Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert with layers of mascarpone cream and coffee-infused lady fingers. People love ordering this at restaurants, but it's actually super easy to make at home. No baking is required. It actually only takes about 20 minutes to make, but you have to let it chill in the fridge for several hours.

For an Asian twist, try my matcha milk tea tiramisu!

About This Recipe

My wife always says tiramisu is her favorite dessert. Whenever we go to Costco, she checks to see if they have it in stock. They used to make a delicious tiramisu that came in tiny glass cups, but we haven't been able to find it in forever. Maybe they don't carry it anymore. Anyway, since we hadn't been able to find it, I decided to surprise her with some of my homemade tiramisu. Hopefully, it kicks her craving for a bit!

This recipe is super easy to make, and everyone who tries it loves it! It does include a tiny bit of dark rum, but it's totally optional. If you have kids or family members that don't drink alcohol, you can just omit it.

I think the key to great tiramisu is avoiding soggy lady fingers. When dipping them in the coffee, do it super quickly- just a fast dip in and out. Don't let them soak for any period of time. Once the tiramisu chills in the fridge for a few hours, the lady fingers will soften perfectly.

Key Ingredients

Lady fingers: These are a type of Italian cookie. You can find them in the cookie aisle of most grocery stores. I needed one large package for this recipe (about 400g or 14 ounces).

Mascarpone: Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese. It is creamier and more loose than regular cream cheese. The only problem with mascarpone is that it is really expensive. If you don't want to break the bank, you can substitute it with 1 cup of cream cheese mixed with a tablespoon of sour cream.

Heavy cream: The base of the filling is heavy cream and mascarpone. You'll need two cups of heavy cream.

Brewed coffee: Make the coffee slightly stronger brewed than usual. I doubled the amount of instant coffee powder for mine. I also used caffeine-free instant coffee so I could eat the tiramisu at night.

Instructions

STEP 1: In a medium mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese until soft. Add the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla, and beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.

STEP 2: Quickly dip the lady fingers in the coffee (do not soak), and arrange them in a single layer in an 8x8 baking dish. To fill up the empty spaces, I used a knife to cut a lady finger in half lengthwise.

STEP 3: Spread half the mascarpone filling.

STEP 4: Follow up with another layer of lady fingers and another layer of cream.

STEP 5: Dust with cocoa powder and cover with plastic wrap.

STEP 6: Refrigerate the tiramisu for at least 3 hours (this is how long it takes for the cookies to often), then enjoy!

📋 Recipe

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert made with layers of mascarpone cream and coffee-soaked ladyfingers. You can easily make it at home in just 20 minutes- no baking required! If you don't want to use mascarpone, you can also use cream cheese mixed with a bit of sour cream (see notes!)

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 9 people

Calories 441 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 ¼ cups mascarpone cheese (see notes for substitute)
• ▢ 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• ▢ ⅓ cup sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ½ cups strongly brewed coffee (or espresso)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons dark rum or coffee liqueur like Kahlua (optional)
• ▢ 1 package Lady Fingers (I used about 26 cookies)
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder

Instructions

 

• In a medium mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese until soft. Add the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla, and beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
• In a shallow dish, combine the coffee and dark rum.
• Dip the lady fingers in the coffee (the dip should be in and out instantly- do not soak the lady fingers otherwise they will be soggy) and lay them in a single layer in an 8x8 baking dish.
• Spread half the mascarpone on top, followed by another layer of lady fingers, followed by the rest of the mascarpone.
• Dust the top with cocoa powder, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Notes

Mascarpone: You can substitute the mascarpone for 1 cup of cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of sour cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 441kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 6gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 65mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1337IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 91mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

Did you make this?Let me know how it was!