🍑 Fruit Tiramisù: Peach and Lemon
A fresh, light fruit tiramisù: ladyfingers, egg-free lemon custard and peaches blended with oat milk. No mascarpone, no raw eggs, ready to chill.
Fruit Tiramisù: Peach and Lemon
1. Ingredients
The lemon custard is its own recipe: make it following its page, with the amount of milk shown below. Use the selector at the top to adjust every amount.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Ladyfingers | 400 g |
| Lemon custard (see dedicated recipe) | made with 700 ml plant milk |
| Peaches, blended | 800 g |
| Oat milk | as needed, to loosen the blended fruit |
| Sugar | to taste, to sweeten the fruit |
2. Method
- Make the lemon custard following its recipe (with 700 ml of plant milk) and let it cool.
- Blend the 800 g peaches with the oat milk, adding it a little at a time until you get a soak that is fluid but not too runny. How much milk you need depends on how juicy the peaches are: adjust as you go. If the peaches are not very sweet, add sugar to taste (optional).
- Briefly dip the ladyfingers in the peach soak, without letting them sit: a few seconds per side, just enough to moisten them without making them fall apart.
- Lay a first layer of ladyfingers on the bottom of the dish, close together. If any stay dry, moisten them with a little soak using a spoon.
- Spread a layer of lemon custard on top.
- Keep alternating a layer of soaked ladyfingers and a layer of custard until the ingredients run out.
- Finish with a layer of lemon custard on the surface, or with a custard decoration to taste.
- Cover and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours, ideally overnight: the rest softens the ladyfingers evenly and lets the flavours blend.
3. Technical Notes
A tiramisù with no mascarpone or raw eggs
This version swaps the classic mascarpone cream for a starch-based lemon custard: an established choice in the "tiramisù with pastry cream" tradition, lighter and free of raw eggs. The result is fresh and delicate, suitable for anyone avoiding raw eggs and rich cheeses.
The peach soak and the oat milk
The oat milk loosens the blended peaches to a soak consistency: fluid but not watery. The amount is not fixed because it depends on how juicy the peaches are — very ripe, juicy peaches need less, firmer ones need more. Add it a little at a time and stop when the soak runs off the spoon without being as thin as water. Oat milk has a neutral, slightly sweet taste that does not mask the peach.
Choosing the peaches
All kinds of peaches work (yellow peaches, white peaches, flat/Saturn peaches, etc.). White peaches are sweeter, yellow ones more tart: with the already fresh, tangy lemon custard, yellow peaches create a livelier contrast, white ones a softer whole. Sugar in the soak is entirely optional: with ripe peaches it is often unnecessary.
4. Variants
The same structure — ladyfingers, custard, blended fruit as a soak — lends itself to many combinations. Below: how to choose the soak, which fruit to use and which custards to pair.
Liquids for soaking the ladyfingers
| Type of soak | Description | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit juice (100%) | Orange, tropical or apple juice. Ready to use. | Handy, for quick results. Note: often too sweet. |
| Syrup (water + sugar + aromatics) | Water brought to a boil with sugar and lemon or orange zest, then cooled. | For fragrant, aromatic soaks; a base for adding liqueurs. |
| Milk (dairy or plant) | Simple and delicate. | For children; base version; with bananas. |
| Liquid fruit smoothie | Fruit + water or plant milk, blended and used as a light soak. | This recipe's version. Lets you control texture and sweetness. |
| Macerated-fruit syrup | The liquid that forms when fruit rests with sugar and lemon. | Natural, tasty, cheap. |
Other fruit instead of peaches
| Fruit | Needs loosening? | Sugar | Prep notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strawberries | No, very juicy once blended | Yes, 2-3 tbsp + lemon juice | Hull and blend; optionally cook 5 min to thicken. |
| Berries | No, very juicy | Yes, they are tart | Use whole between layers or blended for the soak. |
| Apricots | Yes, the pulp is dense | Usually yes (1-2 tbsp) | Pit them; peeling optional. |
| Mango | Slightly, with water or orange juice | Little or none, very sweet | Blends into a smooth purée. |
| Kiwi | No, watery pulp | Yes, it is tart | Peel; no cooking. |
| Melon | No, already very watery | No, usually sweet | Watch excess liquid; longer rest in the fridge. |
| Pineapple | Slightly, with water | Little, balance with lime | Some suggest cooking it, I have never tried. |
Avoid or use with care: apples (oxidise), watermelon (too watery), grapes with seeds (the seeds get in the way).
Fruit + custard pairings
Instead of lemon custard you can use other custards (see the variants in the lemon custard recipe). I have personally tried lemon custard with oranges, lemon custard with peaches (both nectarines and flat peaches) and lemon custard with 2/3 peaches + 1/3 pears, and they all turned out spectacularly. Of course you can get creative with different fruit, as I did with peaches and pears. The stars below are a rough guide — everyone can go by their own taste.
| Fruit | Lemon | Orange | Cocoa | Vanilla | Coconut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strawberries | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Peaches | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Berries | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Mango | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ |
| Kiwi | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Melon | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★☆☆☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Orange / citrus | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Pineapple | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ |
| Banana | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Apricots | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★☆☆☆ |
Vegan or gluten-free version
The lemon custard is already egg- and dairy-free; to make the whole tiramisù vegan and/or gluten-free you would need vegan and/or gluten-free ladyfingers instead of the classic ones. They are sold commercially and recipes can be found online. I have not tried this version yet. But I did try making a delicately flavoured orange panbrioche, without filling, and used it in place of the ladyfingers: that experiment also came out very well. This way the recipe becomes vegan but not gluten-free. As soon as I make the next panbrioche I will take photos and publish the recipe.
5. Storage
- Room temperature: a few hours, covered.
- Refrigerator: 3-4 days, in a covered container (I use an airtight one).
- Freezer: not recommended. Both the soaked ladyfingers and the starch-based custard lose texture with freezing and thawing (the custard tends to release water, the ladyfingers tend to turn soft and uneven). In any case I have never tried — it usually finishes well before then :)
6. References
- GialloZafferano — Egg-free peach tiramisù: ricette.giallozafferano.it
- La Cucina Italiana — Peach tiramisù: lacucinaitaliana.it
- GialloZafferano — Tiramisù with pastry cream (no mascarpone): blog.giallozafferano.it