Tiramisu will forever have a soft spot in my heart, and it’s really easy. You just need some egg yolks, ladyfingers, mascarpone, and coffee.
After I’ve finished a hearty dinner of Meat Lasagna, I like to keep with the theme and make a traditional Italian dessert. Tiramisu is light and delicious, and you can serve it up with a tasty after-dinner espresso. If you like the idea of serving up a light cake, there are plenty more on my Dessert Recipe Page that you can make really quickly and easily.
TIRAMISU
I’ve tried a lot of Tiramisu through the years, but I have to say that the best Tiramisu I’ve had was the first time I went to Italy. We went to a dinner party in Venice, I tried tramezzini sandwiches, rich zabaglione, and savoiardi, or Italian lady fingers. Everything was so amazing, but the classic Tiramisu really stuck out, especially since I had it with the world’s best cup of espresso.
As soon as I got home from Italy, I started developing this easy Tiramisu recipe that you can make with just a simple baking dish and a mixing bowl. I’ve recreated that tasty authentic Tiramisu recipe with a few slight alterations for ease, and most of the ingredients you can find at any local grocery store, since I couldn’t find a lot of the specific items that I would have used in Italy. I recommend serving up slices of Tiramisu with a cup of strong coffee.
My recipe calls for a little dark rum, but you can use all sorts of different libations depending on your preference. You can use Marsala wine, Amaretto, or what you’ve got on hand as long as it compliments coffee. You also don’t need to make your Tiramisu boozy if you don’t want to, you can skip the liqueur and still get an amazing tasting Italian dessert.
HOW TO MAKE TIRAMISU
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VARIATIONS ON TIRAMISU
- Toppings: You can top your Tiramisu with all sorts of decorative toppings, from a fine dusting of espresso powder or unsweetened cocoa powder, to a dollop of Homemade Whipping Cream. I also like adding a handful of sliced nuts or some dried fruit depending on the occasion. You can also serve it with a side of Homemade Ice Cream or even a little custard. You can also top it with marscapone, an Italian version of whipped cream cheese.
TIRAMISU FAQS
- Why is it called Tiramisu? ‘Tira mi su’ translates to ‘pick me up.’ The idea was that it’s a little cake to give you energy.
- Does Tiramisu have alcohol in it? In some cases. Traditionally, Madeira wine or Marsala wine is used but all sorts of liqueurs have made their way into it, like Amaretto, Kahlua, or coffee liqueur.
- What does Tiramisu taste like? It should be little lighter than pudding coffee with cream coffee liquor with cream, with chocolate tastes like cafe mocha.
HOW LONG IS TIRAMISU GOOD?
- Serve: Don’t leave Tiramisu out for longer than 2 hours for best results.
- Store: You can keep Tiramisu in the fridge for up to 4 days if you keep it in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Keeping moisture out of it is key, so make sure to secure it tightly.
- Freeze: You can freeze Tiramisu for up to 3 months if you keep it in plastic wrap.
Ingredients
Custard Mixture:
- 6 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 16 ounces mascarpone cheese
Whipped Cream:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coffee Soak:
- 1/4 cup coffee , room temperature
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
To Assemble:
- 6 ounces ladyfinger cookies
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- To a large dutch oven or saucepan add the egg yolks and sugar, whisking well.
- Turn the heat to medium heat and slowly whisk in the milk until it comes to a low simmer, then cook for 1 minute before removing from heat.
- Place onto an ice bath, whisk to cool down faster then refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour.
- Whisk the mascarpone into the cooled egg custard until smooth.
- To your stand mixer add the heavy cream on medium speed until it starts to thicken.
- Once it thickens add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and raise the speed to medium high, beating until it hold stiff peaks.
- In a small bowl stir together the coffee and rum.
- To an 8x10 baking dish add the first half of the ladyfinger cookies, then brush them with the coffee-rum mixture.
- Spread half the egg custard over the soaked cookies.
- Spread half the whipped cream on top of egg custard.
- Repeat a second time, then dust with the cocoa powder and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours, until the custard and whipped cream have chilled thoroughly and set enough to be sliceable.
Nutrition
Can you please tell me if you use the soft or hard ladyfingers? Does it make a difference? Thanks.
The best ladyfingers for this recipe are very dry and crisp. They’re often called savioardi and are imported from Italy. If you can’t find these and your supermarket only has soft, cakelike ladyfingers, you’ll need to let them dry out in the oven first.
Made this for a crowd as dessert following a lasagna dinner and it got rave reviews from everyone. Super tasty!
Absolutely loved this tiramisu! So delicious!
Tiramisu is high on my list of perfect desserts! This is a great, easy to follow recipe. The tiramisu was decadent and delicious.
This tiramisu recipe is so good! Great combination of texture and flavor, a classic Italian dessert!
This tiramisu is a crowd favorite last New Year’s Eve celebration. It is so delicious and impressive. Thanks Sabrina for helping me satisfy my family and guest!
We had tiramisu last Christmas, it was a hit! It is so delicious and irresistible, everyone loves it.