Blood Orange Tiramisu - Ides of March - Baked Occasions

I finally got around to the Ides of March. March is almost over, but like I said it's not the first or the last day of the month so it's somewhere in the middle, right? Well, it works for me.

I made this one before, last year just as the recipe suggests. This year I decided to use cream cheese instead of mascarpone cheese because it is much easier to find around here and cheaper too. This was a big mistake. The texture is completely different and not pleasant to me at all. I was not able to finish my first piece. It was terribly disappointing since this had been a favorite of mine last year.

Another revelation about this recipe that I had this year was that I had been able to find blood oranges a few weeks before making it. I bought enough to juice them and freeze the juice to save for making this dessert. Since I had never had one before I decided to peel and eat one to try before using them. I'm not sure if the store had several that were not ripe or if this type of orange is just not my favorite, but I felt they were awful. They were bitter, woody, and not very sweet at all like a traditional orange. I opted to use regular oranges instead.

I had problems with finding good ladyfinger style of cookies as well. The only brand that my store carries has tiny, half-sized ladyfingers. This meant I had to use a lot more of them to make the dessert. I was not happy with the results that I came up with this time. I know that it can taste much better when it is made correctly, but I'm not sure that the expense is worth it with all the cookies I would need to purchase and the expensive mascarpone cheese. This one can be good for when we have an extra special dinner or a celebration.

The recipe and opinions from other bakers can be found at Baked Sunday Mornings here.

Timing: Recipe States: doesn't say, My Actual Timing:
Servings: Recipe States: 16-20 servings
                Servings For My Family: 9 servings, with half a recipe
Leftovers: This is still very good the next day.


Family Ratings:
Me: This did not turn out very well this time because I used the wrong type of cheese in the recipe.
Hubby:
Big Man: They boys did not try the recipe since they are not fans of orange and chocolate together or cream cheese desserts.
Bear:
Mr. T:

Will I repeat: Possibly for a special occasion.

What will I change: I will follow the recipe, except I will still substitute regular oranges for the blood oranges.