Tiramisu Cheesecake Mini Trifles

A delicious dessert for chocolate lovers, these individual tiramisu cheesecake mini trifles are indulgent and yummy. They’re not hard to prepare and you don’t need many different ingredients either. Tiramisu trifle makes a great festive dessert and served in cute moose glasses these are sure to be a real conversation piece! These tiramisu dessert cups are made with soft ladyfingers and mascarpone cheese.

There are Italian dessert options which are tasty and there are ones that look cute. The great thing about mini tiramisu cheesecake with lady fingers is you get both!

For more delicious festive treats, consider Grinch heart cookies, pink peppermint jello shots or stained glass Christmas cookies.

This individual tiramisu recipe is ideal for this time of the year. It’s made with 3 components. First you have the espresso mixture and then the cheesecake mixture and finally the additions to finish it off in style. Tiramisu in a mug or individual cups is an easy way to serve after a holiday dinner.

Tiramisu Mini Cheesecake Ingredients

Although you can use plain espresso for the espresso mixture I like to add coffee liqueur. After all, this is for a special holiday occasion! Kahlua will work or any other kind you prefer to use in this easy dessert and quick recipe.

The cheesecake mixture is a blend of mascarpone, cream cheese, sugar, cream, and more Kahlua. You can always sub vanilla extract for the Kahlua if you want non-alcoholic tiramisu dessert cups. You also need ladyfingers, cocoa powder and chocolate shavings to garnish the mini Italian desserts.

How to Make Tiramisu Cheesecake Mini Trifles

Once you’ve gathered your Kahlua, soft ladyfingers and mascarpone, along with the other ingredients, you can make these mini Italian desserts. The first thing to do is brew the espresso and then chill it. You can use instant espresso granules if you want or even make it decaf if that’s your preference. Add the Kahlua to this authentic tiramisu recipe as well, if using.

The next step is to make the cheesecake mixture for these tiramisu dessert cups. Cream together sugar and cream cheese then add mascarpone. Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar and either Kahlua or vanilla. Now you can combine these two mixtures. Divide the mascarpone mixture between 6 serving glasses.

After dipping the ladyfingers in espresso you can arrange them on top to make a layer of ladyfingers. Your ladyfinger cookies can be any brand you want or even made from a recipe. Coffee-soaked ladyfingers always make a wonderful basis for desserts like mini tiramisu trifles.

After that, you can repeat these layers finishing with a mascarpone layer. Finally, decorate the desserts with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings and chill before serving.

What is Mascarpone?

Tiramisu trifle, or these tiramisu cheesecake mini trifles, has mascarpone as a main ingredient. But what exactly is mascarpone? It’s a type of soft Italian cheese create with heavy cream plus either citric acid or tartaric acid. When the cream is heated, the acid is added to set it.

After that it’s run through a cheesecloth to remove solids, resulting in a silky smooth soft cheese. Mascarpone can be compared to ricotta, cream cheese, clotted cream, or crème fraiche but it’s not identical to any of those. The mascarpone cheese mixture works perfectly in this tiramisu trifle with ladyfingers or any other individual trifles you’re making for any season or occasion.

You might have heard of mascarpone cream which is a mixture of mascarpone cheese, sugar and eggs, used to top tiramisu, coffee beverages and fruit desserts.

Individual Tiramisu Recipe Tips

Now, you may be wondering whether ingredients like soft ladyfingers and mascarpone can be replaced with others. The soft ladyfingers absorb the espresso mixture nicely. Store-bought ladyfingers are perfect and time-saving.

If you only have the harder ones that’s also fine but let the dessert sit for about 6 hours so the coffee flavour can penetrate through.

Make sure the mascarpone and cream cheese are at room temperature before you begin. That means about 45 minutes sitting on the countertop. Having them at room temperature to begin with ensures the ingredients will mix thoroughly. Also, use full-fat cream cheese for the best and richest result.

Prepare these mini tiramisu trifles ahead of time so they can chill before serving. You can actually make these up to 3 days in advance. Just keep them covered and refrigerated. They taste best the day they’re made though and you won’t be able to resist – even the word tiramisu makes my mouth water!

To make the cute little chocolate shavings, or chocolate curls, for these tiramisu dessert cups, you can use a potato peeler, scraping it lengthwise across the chocolate.

This is easier if the chocolate is slightly softened so it doesn’t break off instead of curling. Shave the outside edge of the chocolate bar. You can use semi-sweet chocolate for this or dark chocolate if you prefer that. Either would be fine in tiramisu desserts.

You Will Love this Christmas Dessert!

So if deciding between an individual tiramisu recipe and a special cheesecake for the holidays, make a tiramisu cheesecake trifle. Tiramisu cheesecake mini trifles offer the best of both worlds. This coffee, soft ladyfingers and mascarpone confection is a perfect classic Italian dessert after any main dish. It is always a good choice to go with a classic tiramisu trifle which is easy to prepare and can be made ahead.

Tiramisu Cheesecake Mini Trifles Recipe

Served after dinner with an espresso on the side, these individual tiramisu cups are sure to go down well. You can use moose-shaped serving glasses for an a-moose-ing look or else stick with regular dessert glasses. It will taste great either way and is one of the simplest no bake recipes to choose if you’re a trifle cups fan.

Other Recipes to Try

• Tiramisu French Toast Casserole Bake with Sweet Cream
• Gingerbread Trifle – Christmas Dessert
• Pumpkin Cheesecake with Chocolate Graham Crust
• Easy Mini Cherry Cheesecake Desserts
• Delicious Christmas Chocolate Cake Cocktail
• Mini Caramel Apple Cheesecakes with Streusel Topping