quality ladyfingers for the best flavor, or use homemade ladyfingers as an alternative.

Tips and Substitutions 

• Alcohol version: You can add a splash of dark rum, orange liquor, or triple sec, to the orange juice for a boozy twist.
• Cooling: For this recipe, you must let the cranberry juice cool completely before adding it to the mascarpone mixture. The same goes for the cranberry sauce used to top the tiramisu, as it helps prevent the tiramisu from splitting.
• Mascarpone filling: To avoid a runny mixture, make sure that the cream is whipped to stiff peaks, the mascarpone should be cold, and do not overmix the mixture.
• Measuring ingredients: Use a weighing scale or level off the ingredients when using measuring cups for the best results.
• Sugared cranberries: Prepare them while the tiramisu sets, as they take a few hours to make. As a quicker alternative, use fresh cranberries instead.

How to Make Cranberry and Orange Tiramisu

Step 1: Start by adding the rinsed cranberries to a pot along with two cups of water.

Step 2: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 3: Once the cranberries are done, remove them from the heat.

Step 4: Pour the mixture through a strainer into a bowl and discard the pulp.

Step 5: You should be left with a smooth juice as shown in image 5.

Step 6: Stir ¼ cup of sugar and the orange zest into the cranberry juice until the sugar dissolves.

Step 7: Set it aside to cool.

Step 8: Next, slice the oranges and remove the skin and pith.

Step 9: Add the peeled oranges to a blender.

Step 10: Blend until smooth.

Step 11: Pour 1 tablespoon of this fresh orange juice into the cranberry juice you prepared earlier, then set it aside for soaking the ladyfingers. Taste the mixture. If it's bitter, add one teaspoon of sugar. Mine didn't need any.

Step 12: Once the cranberry juice is nearly cool, begin preparing the filling. Whisk the heavy (double) cream in a bowl until stiff peaks form, then set it aside.

Step 13: In a separate bowl, whisk together the mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth, about 1 minute. Gently fold in one-third of the whipped cream. Repeat this process until all the whipped cream has been incorporated.

Step 14: Pour in one-third of the cranberry juice mixture

Step 15: Gently fold until just combined.

Step 16: Repeat until all the juice has been incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.

Assemble Tiramisu

Step 17: Pour the orange juice into a wide, shallow dish. If you're using alcohol, add a shot now. Dip each ladyfinger for about 10 seconds, ensuring both sides absorb the liquid.

Step 18: Then, place the soaked ladyfingers into your serving dish. Repeat until the bottom is completely covered.

Step 19: Spoon half of the cranberry mascarpone filling over the orange-soaked ladyfingers and smooth it evenly.

Step 20: Add another layer of soaked ladyfingers.

Step 21: Then, spread the remaining cranberry mascarpone over the top. Cover the tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Step 22: At least three hours before serving, prepare the cranberry sauce. Add all the sauce ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 23: Let the mixture cool.

Step 24: Then, blend it until smooth using a blender or hand blender. If the sauce is too thick, add 2-3 tablespoons of water to loosen it slightly, but be careful not to thin it too much; you want it thick enough to create a glossy, opaque finish on the tiramisu.

Step 25: Once the sauce has cooled completely, remove the chilled tiramisu from the fridge and discard the plastic wrap. Pour the cranberry sauce over the top.

Step 26: Smooth the sauce evenly to cover the cranberry and orange tiramisu.

Step 27: Slice oranges.

Step 28: Grab sugared cranberries and rosemary (or plain).

Step 29: Decorate the cranberry and orange tiramisu and serve it as a dessert during the festive season.

Recipe FAQs

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