This Cottage Cheese Tiramisu has the same flavors as the classic creamy, layered coffee-flavored dessert, but slightly less fat and calories.
Many years ago, tiramisu used to be one of my stand-by recipes. I used to make it fairly often, especially if I was having friends over. While I hadn't made it for several years, I recently decided to make it again.
Only this time, since cottage cheese has been so popular recently, being used in many sweet and savory recipes, I decided to replace the traditional mascarpone cheese with cottage cheese. Here is my version of Cottage Cheese Tiramisu.
Does tiramisu have alcohol in it?
Yes, most tiramisu recipes call for kahlua (coffee liquer), rum, or marsala wine.
However, I decided not to add it to my cottage cheese tiramisu recipe because I didn't really think it was necessary, and I wanted to share with my kids.
However, if you want to add alcohol to your tiramisu, skip the vanilla in the coffee mixture and add a splash of alcohol instead (aim for about 2 Tablespoons). Note that if you're using a sweet alcohol such as a liqueur, you may want to cut down on the amount of sugar you use.
Is tiramisu safe for kids?
I specifically skipped the alcohol in this cottage cheese tiramisu recipe so I could share it with my kids - my daughter loves coffee-flavored desserts.
But keep in mind that tiramisu does still contain coffee, and therefore, caffeine. If you use the full 1 ½ cups of coffee to dip the lady fingers, each serving of tiramisu will have approximately 1 ounce of coffee.
Depending on how you brew your coffee, this works out to be around 15-20mg of caffeine (more if you use espresso, as each slice will contain about 1 shot of espresso).
This is more than would be in a serving of milk chocolate, or hot chocolate, but much less than would be in a dark chocolate bar, and about the same as a kid's size cola.
If you're concerned about your child consuming caffeine, and think that they would like tiramisu, use decaf coffee instead.
How to make Cottage Cheese Tiramisu:
The most important thing to note about making tiramisu of any kind is that it requires several hours to sit in the fridge after being assembled before it's served. This is because it takes time for the dry lady fingers to absorb the moisture from the coffee and cream layers to transform into cake layers.
While I recommend letting the tiramisu sit overnight to be safe, it's possible to assemble and serve it in the same day, as long as you make the tiramisu in the morning, and serve it in the evening. Make sure you give it at least 6-8 hours in the fridge.
Making your tiramisu from cottage cheese as opposed to mascarpone does require the extra step of pureeing the cottage cheese. After all, I don't think eating tiramisu with intact cottage cheese curds would have the same appeal.
I pureed my cottage cheese in my food processor, but a high-powered blender should work too. Make sure it's totally smooth, and that there are no curds left before moving on to the next step.
Next you will be using a double boiler to cook the egg yolks. Don't worry if you don't have one, I don't either. I simply set a glass bowl over a small saucepan. Add a little water to the saucepan, making sure that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.
Bring the water to a simmer, then add the yolks and sugar to the bowl. Whisk constantly until the mixture is thickened, pale yellow, and the sugar is no longer gritty. It will take about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the bowl from the saucepan, and keep whisking until the yolk cools slightly. Add this into the cottage cheese mixture, along with some sugar and vanilla.
Next, whip the cream. You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Whisk the cream until it forms stiff peaks (be very careful not to over-whip, we don't want it to turn into butter). Then add the cottage cheese mixture and whip again until the mixture is thick and fluffy.
If you haven't done so already, brew your coffee. I simply used instant coffee to save time and hassle of brewing a pot, but you can brew the coffee however you'd like, or simply use coffee from the morning's pot. Add a little sugar and vanilla to the coffee, and pour the coffee into a shallow dish or bowl.
Set up a work station that includes the dish with the coffee mixture, a 9x13" baking dish or casserole dish, your lady fingers (best to open the packages now), and the bowl with the cottage cheese mixture.
Working with one lady finger at a time, quickly dip one side, then the other (you don't want to saturate the whole thing or it will become too mushy), then set it in the baking dish. Repeat with more lady fingers until you have the bottom of the dish covered in a single layer of ladyfingers.
Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the lady fingers, then add another layer of dipped lady fingers on top of that. Finish by spreading the rest of the cottage cheese mixture on the top.
Wrap the dish with plastic and set it in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight. When you're ready to serve the tiramisu, use a small fine-mesh strainer to sift some cocoa powder evenly over the top.
Cottage Cheese Tiramisu Ingredients:
- Large egg yolks
- Whipping cream or heavy cream
- 2% cottage cheese: Make sure to compare the amounts of sodium of various brands of cottage cheese in the store (make sure the portion sizes listed are the same), and buy the brand with the least sodium to avoid having your tiramisu too salty. I noticed that some brands have half as much sodium as others, without having any specific mentions of sodium on the package (eg. they were not listed as being "reduced sodium").
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Espresso or strong black coffee: Brew the coffee however you normally do, but brew it stronger than usual. To keep things as fast and easy as possible, I used Instant coffee, but used 1.5 times as much as I normally would.
- Lady Fingers: These are available in the cookie aisle of many stores (I've even seen them in the dollar store). If you can't find them, try a European market (the Italian Centre in Edmonton has many different brands), or order them online.
- Cocoa powder
Want more cottage cheese recipes?
Cottage Cheese Tiramisu Nutrition Notes:
Compared to a similar recipe that uses mascarpone cheese instead of cottage cheese, this cottage cheese tiramisu has about half the amount of total fat, 100 fewer calories, and slightly (but not significantly) more protein.
Cottage Cheese Tiramisu
Equipment
- 9x13" or larger glass or ceramic baking dish or similar-sized casserole dish
Ingredients
For the Coffee Mixture:
- 1 ½ cups strong black coffee or espresso
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Layer:
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 cups whipping cream or heavy cream
- 16 ounces 2% cottage cheese see notes
- 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar (divided)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To assemble:
- 1 package lady fingers
- 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
Instructions
For the Coffee Mixture:
- Stir together 1 ½ cups strong black coffee or espresso, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish like a pie plate. Set aside.
For the Cream Layer:
- Add 16 ounces 2% cottage cheese to the bowl of a food processor. Process on high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed until the cottage cheese is completely smooth. Add ¼ cup of the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and process again until the sugar is incorporated. Place in the fridge while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Set up a double boiler by filling a glass or metal bowl over a saucepan. Add a little water to the saucepan, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Bring the water to a simmer. Add 2 large egg yolks and the remaining 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar to the bowl and whisk constantly until the yolks are pale and thickened, and the mixture is no longer grainy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and continue whisking for a couple of minutes until the mixture has cooled slightly.
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the cottage cheese mixture, and process again until the mixture is uniform.
- Pour the whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl). Mix on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cottage cheese mixture and mix on high speed again until the mixture is thick and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.
To Assemble:
- Get out a 9x13" baking dish, or similar sized dish (preferably clear glass, if you have one - see note). One at a time, dip the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture: quickly dip one side, then the other side, and shake off any excess drips. Place the ladyfinger into the baking dish. Repeat with more ladyfingers until the bottom of the dish is completely covered in a single layer of ladyfingers (note that to completely cover the bottom, you may need to break or cut some of the ladyfingers to fit).
- Completely cover the first layer of coffee-soaked ladyfingers with half of the cottage cheese mixture (you want the cottage cheese layer to be about ½" - 1" thick).
- Repeat with another layer of coffee-soaked ladyfingers on top of the cottage cheese mixture, then the remaining cottage cheese mixture. Smooth the top of the cottage cheese mixture with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Carefully cover the tiramisu with plastic wrap and place the dish into the fridge to chill for at least 6-8 hours (or overnight) before serving.
- Using a fine-mesh strainer, sift about 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder over the top of the tiramisu just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Farran says
This recipe is superb! I’ve made it a few times, and I always make a half batch. It’s taken a few tries to get the consistency of the cream layer just right. I’ve learned through trial and error not to over whip the cream - medium/stiff peaks works best for me. Then I mix in the cottage cheese-egg mixture until just incorporated. Now the creamy consistency is perfect! I also add 1 tablespoon of dark rum to the espresso. I just finished assembling my latest batch using homemade chocolate espresso lady fingers from Maida Heatter’s classic cookbook “Happiness is Baking”! I can’t wait to cut into this masterpiece tomorrow!!