Cherry Tiramisu

I made this recipe earlier this summer for a family event. I wanted to make something with cherries, but I didn't want a pie or a crumble. This was an excellent change of pace. I didn't use any liquor, but you could certainly add some Grand Marnier to the cherry liquid before soaking the ladyfingers.

I plan to work on making ladyfingers from scratch, but for this recipe I used store-bought gluten free ones, and it worked very well.

Ingredients:
3 cups dried cherries
1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
1 package ladyfingers (24 count) - I used gluten free ones and this worked very well

Instructions:
1. In a medium sauce pan, add 3 cups of dried cherries and 3 cups of water. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Then remove the cherries and keep both the cherries and the cherry liquid separately. Allow both to cool.
2. In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat the heavy cream, icing sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold in the mascarpone and mix until well combined.
3. In a separate shallow bowl, add the cherry liquid. Dip half of the ladyfingers in the mixture and arrange them in a single layer in the bottom of a 9 x 9 inch baking dish.
4. Spoon half of the mascarpone cream over the ladyfingers, spreading it evenly. Arrange 1/3 of the sliced cherry pieces on top of the mascarpone mixture.
5. Repeat the layering process with another layer of dipped ladyfingers and cherries, followed by a layer of the mascarpone mixture. Cover dish and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 48 hours.
6. Before serving, arrange the remaining cherry pieces on top of the tiramisu. 

Enjoy!