The Passionfruit Tiramisu Recipe That’s Make-Ahead Friendly

You’ll have this passionfruit tiramisu on repeat this spring.

Tiramisu is a timeless dessert for good reason, but baker Meriel Frandsen gave it a tropical twist! Layers of ladyfingers and tangy passionfruit style it up for its spring debut.

Instead of the usual coffee soak, the ladyfingers are dipped in a sweet-tart passionfruit syrup, then layered with a creamy mascarpone filling and dotted with homemade passionfruit curd. The result is a luscious, fruit-forward dessert that still honors the tiramisu’s traditional structure, but brings a zesty update perfect for spring.

Even better? It’s make-ahead friendly. Meriel recommended preparing it the day before to let the flavors meld and the texture set, making it the perfect low-effort, high-impact dessert for Mother’s Day brunch, lunch, or dinner.

You can find frozen passionfruit puree (already deseeded and ready to use) at specialty stores like Orson Gygi. While the recipe is designed for a 7×11-inch casserole dish, it can be easily halved if you’d prefer a smaller version.

Passionfruit Tiramisu

Recipe by Meriel Frandsen

INGREDIENTS

• About 30 lady fingers – store-bought

Passionfruit Curd

• 50 grams granulated sugar (1⁄4 cup)
• 85 grams passionfruit puree (1⁄3 cup)
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 TBSP butter cut into cubes

Passionfruit Syrup

• 62 grams granulated sugar (1⁄3 cup)
• 50 grams lemon juice
• 160 grams passionfruit puree (2⁄3 cup)

Mascarpone & Whipped Cream Filling

• 16 oz mascarpone cheese (2 cups)
• 16 oz heavy whipping cream (2 cups)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1⁄4 cup passionfruit curd

METHOD

Passionfruit Curd

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a small saucepan until smooth.
2. Place that pot on the stove on medium heat and whisk in passionfruit puree and pieces of butter.
3. Continue stirring until butter has melted and mixture has thickened – about 5 min.
4. Be careful not to heat too fast as the eggs will cook and you will have scrambled eggs! And always keep stirring!
5. Strain through a sieve, store in an airtight sterilized container, and let come to room temp before refrigerating or freezing. There will be about 3⁄4 cup of curd.
6. Passionfruit curd keeps, covered, in the fridge for 2 weeks, or the freezer for many months – up to a year.

Passionfruit Syrup

1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on medium, stirring occasionally.
2. After the sugar dissolves, 2-3 minutes, remove from heat and transfer to a shallow heat-proof dish.
3. Allow to come to room temp and set aside for the lady fingers.

Mascarpone & Whipped Cream Filling

1. Add all ingredients except the curd to a stand mixer bowl with a whisk attachment.
2. Beat on high for 2-3 min until the cream mixture becomes thick ‘shaving cream’ consistency.
3. Lightly fold in the curd.

Assembly

1. Dip each lady finger in the syrup, coating both sides and arrange a bottom layer in the dish.
2. Lightly coat all lady fingers with syrup again using a silicone brush. It needs a smidge more!
3. Spread half the mascarpone cream mixture across the top and dollop and swirl a few tablespoons of curd over it (you won’t be using all the curd).
4. Repeat the first three steps for a second layer.
5. Decorate with crushed lady fingers, crushed meringue kisses, or even edible flowers!
6. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours at least. It will get even better on the second day!

Notes

This recipe can easily be halved for a single layer tiramisu.

This recipe can easily be scaled up and also substituted with lemon juice for lemon curd.

Find more recipes from Meriel on Instagram, @mmmdessert.