Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Coffee-forward, with the perfect amount of “wow factor” from the alcohol. Just enough sweetness to balance the coffee and dusting of cocoa powder on top.
Texture: Beautifully soft ladyfingers with a silky-smooth, creamy filling, and a hint of crunch from the shaved chocolate on top.
Ease: This recipe will dirty a few bowls, but it’s actually really easy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Beautiful, impressive dessert, perfect for serving at any gathering. It can even be made ahead of time, and doesn’t use raw eggs!
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I can’t stop thinking about this Tiramisu recipe. It gives me such warm, cozy feelings and makes me feel like I’ve stepped out of my kitchen and right into a charming Italian restaurant!
This classic Italian dessert combines a silky, creamy mascarpone filling with soft, coffee-dipped ladyfingers, and the perfect amount of boozy flavor from the Kahlua. My version cooks the eggs, so there’s no food safety concern.
This Tiramisu is so light and packs so much flavor without being too rich or too sweet, so it’s the perfect dessert to enjoy after a large meal.
It makes for an impressive centerpiece, especially for a holiday potluck, dinner party, or the perfect Christmas dessert.
I included a few substitutions in case you wish to use a different alcohol or skip it entirely, so be sure to read through all my tips below.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Tiramisu
What is Tiramisu?
Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert, combining layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers with layers of sweetened mascarpone cream, finished with a generous dusting of cocoa powder.
My version of Tiramisu uses Kahlua to further enhance the coffee flavor, and a custard-like cooked egg mixture combined with mascarpone and heavy cream, to create a beautifully silky-smooth heavenly layer of creaminess.
What are Ladyfingers?
Ladyfingers are somewhere between cake and cookie in texture and are piped into long “fingers” before baking. The typical choice for tiramisu recipes and trifles, ladyfingers are perfect for soaking up the alcoholic coffee mixture without becoming soggy or disintegrating.
You can make them yourself or simply buy them from a grocery store to make this recipe nice and easy.
Where to Buy Ladyfingers
I found ladyfingers in my local supermarket (Fry’s / Kroger) as well as Whole Foods and Sprouts. Some of my team, who test every recipe and are spread across the U.S., had trouble finding ladyfingers in their local supermarkets, so you may want to check inventory online in advance, if possible.
Some commercially available ladyfingers are very small and thin, even cakey, resulting in a much thinner/shorter Tiramisu. Thinner ladyfingers are more likely to disintegrate, even with a quick dip in the coffee, so avoid those if possible. Also avoid the cakey ladyfingers.
Be sure to check the weight over the number of ladyfingers in the package, since shape and size vary by brand. I always buy two packages just in case!
Amazon sells two of my favorite brands: Alessi or Savoiardi. I also like the DeLallo brand if you can find that in-store!
Do I Have to Use Kahlua? Can I Use Other Alcohols in Tiramisu?
I used Kahlua because I wanted to deepen the coffee flavor. You can alternatively use dark rum in its place, which is what I did when I made this for my Dominican dad (Brugal rum for the win).
Amaretto is another favorite choice. Chocolate liqueur would be tasty, too!
Can I Make Tiramisu Alcohol-Free?
Yes – feel free to use a splash of vanilla extract in the filling and replace the amount of alcohol used for assembly with extra coffee.
Does Tiramisu Contain Raw Eggs?
This Tiramisu recipe does not contain raw eggs. Many traditional recipes do use raw eggs, but here, they’re gently cooked on the stovetop over a double boiler, making them safe to consume. I love the beautiful, smooth texture this method yields.
What Pan Do I Need for Tiramisu?
Because this Tiramisu recipe isn’t baked, it’s not vital to use a metal baking pan, like I recommend for most baked recipes (read more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here).
Ceramic or glass will work just fine – but make sure it’s an 8×8-inch square for best presentation and pretty layers. We can’t seem to find the pan used in the photos here, but this pan is very similar.
A 9×9-inch pan works well, too. You just may need to break up some of the ladyfingers to layer them evenly.
Can I Double This Tiramisu Recipe?
Yes! Simply double all the ingredients and use a 9×13-inch pan.
How to Store Tiramisu?
Store Tiramisu covered, or inside an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 2 days.
Can You Freeze Tiramisu?
We haven’t tried that, but it should work fine – just be sure to add the cocoa powder dusting after thawing in the fridge overnight for the prettiest presentation. Wrap well in plastic wrap and store inside an airtight container for up to 1 month.
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Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 large egg yolks, cold
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (35 grams) Kahlua or rum*
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 8-ounce container (227 grams) mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup (119 grams) heavy cream, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
For assembly:
- 1 1/2 cups (356 grams) strongly brewed coffee or espresso, at room temperature
- ¼ cup Kahlua liqueur or rum (70 grams)*
- 1 7-ounce package (about 24 cookies)
ladyfingers **
For topping:
- 1 teaspoon
Dutch-process cocoa powder, or unsweetened cocoa powder - Dark chocolate, shaved
Instructions
Make the filling:
- Make an ice bath by filling a large mixing bowl with ice cubes and a little water.
- In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, alcohol, and salt. Set the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl isn’t touching the water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture lightens in color and thickens in texture, about 6 to 7 minutes. Carefully remove the hot bowl from the pot and place into the ice bath, being careful not to splash water inside. Let cool completely, whisking occasionally. Mixture will thicken as it cools.
- While the mixture cools, combine the mascarpone, heavy cream, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until medium peaks form. Gently fold the cooled egg yolk mixture into the whipped cream mixture until just combined.
Assemble the tiramisu:
- In a small bowl, combine the coffee and alcohol. Quickly dip each ladyfinger into the mixture (don’t allow to soak) then place in an even layer on the bottom of an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Push in and break up any ladyfingers as necessary to create an even layer.
- Spoon half of the filling mixture across the ladyfingers, smoothing with a spatula. Repeat with a second layer of ladyfingers and remaining mascarpone cream.
- Cover and chill for at least 8 hours but preferably overnight.
Add topping:
- When ready to serve, dust the tiramisu with cocoa powder. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Notes
This post was originally published in 2009 and has been updated with recipe improvements, additional baking tips, and new photos. Photos by Joanie Simon.
OMG TESSA! I am normally not fond of custard desserts (except Crème Brûlée), but I just had to let you know that I made this recipe for Thanksgiving, and it was absolutely the best dessert on the table! I happened to have a bottle of Kahlua rum and coffee liqueur, and I highly reccommend it for this recipe. Thanks so much for another fantastic recipe. Sorry I didn’t get a picture of it.
Love hearing that, Anne! So happy it was such a hit 🙂
Can you send me a recipe for tiramisu, doubled?
I was intimidated by the whole egg process but I did it! The dessert turned out, it set perfectly…I was surprised. My neighbor is turning 95 and that is her favorite dessert. She loved it!
Thank you for the step-by-step recipe, it was perfect.
Love that you shared with your neighbor! So happy to hear you both enjoyed it 🙂
I made this recipe last year and it was amazing! I tried it again this year and my custard mixture curdled…what did I do wrong?! Any thoughts?
Thank you Tessa for this easy and delicious recipe!
As someone have mentioned earlier the amount of coffee was about a deciliter more than I needed.
Otherwise it is perfect and the only tiramiso recipe I will need in the future!
Hello Tessa!
Only once before have I made a tiramisu following another recipe and using Marsalawine.
And also without raw eggs.
I wasn´t all that thrilled about it, but my friends liked it a lot.
So maybe it was good enough at least for the munchies=)
Now I am out of marsala and using a dark Guatemalan rum instead.
Not only by flavoring it with rum have I followed your recipe in every step: I followed it by every deciliter and gram (thanks for giving us measurements in both the deci-system and the odd one=), even weighing the eggs to make sure they were “large”, so had to take an extra…
Waiting for it to set….If I stay up until 3:00 am, just two hours more, my tiramisu will have chilled for the minimun of eight hours.
This recipe was so easy to follow!
Will be back to tell the outcome!
This was one of the most challenging recipes yet, but so much fun! Oddly enough, even after two days, only my top layer of custard set, not my bottom. I also had leftover coffee and alcohol mixture, so my boyfriend requested a coffee whipped cream on top. This has been both of our favorite recipe we’ve tried yet. It’s been two months since the first time I’ve made it, and although I’ve already remade it, it is still the most requested dessert. This is worth the work! We even bough a store bought and one at a restaurant and he said it doesn’t compare to this.
Hi Kate! So thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this tiramisu so much! Next time, try cooking your filling a little longer, and be sure to let is completely cool before folding in the whipped heavy cream/mascarpone mixture. Hopefully that will help it set in both layers! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Made this for the first time but the custard didn’t set. What did I do wrong? Over mix? Does the marscapone need to be room temp? The flavors were amazing!
Hi Lauren! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the flavor of this Tiramisu, even if it didn’t set up as it should! It sounds like you may not have cooked the egg mixture quite long enough. The mixture needs about 6-7 minutes on the stove over a small saucepan of simmering water, and it will lighten in color and thicken a lot as it cooks. Check out the video (just below the recipe) or the Tip Box (above the recipe) for some pictures, showing how thick this should look. It then needs to cool completely in the ice bath before gently folding in the whipped heavy cream/mascarpone mixture. I hope something here helps, and I hope you’ll give this Tiramisu another try sometime – it really is wonderful! Happy Baking!
Amazing is all I can say!! My kids came back for leftovers they loved it so much!!
I left out the alcohol (added vanilla as the recipe said) and subbed chocolate milk for coffee and it turned out fantastic in case anyone is looking to leave out either or both of those ingredients.
Yay! So happy to hear the chocolate milk worked perfectly, thanks for sharing!
Not a big Tiramisu person, but made it for Christmas eve and my friends who love Tiramisu said it was delicious! It wasn’t hard to make, and I now have a go to recipe when I need Tiramisu!!