I make this tiramisu recipe as an easy way to enjoy my favorite Italian dessert at home. This classic recipe has layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers and fluffy mascarpone cream, dusted with cocoa powder. If you’ve ever wondered how to make tiramisu, I recommend giving this version a try!
Tiramisu is one of those no-bake desserts that I could eat forever. Which is funny, because I didn’t love it growing up. As an adult, however, this classic Italian dessert is one of my favorites, and I’ve made variations from Oreo tiramisu to berry tiramisu and even cheesecake. They all started here, with my easy tiramisu recipe.
The combination of softened ladyfingers, espresso, Kahlua, and the fluffy mascarpone filling is hard to beat. I could add the mascarpone cream to just about anything. And it’s one of those desserts that I think is truly best when homemade. Contrary to what you may think, it’s very easy!
Why You’ll Want to Make This Classic Tiramisu Again and Again
- A classic, homemade. Tiramisu is always my first choice off a dessert menu, and I modeled this recipe after some of my favorite Italian restaurants.
- Easy mascarpone cream. Don’t be intimidated by the idea of tempering egg yolks for the mascarpone filling. With a few tips, you’ll have smooth, consistent results.
- Step-by-step. The mascarpone filling is laid out below with step-by-step pictures to help make the process clear. Plus, there’s a video below where I walk you through the entire process. You can do this, and you will love it! It’s so yummy!
Tiramisu Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make this tiramisu recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for specific amounts.
- Eggs – I tested this recipe with large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar is all that’s needed.
- Mascarpone cheese – This is a soft Italian cream cheese made with whole cream instead of milk. It adds authentic flavor to the filling.
- Heavy whipping cream – Be sure this stays cold so that it whips properly. See my tutorial on how to make homemade whipped cream.
- Ladyfinger biscuits – If you can’t find these at your local market, you can buy authentic Italian lady fingers in delis or on Amazon. Be sure to buy firm ladyfingers, not the soft ones.
- Espresso powder – Dissolved in hot water, instant espresso powder adds the signature coffee flavor to tiramisu.
- Kahlua – Optional, but common in tiramisu recipes. I do love the flavor it adds.
- Cocoa powder – For topping the tiramisu.
How To Make Mascarpone Cream, Step-By-Step
Tiramisu is where I fell in love with mascarpone cheese. I have since used it in countless desserts and toppings, including my mascarpone whipped cream. Yum! Here’s how to make the mascarpone cream for tiramisu, step-by-step.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a double boiler. It’ll be chunky, but as it heats up, it’ll thin out.
Continue whisking and cook for 5-8 minutes, until the mixture grows in volume, thickens, and turns a pale yellow.
Avoid Scrambling the Eggs
You don’t want to scramble your eggs, so keep whisking and watch the yolks closely while the sugar dissolves. If the egg mixture is still a little gritty once it thickens, that’s OK. It will smooth out as you go on.
Cool the mixture, then gently fold in the mascarpone cheese.
Make a batch of whipped cream, and fold that into the mascarpone/egg mixture. Set aside.
Assemble the Tiramisu
Once your mascarpone cream is ready, the steps to make this tiramisu are just as simple:
- Make the espresso mixture. Dissolve the espresso powder in hot water, and add Kahlua if you’re using it.
- Soak the ladyfingers. Dip the ladyfingers into the espresso mixture for about 3-5 seconds. The longer you dunk them, the more moisture they’ll soak up and the stronger the flavor will be.
- Layer. Arrange half of the soaked ladyfingers into a 9×13 pan. Top them with mascarpone cream. This recipe has two layers of ladyfingers and two layers of the mascarpone mixture. Once you’re done layering, sprinkle some cocoa on top and chocolate shavings if you’d like. Refrigerate overnight and enjoy! Trust me, it won’t last long.
Frequently Asked Questions
While the Kahlua does add a nice depth of flavor, it is not essential. If you would prefer not to use alcohol in this recipe, you can easily skip it and just soak your ladyfingers in 2 ¼ cups of hot water with 6-8 tablespoons of espresso powder and 6 tablespoons of sugar instead.
Yes. It’s best to make it at least a few hours before serving so it has time to rest. But you can easily make it a day (or even two) before serving it, as well.
Tiramisu will keep in the fridge for about 4-5 days. You might find that the flavors actually get even better after it has been stored for a day or two.
While it wouldn’t be authentic tiramisu, regular cream cheese is the closest substitute to mascarpone in a pinch. However, the flavor profile won’t be the same, as mascarpone is tangier and smoother than cream cheese.
How to Store
- Refrigerate. You can store tiramisu in the pan you assembled it in. Just cover the top with Saran Wrap. It will keep in the fridge for about 4-5 days. You might find that the flavors actually get even better after it has been stored for a couple of days.
- Freeze. You can freeze tiramisu for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing it without the top layer of cocoa powder. Wait until you’ve thawed the tiramisu in the fridge overnight and add the cocoa powder before serving.
More Tiramisu-Inspired Desserts to Try
Easy Tiramisu Recipe
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Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 1 ¼ cups (285g) mascarpone cheese*
- 1 ¾ cups (420ml) heavy whipping cream (cold)
- 1 package ladyfingers (17.5 ounce package )
- 1 cup (240ml) hot water
- 6 tablespoons espresso powder
- 1 ¼ cups Kahlua*
- 1 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder (for dusting)
Instructions
- Prepare a 9×13 baking dish. If you want to be able to remove the tiramisu from the pan when done so that you can see the layers, I suggest lining the pan with parchment paper that sticks up over the sides, then putting a cardboard cake rectangle in the bottom of the pan. The tiramisu will be supported by the cardboard when you remove it using the parchment paper.
- Combine egg yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler (or in a metal mixer bowl over a pot of simmer water). Whisk to combine. The mixture will seem a little chunky at first, but will thin out as it heats up.
- Continue cooking and whisking for about 5-8 minutes, until mixture grows in volume, thickens and turns a pale yellow. The sugar should melt, but if it’s still a little grainy, that’s ok. It will smooth out as you go.
- Set the egg mixture aside to cool to a little warmer than room temperature.
- While eggs cool, make the whipped cream. Add the heavy whipping cream to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- When the egg mixture has cooled, add the mascarpone cheese and gently fold together until combined.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into mascarpone/egg mixture in two parts. Set mixture aside
- Dissolve the espresso powder into the hot water, then combine with the Kahlua.
- One at a time, dip the ladyfingers into the Kahlua mixture for about 3-5 seconds. The longer you dip the ladyfingers, the stronger the flavor will be. As you dip the ladyfingers, lay them into the bottom of the 9×13 pan. You should be able to get two rows in a layer.
- Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers.
- Repeat ladyfinger layer, then top with remaining mascarpone mixture. Dust the top with cocoa powder.
- Refrigerate for several hours or overnight, then remove from pan (if desired) and serve.
Notes
- Mascarpone cheese – You’ll want to use slightly softened, but still cool, mascarpone. Remove it from the fridge about 10-15 minutes before you’re ready to use it so it has time to soften just a bit. Keep in mind that if it gets too warm/soft, it can start to separate and there’s no fixing it. If you can’t find mascarpone cheese, or just don’t want to use it, cream cheese would be ok. The flavor of cream cheese is just different and stronger, so keep that in mind.
- Ladyfingers – You’ll need the firm/hard ladyfingers. The soft ones won’t work in this tiramisu.
- Without alcohol – If you’d like to make this tiramisu without the Kahlua, use this espresso mixture: 2 1/4 cups hot water, 6-8 tbsp instant espresso powder, 6 tbsp sugar.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Recipe was originally posted 10/15/13. It has been updated, but if you’d like a copy of the original version, download it here.
Categories:
Bars and Brownies, No Bake Desserts, Other Sweets, Recipes, Recipes with video, Sweets and Treats,
Thank you Lindsay… Raspberries worked well with it..
it was an absolutly stunning dessert and i got loads of comments on it! Best recipe:):):) cant wait to try some more of yours now!
Wonderful! So glad it was a hit!
I cant wait to try this recipe… however i would like to put something bright and colourful on the plate when i serve it to my guests…. would any type of fruit go well with this?
A fresh pop of berries would look great! I would recommend strawberries or raspberries.
Help!!! My sugar and egg yolks is thick and grainy like a paste!! This cannot be right! What could I have done wrong??
Did you cook them for too long? At what point in the instructions were you when they ended up like a paste? They should be fine when cooked over the stove – just keep them on a low enough heat setting with the double boiler so that the eggs don’t cook too quickly and scramble.
This happened to me the 1st time… The second time I used the beater and my mixer broke up the egg yolks with the sugar then placed on double boiler and mixed with mixer until pale… About 5-7 mins and it turned out great
I made this using your recipe and it was, as my father stated, “The best tiramisu that I have ever had!”
Thank you, thank you for this! Now that I know how good your tasters are, I will follow and try it all of your recipe’s!! I did ease up on the Kalua but you must increase the rest so you have enough liquid. I totally trust your recipes, You are my first, LOL EXCELLENT JOB!!!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Pamela!
There is NO whipped cream in the real Italian tiramisù 😭 just need to whip the eggs with the sugar with electric whips and possible separate the whites, adding them at the end so the cream becomes very scummy. Also, the savoiardi must stay quite dry – just the right amount of coffee to soften them – you don’t want coffee to drain down and remain on the base of your pan! 😉 ciao from Italy!
I made the recipe exactly as it said but it had an overwhelming Kahlua taste. It honestly tasted like pure alcohol! I used the softer lady fingers instead of the firmer ones but besides that, everything else was done just as the recipe said. Did anyone else have this same problem?
I would say that the firmer lady fingers might make a bit of a difference. However you are right that this recipe has a stronger Kahlua flavor than some others. I personally like the strong flavor, but you could definitely replace some of the Kahlua with additional espresso.
I just made this Tiramisu and it was delicious and enjoyed by everyone at my daughter’s birthday. I made it with the soft lady fingers and I must say I had my doubts but it worked great. I even prepared it two days earlier. This recipe is definitely a keeper !
Wonderful! Glad it was a hit!
I made your recipe of Tiramisu. Absolutely the easiest recipe. Just to finish marscapone, I used 2 – 8 oz. containers. I used 2 cups of whip cream. The mixture is fab tasting. Thank you
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I would like to make this in a 9×13. Should I double it?
This is actually made as a 9×13 already.
Is it better to make 2 days before or the morning before serving if it isn’t possible to make the day before?
I’d probably go with the morning of, but 2 days before should be ok.
Do you submerge the lady finger completely under the liquid? Ex: is the entire ladyfinger to be soaked or jus the bottom half?
Yes, submerge the whole thing.
What kind and where do you buy the espresso granuals??
Thanks so much!
I find them on the coffee aisle in the grocery store. It’s like instant coffee, but instant espresso.
Hi I was wondering how long does this need to be refrigerated if wanting to use it same day as you make it? I will realisitcally probably only have around 3 hours for refrigeration time, would that work?
I usually make it a day ahead. I don’t think I’ve only refrigerated it for 3 hours. It may be softer, but it should be ok.
What can I use to substitute the ladyfingers since I don’t like them?
I guess you’ll have to get creative! 🙂 One option would be to use a vanilla cookie of some kind. A shortbread would probably be firm enough and hold up well. You could also make a different kind of tiramisu dessert. These tiramisu cupcakes are a great option – it has all the great parts of tiramisu in cupcake form, so no ladyfingers. For something a little different, there’s this Oreo Brookie Tiramisu. Similar idea to a traditional tiramisu, but with brownies and cookies in place of ladyfingers. I hope that helps!
I have never even seen Crunchy ladyfingers. Where would I find them. I have only ever seen soft ladyfingers. I want to use this recipe (sounds delicious) so please, has anyone used the soft ladyfingers and how did it turn out.Thank you for your help.
Ps What is Suki talking about (sabayon sauce), what is that?
The crunchy/dry ones are the more traditional lady fingers. I usually find them at a little Italian market, but I saw them just yesterday at Kroger (a grocery store in our area). You can buy them on amazon too.
I don’t know what sabayon sauce is. I didn’t use any in this tiramisu.
Sabayon sauce is a French term for cooking eggs, cream and alcohol
The Italian term is zabaglione.
I usually strain my mixture to be on the safe side to ensure it’s creamy and no lumps.
they are called biscotti ladyfinger, works great!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe I can wait to try it.
I made the tiramisu cake today. It was tasty, but the cream consistency wasn’t right.
The sabayon sauce should be refrigerated before adding it to the whipped cream. I also added a little vanilla extract to the cream.