Thank you, Smith Teamaker for sponsoring this post. And thank you for supporting my favorite brands!
Did we make it here? Did we hop from Halloween to Thanksgiving and now onto the holly-est, jolliest time of the year? The answer is yes and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Because, my sweaters have been missed, my Christmas dining set was begging for a pot-roast and Clark Griswold was dying to be watched.
It’s definitely the time where a hot drink before bed is necessary, both for my soul and my sanity. Smith Teamaker always comes out with their holiday tea trio this time of year and it has become one of my favorite traditions. So, if you’re looking to get some for yourself or for a gift, here’s how it goes:
No. 12 Silent Night
A candy cane in a cup, truly. Slightly sweet and perfectly peppermint.
No. 25 Morning Light
A black tea with some seasonal favorites like black currant, cinnamon, rosemary, you know the drill. Wonderfully caffeinated for the energy it takes to wrap all those presents.
No. 31 Ho-Ho-Hoji-Chai
My personal favorite. A warm, toasty blend of hojicha tea, lightly flavored with traditional chai spices.
Which is what made me dream up this recipe for Tea Tiramisu. It has all the chocolatey warmth that you want soaked into your ladyfingers. You won’t miss the coffee. Trust me on this one.
So, we layer the tea-drenched ladyfingers on the bottom of a 9-inch square pan. Then we smear it with a cream cheese custard situation. And, look, traditional tiramisu calls for mascarpone, which is delightful, but doesn’t have that tang the way cream cheese does. And, since we are omitting the coffee liquor in this recipe to make it kid-friendly, I’d like to introduce some flavor via another vehicle. However, *imagine me looking into your eyes when I say this* go with your heart. And if your heart says mascarpone, then that’s the way it has to be.
Just a good night’s rest in the fridge later, you’ve got yourself a delightfully cool treat that will serve you perfectly. Like on a night with your friends or a lunch with family. Opening up presents or snuggled up, watching a movie.
Pairs well with, you guessed it, a steaming hot cup of Smith Teamaker tea.
Tea Tiramisu
Light, fluffy and perfect for any tea-lover.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
4 bags Ho-Ho-Hoji-Chai sachets
About 40 Lady Fingers
|| Cream Cheese Custard ||
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
16 ounces cream cheese, room tempurature
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Cocoa powder for topping
Instructions
In a small bowl, steep Ho-Ho-Hoji-Chai sachets in hot water for about 5 minutes.
Over double boiler, whisk the egg yolks, sugar almond extract, and milk together constantly until it doubles in size, about 7 minutes. Take off the heat. With a hand mixer, beat in the cream cheese until smooth. Set off to the side to cool.
In a standing mixer, whip heavy whipping cream until soft peaks appear. Gently fold into the cream cheese custard mixture.
In a 9×9 baking dish, line the bottom of the pan with lady fingers that have been dipped into the tea all in the same direction. Pour in half of the custard mixture and smooth from edge to edge.
Repeat this step.
Dust the tea tiramisu with cocoa powder, cover with foil and refrigerate for about 6-8 hours.
