Somehow between culinary school and today (which was legit almost 10 years ago) I seem to have forgotten about a Classic Italian Tiramisu! Well - not anymore!! I made my recipe from culinary school a few weeks back and OMG WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING WITH MY LIFE!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
This Classic Italian Tiramisu is seriously one of the easiest recipes and is made with a sweet mascarpone filling and layered with espresso dipped lady fingers. It's truly perfection and I can't believe I haven't made it since culinary school. Instead of resorting to my usual cookie consumption for dessert for all of our recent parties, I changed it up and made Tiramisu. BRILLIANT. It takes almost no time to make and the recipe below is one that my culinary school instructor literally engrained into our brains during the dessert portion of our curriculum.
If you are making tiramisu as dessert for a dinner party, here's some dishes you can make to go with that: Cacio e Pepe, Bolognese, Pasta alla Vodka, Baked Rigatoni, Sausage with Tortellini
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder - this is my favorite kind!
- Espresso - you'll need a cup, so brew a handful of shots or buy them pre-brewed from your favorite coffee shop or grocery store
- Vanilla Extract
- Pasteurized Eggs - I always buy pasteurized eggs for this recipe as that means the eggs have been heat treated to kill off bacteria that could potentially cause a food borne illness. And since we're using raw eggs, it's the way to go!
- Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- Mascarpone Cheese - an integral part!! There isn't a great substitution here.
- Heavy cream
- Ladyfinger Cookies - make sure you get the hard ones
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Tiramisu
Step 1:Whisk together the cocoa powder, espresso and vanilla in a bowl and set aside to really infuse the flavors together.
Step 2: In a mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add in the salt, mascarpone cheese and continue to whip until smooth.
Step 4: Add the chilled cream and continue to whip, until light, creamy and smooth
Step 5: Make sure it can hold a soft peak.
Step 6: Dunk each ladyfinger in the espresso mixture to absorb the liquid and start to line a 7x11 oval baking dish with the cookies.
Step 7: Top the first layer of cookies with ½ of the whipped mascarpone mixture and use the back of a metal spoon to spread it into an even layer. Dust with cocoa powder.
Step 8: Repeat for another layer and then finish by dusting with cocoa powder on top.
Step 9: Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
How to Store Tiramisu
You can store tiramisu covered with plastic wrap for 3-4 days. The flavors of the tiramisu marry and develop as it keeps, especially once its been stored overnight.
How to Freeze Tiramisu
I do not recommending freezing tiramisu since. The no-bake and nature of other ingredients do not make it a great candidate for freezing.
Tips and Tricks
- ALL the ingredients for the filling must be cold. So when you read the recipe below, pay attention to the few things that need to be taken directly from the fridge.
- Get the ladyfingers from an Italian market if possible!!
- Mascarpone is essential. There is no substitution for it - so while you're out looking for the ladyfingers, grab the Mascarpone.
- No espresso on hand - no problem! Use coffee!
- Dunking the ladyfingers is an art form - you need enough to get a good flavor and texture, but you don't want them to fall apart. Just a quick dunk will do - nothing more than 1-2 seconds!
- NOTE - DO NOT SERVE IT RIGHT AWAY! While it will be delicious, the cocoa powder needs time to soften up and infuse into the cream topping otherwise you'll inhale straight cocoa powder and let me tell you from experience, it's not cute lol.
FAQs
What is traditional tiramisu made of?
A Classic Italian Tiramisu is a coffee-flavored Italian dessert that dreams are made of. It's made of ladyfingers dipped in espresso, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese and layered with cocoa powder.
What is the predominant flavor in the classic Italian dessert tiramisu?
The espresso dunked ladyfingers take center stage along with the creamy mascarpone mixture. Both are light and compliment each other beautifully.
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Classic Italian Tiramisu
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Dutch Processed cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup brewed espresso (optional to add a few tablespoons of dark rum)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 5 large egg yolks, cold (I use pasteurized eggs)
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 ounces mascarpone cheese, chilled
- 1.75 cups heavy cream, chilled
- 28 hard ladyfinger cookies
Instructions
- Whisk together the cocoa powder, espresso and vanilla in a bowl and set aside
- In a mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Add in the salt, mascarpone cheese and continue to whip until smooth. Add the chilled heavy cream and continue to whip, until light, creamy, smooth and can hold a soft peak.
- Dunk each ladyfinger in the espresso mixture to absorb the liquid and start to line a 7x11 oval baking dish with the cookies. Top the first layer of cookies with ½ of the whipped mascarpone mixture and use the back of a metal spoon to spread it into an even layer. Dust with cocoa powder. Repeat for another layer and then finish by dusting with cocoa powder on top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
-
- ALL the ingredients for the filling must be cold. So when you read the recipe below, pay attention to the few things that need to be taken directly from the fridge.
- No espresso on hand - no problem! Use coffee!
- Dunking the ladyfingers is an art form - you need enough to get a good flavor and texture, but you don't want them to fall apart. Just a quick dunk will do - nothing more than 1-2 seconds!
- Make sure you leave time to rest the tiramisu. The cocoa powder needs time to soften up and infuse into the cream topping otherwise you'll inhale straight cocoa powder and let me tell you from experience, it's not cute lol.
Made this for my family after a trip to Florence and MANY Tiramisu's eaten there... and it was delicious (and quite comparable to the Florence ones!). I overestimated the amount of heavy cream I had at home, so only had 1 cup... and it still turned out really nicely. Excited to try with all the ingredients 🙂 This recipe is also a lot easier than a lot of the other recipes I had come across. So thank you for this!!
Tiramisu is my husband’s favorite dessert, and he only eats it if it’s made in-house at whatever restaraunt we’re at-and even then he’s very picky. Because of this, I’ve always been too intimidated to make it. This year I decided to attempt it for his birthday. I spent quite a lot of time reading through different recipes and reviews, and finally landed on yours. I really appreciate how straight-forward and approachable your recipe is. The best part was that my husband truly enjoyed it! You’ve helped make a birthday in our house special, and have given me a recipe to use for future celebrations as well! I just came here to say thank you 🙂 So delicious! What a lovely treat!
When you say add a “few” tablespoons of dark rum, do you mean 4?
2-3 tbsp
This is the best tiramisu recipe!! I’ve made it now 3 different times and I swear it gets better each time I make it! I know it says the rum is optional, but I’d 100% recommend adding it, it definitely puts it over the top. Thanks!
Hi Can I check when you call for one cup of espresso, Is it one shot with water added or one cup of espresso shots. Thank you
1 cup of espresso! So a few pulled shots! Depending on how long you soak the ladyfingers, you might need only 1/2-3/4 cup but I always like to have a little extra if needed while I do my mise en place
I made this for the first time and was scared when my coworkers volunteered me to make this dessert. This recipe was so easy and delicious, they went back for more and brought me back a clean dish!
Now I'm making it for Mother's Day!
Thank you for giving me another go to for dessert!
Can I add Kahlua instead of rum? I am going to make this today!
sure can
I am going to try this recipe, and I can't wait! I have a personal anecdote I'd like to share. A long time ago, I worked at a small, authentic Italian restaurant. The owner, a true Italian, would make Tiramisu every afternoon, right before his afternoon nap.
He would pour coffee liquor over the lady fingers, but he did so with his index finger over the spout to prevent the liquid from rushing out. Meanwhile, he would be singing one of his favorite Italian songs. I believe he sampled a few liquors as well.
The thing is, he didn't have to move the soaked cookies around after he poured on the liquid. I'm curious to see if this recipe works this way as well.