Tiramisu Parfait with Coffee Jelly & Mocha Mascarpone

A layered dessert that celebrates texture, contrast, and quiet elegance — perfect for your next iftaar table.

Living and working in the UAE has taught me to look at food beyond flavour. In styling, texture becomes a language. Glossy, matte, airy, dense. The way light hits a surface. The way a spoon breaks through a layer. The way softness meets structure.

This tiramisu parfait was created from that perspective.

It brings together three distinct textures:
– A soft, delicate coffee jelly
– Cloud-like whipped mascarpone with cocoa
– Gentle bite from ladyfinger biscuits

Each layer carries its own identity, but together they create something deeply comforting and quietly luxurious. A dessert that feels light after iftaar, yet rich enough to feel celebratory.

As a food stylist, learning to “work through textures” changed everything. Instead of thinking only about taste, I now build desserts visually and structurally:

• The coffee jelly gives shine and movement. It catches light beautifully in a glass.
  
• The mocha mascarpone cream creates height and softness.
  
• The ladyfingers provide subtle structure and absorb just enough moisture without collapsing.
  

When plated in clear glasses, the layers become part of the storytelling — an edible composition.

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Serves 6–8

Ingredients

• Strong-brewed coffee, 2 cups
• Sugar (adjust to taste) 2–3 tbsp
• Gelatin powder 2 tsp
• Cold water 2–3 tbsp
• Mascarpone cheese (cold) 250g
• Chilled whipping cream 1 cup
• Powdered sugar 3 tbsp
• Cocoa powder 1 tbsp
• Instant coffee powder (optional, for deeper mocha flavour) 1 tsp
• Vanilla extract ½ tsp
• Ladyfinger biscuits 12–15
• Cooled espresso or strong coffee, ½ cup
• Ladyfinger biscuits 12–15
• Cooled espresso or strong coffee, ½ cup

Method

1. Bloom the gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes.
2. Warm the coffee with sugar until dissolved (do not boil). Stir in the bloomed gelatin until fully melted.
3. Pour into serving glasses and allow it to set in the refrigerator. Lightly whip the cream to soft peaks. In another bowl, gently whisk mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until airy and smooth. Transfer some into a piping bag for clean, layered piping.
5. Whip the remaining mixture with cocoa powder to make a rich mocha cream.

How to assemble: Pipe a layer of mocha mascarpone cream onto the coffee jelly layer. Add broken pieces of lightly soaked ladyfingers. Repeat layers. Finish with cream on top. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.