Masala Chai Tiramisu. A creamy no bake dessert featuring layers of chai soaked lady fingers, mascarpone & whipped cream with a light dusting of ground chai spices.
This fun indian fusion chai tiramisu recipe is super easy and quick to make. No raw eggs and no alcohol! You can make it a day or two in advance.
In case you are not familiar, tiramisu is a coffee flavored classic talian dessert. Traditional tiramisu has layers of coffee dipped ladyfingers (savoiardi biscuits), egg yolks, cocoa powder, liqueur and mascarpone cheese.
My family absolutely loves tiramisu and I love making it because eggless tiramisu are a breeze to put together. Looks so fancy misleading everyone that I toiled over it 🙂 In case you haven't, do check out this egg free rose tiramisu recipe that I made earlier this year.
The idea of a chai tiramisu has been playing I'm my mind ever since a couple years back, I made this masala chai tres leche cake.
Without a doubt, Chai or Indian Milk Tea is an incredible drink! I am ready for a cuppa anytime and masala chai with the aroma of all the aromatic spices tops my list of favorites. As I make more and more desserts with it, I am realizing that chai is as delicious in sweet treats.
Whenever I make chai based desserts, it is my effort to keep the soul of chai intact. We are going to make traditional doodh patti chai by brewing black tea with spices in whole milk. Doodh patti is rich, thick and very warming. I also have a video on my instagram page.
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About My Recipe
- Cozy & Delicious - I simply used masala chai in place of coffee to dip the ladyfingers, then made a chai spiced mascarpone cream and layered it.The taste of masala chai in every bite of this tiramisu is so delish. It has a super soft texture, there is something so cozy about soft desserts, no?
- No raw egg yolks- You wont miss them. With a rich & creamy chai to dip the sponge fingers in and the whipped mascarpone, this tiramisu comes out dreamy & creamy!
- No Alcohol- Since I make this for family gatherings and kids, I usually dont add alcohol in my tiramisu. However you definitely can add a bit of dark rum if you wish.
- Takes about 20 minutes to make- Its one of those recipe you can whip up in under 30 minutes. It looks like a time intensive dessert, however, only you and me will know how darn quick this was 🙂
- Make ahead- You can make masala chai tiramisu up to 2 days in advance. It only gets better as it sits!
Doodh Patti Chai
To translate, Doodh = Milk, Patti = tea leaves. Doodh patti is a popular variant of chai (tea) served on streets of India. It is different from usual chai in that the black tea leaves are added straight to boiling milk. The chai is brewed on low heat. As the milk boils, the flavor of chai becomes intense. It is thick & absolutely warming. You may (faintly) imagine it as chai latte, however the flavor of doodh patti is way robust.
Since I was going to use doodh patti for tiramisu, I made it using a mixture of half and half and heavy cream for I wanted to soak the lady fingers in a rich soaking liquid. If you don't want to use cream, use all whole milk or half and half for brewing the chai.
Ingredients (Notes)
Here are the ingredients you will need.
- Black Tea - When making chai, black tea leaves are a must. You may use loose tea leaves or unflavored black tea bags.
- Chai Masala- I am going to note down my homemade blend in the recipe card. However feel free to use spices that you like. I like mine with lots of green cardamom. Other spices I use are star anise, black pepper and nutmeg. You could use store bought chai masala too.
- Mascarpone Cheese is italian sweet cheese usually used in making desserts. If you are not able to find it, the closest substitute is cream cheese.
- Lady fingers - These italian cookies are an ideal choice for making tiramisu. Lady fingers come in lots of varieties. I usually buy italian brands. However I know they can be difficult to find in few countries. You may use any tea biscuit. Few of the brands that I recommend are Rich tea or Marie biscuits. Dont use digestives or Parle G. We want a biscuit/cookie that is dry and does not get too soggy post soaking.
Instructions
- Make the chai masala (if using homemade). You could make it in advance and store in air tight container. You could also use good quality chai spice mix from your favorite brand.
- Brew the Chai using half and half, black tea, sugar and chai masala.
- While the chai is brewing, in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer make the chai masala flavored mascarpone. Whip cream and mascarpone with spices and sugar on medium speed till stiff peaks.
- Assemble the tiramisu in a baking dish or a loaf pan. This time I chose to make it in two smaller dishes. Dip the ladyfingers in cooled chai flavored heavy cream, place in a single layer at the bottom of baking dish. Cover with roughly half of the cream mixture. Repeat till you have exhausted the cream and ladyfingers. Repeat till you have exhausted the cream and ladyfingers.
- Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
Some Tips
- Always wait for the milk to warm up before adding ginger else milk will curdle.
- To prevent soggy tiramisu, just dip the ladyfingers for 1 or 2 seconds in chai mixture.
- Chill the bowls that you will be using to whip the heavy cream as well as the blades of the hand mixer.
Pro Tip- Place the bowls and blades of your mixer in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill.
- Adjust spices to your liking- I love my chai masala to taste prominently of green cardamom with a hint of nutmeg. However, you can adjust the spices toy your liking.
- Spatula is your best friend when making tiramisu. Smoothen the in between layers, the top and the edges.
- Use a water soaked paper towel to clean the sides and edges of the pan.
- Let the tiramisu soak for atleast 6 hours. Overnight is best. The flavor and texture of a well rested tiramisu is quite amazing to a rushed one.
- Dont dust the ground spices until you are ready to serve. They kind of get wet and dont look appetizing.
- A suggestion for leftover chai- You might have some leftover chai after layering. I freeze it in ice cube trays and use when I am making any chai flavored drinks or in shakes/smoothies.
If you love indian fusion desserts do check recipes like phirni brûlée, brownie burfi bites, lavender peda and more.
More Chai Recipes
Masala Chai Ice cream
DiY Masala Chai Concentrate
FAQ
You can add 1-2 tablespoon of dark run to the chai once its cooled.
I use Taj Mahal or Wagh Bakri chai loose tea as well as their tea bags. These can be easily found in Indian stores. These are available on Amazon.
Masala Chai Tiramisu
Ingredients
For The Masala Chai (Makes little extra)
- 1 cup half & half or whole milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ inch fresh ginger pounded coarsely in mortar pestle
- 1.5 tablespoon loose black tea or 3 black tea bags
- 1 teaspoon chai masala
- 2 tablespoon sugar
For The Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature
- 1.5 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar can go down to ⅓ cup
- 1.5 teaspoon chai masala
- 7 oz lady finger pack comes with 24 fingers, I used about 20
For Chai Masala
- 8 green cardamom pods
- 2 cloves
- pinch of anise powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg fresh grated
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Make The Chai Masala (If you are making your own)
- Open the cardamom pods and fine pound the seeds along with cloves in mortar pestle. Or use a dedicated spice/coffee grinder.
- In a small bowl, mix the powdered cardamom & cloves with anise, nutmeg, black pepper powder and ground cinnamon. Your chai masala is ready.
Make Masala Chai
- In a small pot, combine the half and half and heavy cream. Set on a stove. Once you see bubbles on sides of the pot, add the ginger, chai masala and black tea leaves. Also add sugar.
- Let come to a boil and then reduce the heat to low medium.Let the chai brew for 5-8 minutes. Keep a close eye. Since we are making a small quantity of chai, we dont want it to burn.
- Once the chai is brewed and is thick and of intense brown color, strain it using a tea strainer in a large cup and let stand to cool. A film will form as the chai cools which is natural, so strain it again into a small dish.
Make the Whipped Mascarpone (While the Chai cools)
- Add the softened mascarpone along with chai masala and 2-3 tablespoon of heavy cream and beat on medium using stand mixer or hand mixer for 30-45 seconds until lightly fluffy.
- Add rest of heavy cream to the bowl and beat until you see soft peaks.Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until you see stiff peaks.
- Add whipping cream to a large bowl and beat on medium using stand mixer or hand mixer. Add the chai masala and slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until you see stiff peaks.
Assemble The Tiramisu
- Dip the lady fingers in the masala chai for maximum of 3 seconds(else they will get soggy). Layer in a single layer at the bottom of a 8 by 8 pan. Avoid packing the lady fingers too tightly.
- Add half of the whipped mascarpone mixture on top of lady fingers. Smooth out using a spatula.
- Repeat with another layer of chai dipped lady fingers. Place the remaining mascarpone mixture and using a spatula ,smooth out the top.
- Cover the pan with a cling film and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).
- Dust with bit of a chai masala before serving.
Notes
- The nutrition indicated in the recipe is an estimation only.
- Always wait for the milk to warm up before adding ginger else milk will curdle.
- To prevent soggy tiramisu, just dip the ladyfingers for 1 or 2 seconds in chai mixture.
- Chill the bowls that you will be using to whip the heavy cream as well as the blades of the hand mixer. Place the bowls and blades of your mixer in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill.
- Spatula is your best friend when making tiramisu. Smoothen the in between layers, the top and the edges.
- Use a water soaked paper towel to clean the sides and edges of the pan.
- Let the tiramisu soak for atleast 6 hours. Overnight is best. The flavor and texture of a well rested tiramisu is quite amazing to a rushed one.
- Dont dust the ground spices until you are ready to serve. They kind of get wet and dont look appetizing.
- A suggestion for leftover chai- You might have some leftover chai after layering. I freeze it in ice cube trays and use when I am making any chai flavored drinks or in shakes/smoothies.
- Adjust spices to your liking- I love my chai masala to taste prominently of green cardamom with a hint of nutmeg. However, you can adjust the spices your use to your liking.
- The mascarpone cream mixture and chai should taste intensely of chai masala before you start layering.
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