Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding

Decadently creamy with tart raspberries to cut through the sweetness. This Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding is definitely a treat!

Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding – A clear family favourite

This Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding is definitely one of my family’s favourites. It is so decadently delicious and also simple to make.

We have been making this dessert for years, but we can’t take credit for it. It was my sister’s friend’s Mum, Mrs Betts that came up with recipe. She had something similar in a restaurant and loved it and recreated it herself at home. She is one clever lady!

Italian influences

I think it is quite easy to tell this dessert has been heavily influenced by Italy.

This Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding is heavily influenced by the Italian classic Tiramisu. Instead of using coffee to soak the sponge fingers, this recipe uses the syrup that the tinned raspberries come in.

Apart from switching coffee to raspberries, this recipe is very similar.

So simple anyone could make it!

This dessert is really easy to make. You literally need no baking skills or special equipment to put this together.

It also means you can get your children to help out which is something my sister and I always did when we were younger.

I do use a mixer to combine the mascarpone and condensed milk because it is quicker to do this, but doing it by hand doesn’t take too much effort. Just make sure you mix them together well and get rid of any lumps.

A delicious no bake dessert

One of the advantages of this Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding is doesn’t need any form of cooking. It is as simple as mixing some ingredients together and then assembling.

This is great for warmer days when the last thing you want to do is turn on your oven!

Why use tinned raspberries?

Do not turn your nose up at the tinned raspberries. I am generally not a fan of tinned fruit and didn’t know you could get tinned raspberries before eating this.

But you do really need them, and their tasty syrup to make this dessert. So don’t be too quick to judge!

The syrup they come in is essential as this is what you dunk the sponge fingers in. And also the tinned raspberries are softer and are almost a paste when drained. This makes them ideal to spread evenly between the layers.

What is mascarpone?

Mascarpone is a cheese that be used in both sweet and savoury dishes.

It is an Italian cream cheese that is made from whole cream which gives it a much richer and creamier taste than standard cream cheese.

I love the extra creaminess mascarpone provides and particularly like to use it to decorate cakes instead of buttercream. My Lemon & Mascarpone Cake is a zesty and fresh cake and my Raspberry & Mascarpone Layer Cake has similar delicious flavours as this dessert.

Can I use low fat mascarpone?

You can also use low fat mascarpone cheese in a feeble attempt to reduce the calories. If you use all low fat mascarpone, you may find that the pudding is slightly more liquid – especially the next day.

I would recommend using half full fat and half low fat because this seems to have the right combination to still provide the right thickness to hold the pudding together.

Tips for making this Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding

This dessert is really simple to make, but I have a few tips to make it even easier.

When you are dunking the sponge fingers in the raspberry syrup, don’t leave them in there too long. Simple dunk them and leave them for a few seconds before turning them over and lining the dish.

If you leave the sponge fingers in the syrup too long you run the risk of running out of syrup! Then you will have some dry sponge fingers at the end.

I would always rather have syrup leftover at the end that I can drizzle over the remaining sponge fingers rather than running out.

When you are laying the sponge fingers in the dish, I like to lay them horizontally for one layer and then vertically for the next. This means that all of the dish should be covered with the sponge fingers without any gaps.

Feel free to break up the sponge fingers if you need to for them to fit in your dish. It doesn’t matter how neat your layering process is because you don’t see this in the finished dessert.

Can I make this dessert in advance?

Yes and I recommend you do!

Once you have made the dessert, it needs to chill in the fridge for at least thirty minutes. This is so the syrup can fully soak into the sponge fingers and make it even tastier.

I actually prefer this Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding on the second day. The sponge fingers have soaked in the raspberry syrup and are a bit softer.

How long does this Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding keep for?

This pudding keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days, if it lasts that long. I’ve lost count of how many times I have eaten this for breakfast because I didn’t want to wait any later in the day to eat some more!

Can I add alcohol to this dessert?

Yes you can definitely add alcohol to this dessert. As the alcohol is not being cooked off I wouldn’t recommend serving it to children.

Chambord is a raspberry liqueur that I think would work really well in this dessert. I would start by adding one tablespoon to the raspberry syrup and trying it. You can then add a little bit more if you would like it stronger.

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Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding

Decadently creamy with tart raspberries to cut through the sweetness. This Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding is definitely a treat! 

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Raspberry, Mascarpone, No Bake, Sponge Fingers

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Chill time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 12

Calories 444 kcal

Author Kim Betts

Ingredients

• 500 g mascarpone
• 397 g condensed milk
• 400 g sponge fingers
• 600 g tinned raspberries in light syrup (2 tins)
• 150 g fresh raspberries
• small grating of dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Mix the mascarpone and condensed milk together in a bowl making sure there are no lumps

   
2. Drain the tinned raspberries reserving the syrup in a shallow bowl
   

3. Dunk the sponge fingers a couple at a time in the reserved raspberry syrup. Make sure the fingers are completely covered in the syrup. You want to give them a couple of seconds so they can absorb some of the syrup but don't leave them in for too long or else they'll soak up too much

   

4. When you have a few of the sponge fingers that have absorbed some of the syrup, line them next to each other in a dish roughly 23x23x5cm. Make one layer of sponge fingers

   

5. Once you have one layer of sponge fingers, scatter over half of the tinned raspberries

   
6. Pour 1/3 of the mascarpone mix on top of the sponge fingers making sure the fingers are completely covered
   
7. Repeat again with another layer of soaked sponge fingers, tinned raspberries and mascarpone mix but lay the fingers in the opposite direction
   
8. Add a third layer of soaked sponge fingers in the dish. Add the final third of the mascarpone mix and spread evenly
   
9. Place the fresh raspberries on the top and grate the dark chocolate using a fine grater
   
10. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to chill and then serve

Recipe Notes

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. 

Nutritional information is given as a guide only.

Nutrition Facts

Raspberry & Mascarpone Sponge Pudding

Amount Per Serving

Calories 444 Calories from Fat 225

% Daily Value*

Fat 25g38%

Saturated Fat 15g94%

Cholesterol 127mg42%

Sodium 114mg5%

Potassium 160mg5%

Carbohydrates 39g13%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 18g20%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 857IU17%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 168mg17%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.