Tiramisu Recipe

Tiramisu literally translates to “pick me up or “cheer me up” which refers to the boost the tasty dessert can provide. This Italian invented dessert is layered with Savoiardi (ladyfingers) cookies, mascarpone cream, and strong coffee. It’s an Italian delight because the eggs are beaten to a custard cream that will make you go in for seconds!

Ladyfingers are light egg-based cookies piped into strips using a piping bag and a large round piping tip. Once baked they resemble the shape of a large finger and make their way into trifles, Mouse Cups, Charlotte Cake, gateau cakes, and mainly tiramisu. You’ll find them as sponge fingers in British, a Savoiardi biscotti in Italian, boudoirs in French, and baby fingers in the Jewish community.

I mainly use these flour-based cookies in my tiramisu recipe layered between mascarpone cream and covered with a layer of chocolate cocoa powder. The outcome is melt-in-your-mouth delicious! To make homemade tiramisu cookies simply make this Ladyfingers Recipe.

Ladyfingers can be found in some grocery stores like Walmart, in the cookie or Foreign aisle under the Italian title “Savoiardi Biscotti.” They are typically hard and very dry coming from the store. Whereas homemade ladyfingers are soft cookies similar to a sponge cake.

To make crispier sponge cookies at home, simply bake longer and they will turn out more crisp. Commercial bakeries seem to dust additional sugar on the top for a crackly crisp shell.  

If you’re wondering what’s in Tiramisu, I can tell you the ingredient list is very short and simple to make a tiramisu cake recipe. Before you begin make sure you either made Tiramisu ladyfingers or bought them. Then you only need eggs, sugar, mascarpone cheese, coffee, and heavy cream. 

• Eggs- are beaten separately for a light and airy dessert.
• Granulated Sugar- sweetens and binds the egg batter together.
• Ladyfingers- recipe (Recette) are super easy cookies to make from eggs. 
• Mascarpone cheese- is a soft Italian cream cheese set by acid. 
• Heavy Whipping Cream- and eggs make this dish lighter and thick.
• Coffee- any brewed coffee beans will work! For a stronger and bold coffee flavor use espresso. 

Note: unless you find Vegan dairy replacements, this recipe will not suit a Vegan tiramisu fan. 

Mascarpone is the Italian version of cream cheese. It is a spreadable smooth cheese very similar to Neufchâtel cheese. Since soft cheeses like these are made from light cream they result in a creamy whipped texture, rich in flavor.

Preparation involves coagulated cream that is heated and mixed with a starter. It then sets undisturbed for 12 hours. The curd then gets transferred to a butter muslin to drain in the refrigerator for hours. It can store for weeks if the cream was pasteurized properly.  

If you cannot find 8 (oz) tubs of mascarpone cheese, substitute 8 (oz) of cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese that has been softened and beaten first. 

I do not recommend a curd-like cheese such as ricotta cheese. You want a creamy cheese that is very fine otherwise your cream may look grainy. Mascarpone cheese is very smooth if you open your container and find that it is grainy, it must have been through a freezer and likely curded. 

Most grocery-store egg products are pasteurized as required by (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Services to prevent the risk of food-borne illness.

This simply means the eggs have been heated to a safe temperature right in the shells. If the eggs have been pasteurized it is safe to consume raw in desserts like Tiramisu. 

The preparation for a tiramisu dessert consists of brewing coffee, whipping the eggs and cream separately, and then layering everything together in a glass dish (to see the layers.) The ladyfingers can be bought or made at home before soaking into the prepared coffee. 

1. Separate the whites from the egg yolks. Beat the yolks with sugar first until fluffy (2-3 minutes), using a hand mixer. Add the mascarpone cheese and beat until combined. Don’t over mix the cheese can curd! Set mixture aside.
2. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until peaks forms. Fold into the beaten egg yolks with whipped cream. Set aside.
3. To Assemble the Tiramisu cake you’ll need a 2-quart glass dish. Quickly soak each ladyfinger into the coffee and arrange them onto the bottom of the dish. Spread 1/3 of the cream over the top and repeat ending with the cream. 
4. Dust with a generous amount of cocoa powder over the top. Wipe clean the rim of the dish and refrigerate for 24 hours. 

Baker’s Note: the longer the dessert sits the darker the cocoa powder gets. 

1. Separate the yolks from the whites, into two different bowls.

2. Beat the yolks with sugar until pale and thick (about 3min); then add the mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth and creamy. After that, set aside. 3. Beat the whites until soft peaks form. Then, set aside. 4. Beat the heavy cream in a small bowl until stiff peak forms. Then, set aside. 5. In a large bowl, combine all three beaten mixtures and mix over low speed until smooth and creamy. 6. Soak tiramisu ladyfingers into the coffee and rum mixture and assemble them into an 8 by 8-inch serving dish. (About nine ladyfingers for each layer.) 7. Spread half of the tiramisu cream over the first layer and repeat with the second layer. 8. Dust a generous amount of cocoa powder over the top and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Some Baker’s use different types of cookies in place of the traditional Ladyfingers (Savoiardi) cookies. Here are ingredients that can easily make their way into a Tiramisu cake:

• Sponge cakes (leftover cake)
• Sweet vanilla cookies
• Yeasted Sweet Bread such as Panettone. 

Ladyfingers can be eaten alongside a glass of milk or dipped into espresso and cappuccino. They are very popular in the Italian dessert Tiramisu.

• Dip them into coffee like a Biscotti cookie!
• Crumble them into Mouse Cups (mini Tiramisu cupcakes.)
• Border your cheesecake with ladyfingers to make an eyecatching dessert like a Charlotte Cake!
• Layer them into a Trifle dish for a classic Tiramisu recipe.

Tiramisu cake can keep for up to 6 days if refrigerated. The longer it sits the better it sets. It is best eaten cold so always keep refrigerated after preparing. 

Prepared and assembled Tiramisu dessert can be frozen without the cocoa topping. If you dust the cocoa powder on and freeze it, it’ll likely be wet from the condensation after being thawed. Now, if you don’t mind the penetrated cocoa powder topping then by all means freeze any leftovers with the chocolate topping. 

To freeze: tightly wrap and cover with plastic wrap before covering with aluminum foil. Place in a deep freezer (preferably without frost.)  And keep frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before serving.