Is there anyone out there who dislikes tiramisu, this heavy yet gorgeously tasty Italian dessert? I highly doubt that!

Although I’m quite a fan of tiramisu, I don’t make it often. Once per year, maybe twice! This year I prepared it for Juanpi’s birthday, but not with ladyfingers, as traditional recipe calls for, but with a baked biscuit base, like for a cake, and frosted with egg – mascarpone mix – that’s how my mum likes to prepare it and honestly, it’s not such a bad idea!

Anyway, the idea of raw eggs in summer puts me off. And so I invented this muuuch lighter recipe for a fake tiramisu, as I like to call it, which we both love and enjoy it as if it was the “real” one.

In place of the heavy mascarpone cheese, my recipe uses a mixture of quark cheese and whipping cream, and addition of cooked apple (or apple compote, if you want) makes this dessert even lighter, plus a bit healthier. Sounds good? Then check out the recipe!

FAUX TIRAMISU
*for 2 big or 4 smaller glasses*

cca 12 lady fingers
250g creamy quark cheese, drained
150ml whipped cream (try using soy whipping cream for one even healthier version)
cca 80g powdered blond cane sugar, or more if you wish
2 small apples, preferably from organic agriculture
juice of 1 lemon
ground cinnamon
3 green cardamoms
2 cloves
blond cane sugar, according to your taste

1. First wash the apples and pat them dry. Then peel them and cut into thin slices. If you’re like me and don’t like to throw things away, set aside the peels to use them later.
2. In a skillet, boil enough water to cover the apples, with an addition of crushed cardamom and cloves, lemon juice and sugar. Once boiling, add the slices of peeled apples and simmer until they soften – but not too much. Take them out of aromatized water and place on a plate, to let them cool. Take away some of the apple water, and set aside for later use.

Now here is how you can use those apple peels to make a delicious apple drink. Place the peels into the water from apples and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. You can add more sugar at this point if you wish, or more spices. Then remove it from fire and let it cool. Once cooled, filter the liquid and dilute with some water (as much as you wish), add some ice cubes and here you have a delicious apple drink!

3. Back to our tiramisu: mix together the whipped cream with quark and powdered sugar. Cut the lady fingers in half (at least I had to do it, in order to fit them in the glasses) and dip them in the reserved apple water. Layer two or three of them in the bottom, cover with two or three apple slices and sprinkle with some cinnamon, then cover with some creamy quark mix. Repeat until running out of the ingredients.
4. Sprinkle with some more cinnamon on top, if desired, and our fake tiramisu is ready. Now it only needs to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours – or over night, why not! Just make sure you serve it chilled.

That’s it! Very simple and even kid-friendly as it contains no coffee and no alcohol – while the majority of classic tiramisu versions do! This one makes a nice, refreshing summer dessert. Want to give it a try?