Lemon tiramisu no bake cheesecake – with a graham cracker crust, mascarpone no-bake cheesecake, lemon curd, lemon-soaked ladyfingers & mascarpone whipped cream.
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lemon tiramisu no bake cheesecake
Hello hello! ☺︎ Today I’m here with a super delicious no-bake dessert for summer. Because I can’t help it, we’re combining two desserts into one again: lemon tiramisu & no-bake cheesecake. We’ve got a graham cracker crust, a no-bake mascarpone cheesecake, lemon curd, lemon-soaked ladyfingers, and a mascarpone whipped cream to top it all off. There’s a lot of components but you can make a lot of them ahead of time to make it easier. It’s super delish, full of lemon flavor, and the cheesecake is light, creamy, and not-too sweet. So let’s get into it!
expert baking tips
WEIGH YOUR INGREDIENTS:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
USE ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS:
It’s super important for the cream cheese to be room temperature so that it incorporates smoothly with the rest of the ingredients. Take out your cream cheese and sour cream at least an hour before you want to make the cheesecake filling.
TRY TO AVOID METAL UTENSILS WHEN MAKING THE CURD
It’s possible for the curd to take on a metallic taste if you are using a metal bowl or whisk, so to be safe I would recommend staying away from those when making the curd.
lemon tiramisu no bake cheesecake ingredients –
Graham cracker crust:
- Graham crackers: for the base – I used honey graham crackers but you could also use biscoff cookies here.
- Unsalted butter: to bind the graham cracker crumbs together.
No bake mascarpone cheesecake:
- Cream cheese: the base of the cheesecake and what makes it tangy, rich, and creamy. I recommend full fat cream cheese for the best texture.
- Mascarpone: the second base to this cheesecake and what gives it its tiramisu-iness.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness.
- Lemon juice: to brighten up the flavor.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream: for making the cheesecake light and creamy.
- Salt: to balance and bring out the sweetness/flavor of the cheesecake.
HOMEMADE LEMON CURD:
You can use store-bought lemon curd, but this lemon curd is super easy to make and has more flavor (in my opinion) than store bought.
- Egg: thickens up the curd. We’ll use a whole egg here so you don’t have to worry about having extra egg whites!
- Granulated sugar: to sweeten and thicken up the curd.
- Lemon: the star of the show – we’ll be using both the zest and the juice for maximum flavor.
- Salt: a bit of salt helps with the flavor and sweetness of the curd.
- Unsalted butter: helps thicken the curd and make it creamy. You can substitute in salted butter here, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the curd.
ladyfinger soak:
- Granulated sugar: to balance out the tartness of the lemon juice.
- Lemon juice: for flavor, fresh is best but bottled would work as well.
- Ladyfingers: make sure you have the hard, crunchy ladyfingers rather than the cakey ones which will fall apart. If you’re able to get them, Savoirardi are the ones I use and prefer.
mascarpone whipped cream:
- Mascarpone: for flavor and for thickening the whipped cream.
- Vanilla: for flavor, you can use extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Granulated sugar: for a bit of sweetness.
- Salt: to balance out the flavor and sweetness.
- Heavy whipping cream: the base of the whipped cream, whips up the mascarpone.
how to make lemon tiramisu no bake cheesecake
Here are a few images of what the process of making this cheesecake looks like. You can find the full recipe at the end of this blog post.
- Crush up the graham crackers and mix in melted butter. Press the crust into the loaf pan.
- Top the crust with the mascarpone cheesecake filling.
- Spread the lemon curd over the cheesecake.
- Then top it with the lemon-soaked ladyfingers.
- Make the mascarpone whipped cream.
- Top the cheesecake with the mascarpone whipped cream and more lemon curd. Let the cheesecake set in the fridge for 4 hours, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
lemon tiramisu no bake cheesecake
recipe q&a
what size loaf pan do I need?
I used an 8×4″ loaf pan for this no bake cheesecake, but if 9×5″ is all you have on hand then it will be perfect for the job. Just note that in a larger loaf pan the layers will be a tad more thin, and you may need an extra ladyfinger on top.
can I double this recipe?
Yes! You can double the recipe and assemble it in two loaf pans, or in an 8″ square pan.
can I make this ahead of time
Yes! You can make all the components (mascarpone no-bake cheesecake, lemon curd, mascarpone whipped cream) or some of the components, and keep them stored in the fridge for up to 2 days before assembling the cheesecake.
how to store lemon tiramisu no bake cheesecake
You’ll need to store this in the fridge in an airtight container, where it will keep well for up to 1 week.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
No Bake Lemon Tiramisu Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 90 g graham crackers
- 35 g unsalted butter (2 ½ tbsp.)
Lemon Curd
- 1 egg
- 50 g granulated sugar (¼ c.)
- zest of 1 large lemon
- 50 g lemon juice (1 ¾ oz.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 35 g unsalted butter room temperature (2 ½ tbsp.)
No-Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake
- 110 g mascarpone (½ c.)
- 110 g cream cheese room temperature (½ c.)
- 75 g granulated sugar (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 150 g heavy whipping cream (5 ⅓ oz.)
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 110 g mascarpone (½ c.)
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 110 g heavy whipping cream (⅔ c.)
Lemon-Soaked Ladyfingers
- 50 g lemon juice (1 ¾ oz.)
- 50 g granulated sugar (¼ c.)
- 7 ladyfingers
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Coat an 8×4" loaf pan with butter, then line it with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a small microwave safe bowl. Add the graham crackers and the melted butter to a food processor. Pulse the mixture until you are left with only tiny graham cracker crumbs. [Alternatively, crush the graham crackers super finely in a large ziploc bag, then stir in the melted butter.]
- Press the mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan. Set the pan in the freezer while you make the other components.
Lemon Curd
- Cube the butter, then place it into a small mixing bowl. Place a fine mesh sieve over the butter and set it aside.
- Add the egg, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to a medium sized saucpan. Whisk the mixture vigorously until it's smooth.
- Place the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens (~3-5 min.)
- Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it through the fine mesh sieve over the butter. Mix together the curd and butter until the butter has completely melted, then set the curd in the fridge.
No-Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake
- Add the cream cheese, mascarpone, sugar, salt, vanilla, and lemon juice to a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture on medium speed for ~1 minute, until the mixture is completely smooth.
- Continue beating the mixture while slowly pouring in the heavy whipping cream. Continue beating until the batter thickens.
- Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and spread the cheesecake filling into an even layer over the crust.
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl with a hand or stand mixer, beat together the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and salt just until the mixture is cohesive.
- Slowly beat in the heavy whipping cream. Once all of the heavy cream has been added, beat the mixture just until stiff peaks form.
Lemon-Soaked Ladyfingers
- Add the lemon juice and sugar to a small, shallow microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the sugar fully dissolves into the lemon juice.
- Spread the lemon curd into an even layer over the cheesecake, reserving a tiny bit (~1 tbsp.) for the topping.
- Dip the ladyfingers into the lemon mixture on both sides, then place them on top of the lemon curd.
- Spread the mascarpone whipped cream over the ladyfingers, or transfer the mascarpone whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe a design on top of the ladyfingers. Drizzle dollops of the remaining lemon curd on top of the mascarpone whipped cream.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place the cheesecake in the fridge to firm up for at least 4 hours.
- Slice 7 slices (so that each slice has 1 ladyfinger), then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.