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This authentic Italian Tiramisu recipe consists of a sweet creamy mascarpone filling, layered with espresso-dipped lady fingers and topped with a thick dusting of cocoa powder. Serve this no-bake dessert following a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and a crisp caesar salad.
A few years ago I went to Northern Italy and every single restaurant I went to, I tried the tiramisu. I wanted to compare and contrast various types of tiramisu. I had it in Verona, Bologna and Milan.
It was on this trip that realized that I like my tiramisu more of a scoop-able variety vs. a sliceable one. I like it to be creamy, a bit messy and topped with such a thick layer of cocoa that have to be sure to not inhale when you take a bite. This recipe is award-winning and won a bake-off with the Pancake Princess for Best Tiramisu!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Mascarpone – An Italian soft cheese that is absolutely delicious in tiramisu.
- Lady fingers – You can make them homemade or simply buy them from the store. I find that Italian markets have the best quality lady fingers.
- Heavy Cream – This is essential for a light and airy tiramisu. The heavy cream is whipped with the mascarpone.
- Liqueur – Sweet marsala wine is typically used. For this recipe, I used rum but feel free to use sweet marsala wine, Bailey’s or amaretto.
- Eggs – Egg yolks are used to give the filling a very light, whipped and creamy texture.
For the rest of the ingredient list, please refer to the recipe index below!
How to Make Tiramisu
- Make the filling. Beat all of the ingredients together until smooth. You want all of the ingredients to be cold.
- Beat all of the filling ingredients together until nice and fluffy. Set a timer to 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and then beat it again for an additional minute. Everything will be silky smooth.
- Dip your lady fingers into the coffee. And then immediately transfer it to a baking dish.
- Add half of the mascarpone mixture. Top with lady fingers. Repeat.
- Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top, pressed onto the surface. And then transfer it to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours. I like to leave it overnight.
- And then dust it with a thick coating of cocoa powder. Scoop and serve!
Tips and Tricks
- Everything should be cold – In order to achieve a nice, smooth filling EVERYTHING needs to be cold. That way it all emulsifies well together. Straight from the fridge. Cold.
- Not all mascarpone is good for this – DO NOT use Whole Foods brand mascarpone cheese for this recipe. It’s incredibly thin and will yield a watery-like result. If you do use it (say you bought it before you read this part), completely skip the rum and reduce the heavy cream to 1 tablespoon.
- Add the cocoa powder just before serving or else it’ll get damp and soggy and won’t look very cute at all. We are going for authenticity and beauty.
Recipe FAQs
Whether you don’t drink alcohol, don’t have it in your house OR you simply don’t like the flavor, no worries. I would suggest replacing it with 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or leaving it out together.
Yes, you can freeze tiramisu. But I would advise putting it in a freezer safe dish. Pyrex says that freezing their products are absolutely fine. I say go for it. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. And thawed in the fridge. I would recommend to leave off the cocoa powder topping and then add that just before serving.
I used organic good-quality eggs. If you’re concerned about the raw eggs that this recipe calls for, feel free to use pasteurized eggs.
Listen, I’m also not a total classic girl. I love some variations on this recipe. I have one with Dubai chocolate tiramisu, earl grey tea tiramisu, matcha tiramisu, chai tiramisu and my latest creation, limoncello tiramisu. All use this base recipe and are absolutely delicious!
What to Serve with this Tiramisu
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Tiramisu Recipe
Equipment
- 1 8×8 glass baking dish
Ingredients
Filling:
- 4 large egg yolks, cold straight from the fridge
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, cold straight from the fridge (see note below for the brand)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, (100g)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 ounces mascarpone , (from 2 containers) cold straight from the fridge (see below for note on the brand you're using)
For Assembly:
- 1 3/4 cup strongly brewed coffee*
- 24 lady fingers, (from a 7-ounce package)
For Topping:
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted for topping
Instructions
To Prep:
- Youโll need an 8×8-inch baking dish or a 2 quart dish of some kind.
To Make the Filling:
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer fixed with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), add all of the ingredients.
- Beat all of the ingredients together for 1 minute; scrape down the sides and then beat again for an additional minute, being sure NOT to over beat it. Stick to the two minutes total.
To Assemble the Tiramisu:
- Grab your baking dish. Transfer the strongly brewed coffee to a medium and or small bowl. Working one at a time, quickly dip each lady finger into the coffee. Be sure to not over saturate the ladyfinger with the coffee because then theyโll get a bit too soggy. All you need is a quick dip into the coffee. Arrange the dipped ladyfingers in the baking dish, side by side. I ended up filling up the empty spaces by snapping some of the lady fingers into different lengths.
- Add a few scoops of the filling on top and spread into a 1/4-inch thick layer. Add more filling if you need to.
- Dip the remaining lady fingers in the coffee and arrange them so there are no gaps. Add the remaining filling on top and spread it into a nice and neat final layer. Cover the dish with plastic wrap so it hits the surface of the tiramisu; transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight.
To Serve:
- Remove the plastic wrap and discard. If the plastic wrap has left any indentations in the topping, you can always smooth it out with an offset spatula. Sift the cocoa powder on top, applying a generous coating of it. Wipe the rim of the baking dish and serve.
- This isnโt the type of tiramisu that gives you perfect slices. Itโs more of a scoopable type tiramisu.
- if covered, this tiramisu lasts in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Brands of Mascarpone: If you’re using Whole Foods brand of mascarpone, decrease the heavy cream to 1 tablespoon and completely eliminate the rum from the mixture. A lot of people have said it’s really runny. I haven’t used it. But the mascarpone I use is always super thick. So if your mascarpone is thin and runny, definitely decrease the heavy cream amount.
- Tips on Texture: In order to achieve a nice, smooth filling EVERYTHING needs to be cold. That way it all emulsifies well together. Not room temperature whatever you do. Straight from the fridge–cold.
- If the mixture is a bit runnier than what you see pictured, no worries. Proceed with assembling the recipe; the mixture with thicken as it chills overnight in the fridge.ย
- Mascarpone is an essential ingredient to Tiramisu and unfortunately there just isnโt a substitute. Dark rum can be substituted for brandy, port, Irish Cream (like Baileys), madeira or masala wine. Obviously I love the flavor of rum the best.
- You can absolutely leave the alcohol out–no biggie. If you like, you can replace it with 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.ย
- Instead of strongly brewed coffee, you can mix 6 shots of espresso with 1 cup of water.ย
- You can freeze tiramisu. I would advise storing it in a freezer safe dish. Pyrex says that freezing their products are absolutely fine. Definitely cover it tightly with a lid and/or plastic wrap. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. And then thawed in the fridge. I would recommend to leave off the cocoa powder topping and then add that just before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
LOVE this recipe! Iโve been using it for so long and everyone asks me to make it, my niece asks for this for her birthday instead of cake!