An easy recipe for tiramisu, made with layers of sweetened mascarpone cheese, coffee and Kahlua soaked ladyfingers, fluffy whipped cream, and finished with a dusting of cocoa powder. This delicious dessert is perfect for any special occasion, since you can make it the day before and keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.
You might also love this toasted hazelnut coffee cake, chocolate sheet cake, and one layer walnut chocolate chip cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to Make. There’s no baking involved when making tiramisu. You’ll only need to make a simple sabayon or custard, whip some cream with mascarpone cheese, make some strong coffee, and then layer everything together.
Creamy and Sweet. The cool creamy custard with the coffee soaked ladyfingers is just delicious. And the slight bitterness from the unsweetened cocoa powder dusted over the top nicely balances the sweet filling.
Great Leftover. One of the best things about tiramisu is how good it is leftover. You can make it the day before you plan to serve it, to let all the flavors mingle.
Customizable. I added Kahlua (coffee liqueur) to strong coffee for soaking the lady fingers. But you can really use any liqueur you like, such as marsala wine, amaretto, cognac, spiced rum or bourbon. And you can certainly leave out the alcohol completely.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Egg Yolks. The egg yolks add body and richness to the custard, and help to thicken it. Be sure to save the egg whites to use in a white velvet cake or angel food cake. You can always freeze egg whites in a freezer bag until you have enough for a cake recipe, meringue or macarons.
- Granulated Sugar. Sweetens the filling.
- Whole Milk. Adds richness and flavor to the custard.
- Espresso. You’ll want strong brewed coffee or espresso for soaking the lady fingers.
- Kahlua or Coffee Liqueur. Or another liqueur of your choice.
- Mascarpone Cheese. The delicate sweetness of mascarpone cheese is a classic flavor in tiramisu. In a pinch, you can also use full-fat, block style cream cheese.
- Vanilla. Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste adds flavor.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. The whipped cream lightens the mascarpone cheese and custard for a fluffy, creamy filling that you’ll love.
- Ladyfingers. I’ve never baked ladyfingers, so I found a few packages on the cookie aisle at my grocery store.
- Cocoa Powder. The classic finish for tiramisu is a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder. I prefer Dutch-processed cocoa powder for the best flavor.
Instructions
Make the sabayon (custard).
- In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and milk. Over medium heat, cook the mixture for about 8-10 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should have the consistency of a thin, pourable custard.
- Pour the custard into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap resting right against the surface of the custard, and chill in the refrigerator until completely cooled. (You can speed this up by chilling it in the freezer for 30-60 minutes.)
Brew the espresso.
- If you’re brewing coffee, make it double strength, then let it cool completely to room temperature. I made my espresso by whisking together 2 cups cold water with 4 tablespoons instant espresso powder, until dissolved.
- Stir the Kahlua into the coffee, and set aside until needed.
Make the mascarpone filling.
- Place the mascarpone cheese in a bowl, and use an electric mixer to beat the mascarpone until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla and the cooled custard to the mascarpone, and beat for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
- Pour the cold heavy whipping cream into a separate bowl. Use your electric mixer to whip the cream for several minutes until soft, thick, fluffy peaks form.
- Add the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture and whisk until combined.
Assemble the tiramisu.
- Set out your pan and decide how you’re going to arrange the ladyfingers. With two packages of ladyfingers, I had 48 ladyfingers. In an 8×11 pan, I was able to fit about 14 ladyfingers per layer, so I assembled three layers, leaving me a few ladyfingers leftover. If you’re assembling your tiramisu in a 9×13 pan, you’ll likely only do two layers.
- Start by dipping the ladyfingers in the coffee and Kahlua mixture, then arranging them in the bottom of the pan. When you dip them in the coffee, just very, very quickly dunk them in and then immediately lift them out. You do not want to hold them in the coffee to let them soak up a lot of coffee, or the ladyfingers will turn to mush, and your dessert will end up too soggy and watery. If you’re worried about letting them soak up too much coffee, you can also arrange the dry ladyfingers in the pan, dip a pastry brush in the coffee, and brush the coffee onto the ladyfingers.
- Once the pan is filled with the first layer of ladyfingers, spread 1/3 of the mascarpone filling over the ladyfingers.
- Repeat two more times, with layers of coffee-dipped ladyfingers, mascarpone filling, coffee-dipped ladyfingers, and finishing with the last of the mascarpone filling.
- For the top layer of filling, use an offset icing spatula to create some pretty swirls on top.
- Refrigerate the tiramisu for 4 hours, then use a small strainer or sifter to dust the cocoa powder over the top in an even layer before serving.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use other liqueurs, or leave out the alcohol altogether?
Yes, you can use any liqueur you like, or just make your tiramisu without alcohol.
Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone cheese?
Absolutely. While it’s not as traditional as mascarpone cheese, cream cheese works well in this recipe and will taste delicious.
How long can tiramisu be refrigerated?
Your tiramisu can be kept covered and refrigerated for about 3-5 days.
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Easy Tiramisu
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
- Medium-Sized Saucepan
- 8×11 or 9×13 Baking Dish
Ingredients
Filling
- 6 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 1 lb mascarpone cheese or full fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 ¼ cups cold heavy whipping cream
Ladyfingers
- 2 pkg ladyfingers (a 7-oz package should contain about 24 ladyfingers, for 48 total)
- 1 ½ cups strong coffee or espresso
- ¼ cup Kahlua (optional)
Decoration
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
Make the Filling
- In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and milk. Over medium heat, cook the mixture for about 8-10 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should have the consistency of a thin, pourable custard.
- Pour the custard into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap resting right against the surface of the custard, and chill in the refrigerator until completely cooled. (You can speed this up by chilling it in the freezer for 30-60 minutes.)
- Place the mascarpone cheese or cream cheese in a bowl, and use an electric mixer to beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla and the cooled custard to the mascarpone, and beat for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
- Pour the cold heavy whipping cream into a separate bowl. Use your electric mixer to whip the cream for several minutes until soft, thick, fluffy peaks form.
- Add the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture and fold together with a spatula until combined.
Assembly
- If you’re brewing coffee, make it double strength, then let it cool completely to room temperature. I made my espresso by whisking together 1 1/2 cups cold water with 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder, until dissolved, then stir in the Kahlua.
- Set out your pan and decide how you're going to arrange the ladyfingers. With two packages of ladyfingers, I had 48 ladyfingers. In an 8×11 pan, I was able to fit about 14 ladyfingers per layer, with the ones on the end cut in thirds to fit, so I assembled three layers, leaving me a few ladyfingers leftover. This size pan will make a very full layered dessert. If you use a 9×13 inch pan, your layers won't be quite so high, and you might also need a third package of ladyfingers to fill the pan with 3 layers.
- Start by dipping the ladyfingers in the coffee and Kahlua mixture, then arranging them in the bottom of the pan. When you dip them in the coffee, just very, very quickly dunk them in and then immediately lift them out. You do not want to hold them in the coffee to let them soak up a lot of coffee, or the ladyfingers will turn to mush, and your dessert will end up too soggy and watery. If you’re worried about letting them soak up too much coffee, you can also arrange the dry ladyfingers in the pan, dip a pastry brush in the coffee, and brush the coffee onto the ladyfingers.
- Once the pan is filled with the first layer of ladyfingers, spread 1/3 of the mascarpone filling over the ladyfingers.
- Repeat two more times, with layers of coffee-dipped ladyfingers, mascarpone filling, coffee-dipped ladyfingers, and finishing with the last of the mascarpone filling. For the top layer of filling, use an offset icing spatula to create some pretty swirls on top.
- Refrigerate the tiramisu for 4 hours, then use a small strainer or sifter to dust the cocoa powder over the top in an even layer before serving.
This recipe is perfect. I’ve made tiramisu with a few different recipes, and this is by far the best. I get frequent requests for my tiramisu now. Thank you so much for this recipe!