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Make a restaurant-quality tiramisu at home with layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers and a rich mascarpone filling — the ultimate pick-me-up dessert!
Tiramisu, which means “pick me up” in Italian, is a luscious Italian dessert made by layering boozy espresso-dipped ladyfingers with a rich combination of mascarpone cheese, eggs, sugar, and cream. It is then dusted with cocoa powder and left to chill overnight before serving. You might think that such an impressive dessert would be difficult to make, but that’s not the case at all! Tiramisu is essentially a no-bake Italian icebox cake. With just a few simple ingredients and easy assembly, you can create a restaurant-worthy tiramisu right in your own kitchen. For best results, be sure to use crisp ladyfingers, also known as Savoiardi biscuits, and avoid the soft cake-like ladyfingers sold in the bakery section of the supermarket. Also, look for the BelGioioso brand of mascarpone cheese; it is widely available and has a thick texture that’s ideal for making tiramisu.
What You’ll Need To Make Tiramisu
The recipe is made with raw eggs. With that in mind, use only fresh, properly refrigerated and clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks/whites and the shell.
Note that you’ll need to whip the egg mixture and heavy cream separately, which requires two bowls. If you don’t have two bowls for your stand mixer, using an electric hand mixer is a more practical option.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Mix the boiling water, instant espresso, and ¼ cup of the rum in a shallow bowl. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or beaters, combine the egg yolks with the salt and ⅔ cup of the sugar.
Beat on medium speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and forms a ribbon when the whisk is lifted out of the bowl, about 2 minutes.
Add the mascarpone, vanilla, and remaining ¼ cup of rum.
Beat until the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute.
Using another bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or beaters, beat the heavy whipping cream and remaining ⅓ cup sugar on medium speed until medium-stiff peaks form, 1½ to 2 minutes. Be sure not to overwhip the cream; otherwise it will curdle.
Using a rubber spatula, fold about ½ cup of the egg-mascarpone mixture to the whipped cream just until combined.
Add the remaining egg-mascarpone mixture into the whipped cream.
Fold about 20 times, or until the mixture is uniform (no streaks should remain). Set aside.
Set up a workstation with the ladyfingers, the cooled coffee mixture, and a 9×13-inch ceramic or glass baking dish.
One at a time, dip the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture for 2 to 3 seconds each (do not oversaturate the cookies or they will fall apart), and place into the prepared pan. Arrange the dipped cookies in a single layer in the baking dish (about 20 cookies), breaking or trimming them as needed to fit neatly into the dish.
Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over top of the ladyfingers and, using a spatula, smooth into an even layer.
Using a small sieve, dust the top of the cream layer with 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder.
Repeat with another layer of soaked ladyfingers.
Then top with the remaining mascarpone mixture.
And finally dust with the remaining 1 tablespoon cocoa powder.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 8 hours but preferably 24 hours. Cut into squares and serve cold.
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Tiramisu
Make a restaurant-quality tiramisu at home with layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers and a rich mascarpone filling — the ultimate pick-me-up dessert!
Ingredients
- 2 cups boiling water
- 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder/granules
- ½ cup dark rum, divided
- 6 large egg yolks, at room temperature (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 1½ pounds mascarpone cheese (three 8-oz containers), cold (see note)
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 14 oz (or two 7-ounce packs) Savoiardi biscuits or crisp ladyfingers (see note)
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, mix the boiling water, instant espresso, and ¼ cup of the rum. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or beaters, beat the egg yolks with the salt and ⅔ cup of the sugar on medium speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and forms a ribbon when the whisk is lifted out of the bowl, about 2 minutes. Add the mascarpone, vanilla, and remaining ¼ cup of rum and beat until the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute.
- Using another bowl for your electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or beaters, beat the heavy whipping cream and remaining ⅓ cup sugar on medium speed until medium-stiff peaks form, 1½ to 2 minutes. Be sure not to over whip the cream; otherwise it will curdle.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold about ½ cup of the egg-mascarpone mixture into the whipped cream just until combined. Add the remaining egg-mascarpone mixture into the whipped cream and fold about 20 times, or until the mixture is uniform (no streaks should remain). Set aside.
- Set up a workstation with the ladyfingers, the cooled coffee mixture, and a 9×13-inch ceramic or glass baking dish.
- One at a time, dip the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture for 2 to 3 seconds each (do not oversaturate the cookies or they will fall apart), and place into the prepared pan. Arrange the dipped cookies in a single layer in the baking dish (about 20 cookies), breaking or trimming them as needed to fit neatly into the dish.
- Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over top of the ladyfingers and, using a spatula, smooth into an even layer. Using a small sieve, dust the top of the cream layer with 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder. Repeat with another layer of soaked ladyfingers, then top with the remaining mascarpone mixture and dust with the remaining 1 tablespoon cocoa powder.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 8 hours but preferably 24 hours. Cut into squares and serve cold.
- Note: This recipe uses raw eggs. Be sure to use only fresh, properly refrigerated and clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks/whites and the shell. If you’re nervous about using raw eggs, try to find pasteurized eggs. Pasteurized eggs have been briefly exposed to heat to destroy any potential bacteria. Whole Foods usually carries them but call your local store to be sure before making a special trip. (Note: eating raw eggs is not advisable for pregnant women, babies, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system.)
- Note: It’s important to use a thicker brand of mascarpone cheese, otherwise you may end up with a runny filling. The best brand is BelGioioso, which is widely available at most large supermarkets. Do not use the Whole Foods brand; it is too soft.
- Note: Be sure to use crisp ladyfingers, aka Savoiardi biscuits — not the soft cake-like ladyfingers sold in the bakery section of the supermarket.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The tiramisu can be made up to two days ahead of time. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (14 servings)
- Calories: 428
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Sugar: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 369 mg
- Cholesterol: 148 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.