Easy no-bake cake with an Italian flair. Try this quick tiramisu cheesecake with layers of cream cheese and mascarpone cremes and coffee infused lady finger cookies.
Coffee, cheesecake, no-bake: My three favorite words! No oven needed to create this amazing dessert!
5 Layers of coffee smooth goodness!
This easy dessert comes together in a few minutes. No need to turn on the oven, only if you like to bake the crust for a few minutes. When I recorded the video and took the pictures I wasn't completely happy with the cake and its layers. The recipe that I developed now is going to have more equally sized layers and a softer cheesecake part.
The lady finger crust is made not only from cookie crumbs and butter but a few tablespoons of coffee increase its flavor greatly.
Cream cheese and whipped cream play a big role in the cheesecake layer. If you like to add some vanilla, coffee or fresh lemon juice to it to give it a wonderful taste!
Coffee infused lady finger cookies are the star of this cake and a creamy mascarpone topping gives this cheesecake a tiramisu flavor! Lastly the chocolate ganache enriches this cake with a silky smooth texture. There is simply no way any coffee lover could say no to this cake!
These are the cake pans and my KitchenAid hand mixer that I always use in my recipe videos
A 8 inch cake pan is the traditional choice to make most cake recipes. It creates tall cake layers without making a huge cake! This 6 speed KitchenAid hand mixer is the only one with flex edge beaters for a 2 times faster mixing and to protect your mixing bowl from scratches!
Want a baked cheesecake? Check out my recipe here
No-bake Tiramisu Cheesecake
Ingredients for 8 inch or 9 inch cake
For lady finger crust:
18 (270 g) lady finger cookies, as crumbs
3 tbsp (45 g) butter, melted
3 tsp strong coffee, at room temperature
For the cheesecake batter:
16 oz (450 g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp coffee, optional
1 tbsp (30 g) granulated gelatin
3 tbsp water, warm
1 3/4 cups (360 ml) heavy cream
For the ladyfinger layer:
ca. 12 ladyfinger cookies
1 cup (240 ml) strong coffee
For the mascarpone batter:
8 oz (226 g) mascarpone, softened
1 cup (240 ml) whipped cream
1/4 cup (30 g) powdered sugar
2 tbsp strong coffee, optional
1 tbsp vanilla
For the chocolate ganache:
8 oz (230 g) semi sweet chocolate
3/4 cup (90 ml) heavy cream
Check out my Tiramisu Cheesecake tutorial with lots of helpful tips
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
Optional: Preheat oven to 350 °F. To make the lady finger cookie crust use a food processor and pulse cookies until fine crumbs form. Add melted butter and coffee and mix until combined. Line a springform pan with parchment paper. Fill the mixture in the baking pan. Press into bottom in one layer. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or freeze it. Let cool on a wire rack and turn off the oven.
Step 2:
While the crust is baking or freezing make the cheesecake batter. Use a large mixing bowl and add cream cheese and sugar. Mix it on the lowest setting of an electric mixer until it is smooth. This should take about 4 minutes. Add cold heavy cream and mix it until it is thickened. Then melt gelatin powder with warm water. Microwave it for about 8 seconds maximum and mix with about a quarter cup of cheesecake batter. Then mix in quickly with the rest of the batter. Add some flavoring like vanilla, coffee or fresh lemon juice.
Step 3:
Slowly pour the cheesecake batter on the cooled lady finger cookie crust and spread it with a spatula to cover the whole surface. Then dunk lady finger cookies in coffee and place them on top of the cheesecake batter. Fill up the whole top and cut cookies if necessary. Refrigerate the cake while making the mascarpone layer.
Step 4:
In a tall mixing bowl whip cold heavy cream until it thickens. Add some powdered sugar for sweetness and stability and whip until stiff. Mix in mascarpone cheese and whip until stiff. Fill it on top of the lady finger cookies and smooth it out. Let it chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
When the cheesecake is ready remove the cheesecake pan and make some chocolate ganache. For that bring heavy cream to a simmer and pour the hot cream over chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes, then whisk it until it comes together. It should have a smooth consistency but not be too runny. Let the ganache cool to almost room temperature while the cake is in the fridge. Pour the ganache on the cake and smooth it with a spatula. Then decorate with some cocoa powder and coffee beans if desired
Enjoy cold!
**Pro Tips**
To soften cream cheese very nicely fill hot water in a big heat safe bowl place the cream cheese packages into the bowl and let them soften for about 10 minutes. It will cream very nicely without mixing in too much air.
If the cheesecake has a layer of condense water on its top after cooling use a paper towel and dry it before adding the chocolate ganache.
Not a big fan of no-bake cheesecake? Just double the mascarpone cream and leave out the cheesecake part.
