This authentic Italian Tiramisu recipe is quick and easy to make. You only need 6 ingredients to make this no-bake espresso-flavored dessert. It's simply the best Tiramisu recipe.
Italian Tiramisu is a no-bake espresso-flavored dessert. It's made of coffee-dipped ladyfingers with sweetened mascarpone cream and dusted with cocoa before serving.
Have you ever asked yourself how to make Tiramisu? To sum it up, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale, add the mascarpone and whisk until creamy. Then dip ladyfingers in espresso and arrange them in a pan, spread mascarpone cream on top and repeat two more times. Then chill in the fridge, dust with cocoa, and serve.
I show you how to make this delicious Italian dessert by providing you with a step-by-step video tutorial and detailed photo instructions. You will also learn how to make this recipe with cooked eggs, and useful tips to make sure you can replicate this authentic Tiramisu recipe with success.
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Ingredients
This Tiramisu recipe is made of 6 ingredients, espresso, ladyfingers, mascarpone, egg yolks, sugar, and cocoa. You also find substitutions (eggs, e.g.) and variations (with rum, e.g.) below.
Espresso
I usually pick up espresso at my favorite coffee shop as I can't replicate the taste of a professional coffee machine at home. Espresso is the coffee of choice in authentic Italian Tiramisu. If you pick up espresso at a coffee shop, keep in mind to pick up enough that you have about 1/2 - 3/4 cup to soak the ladyfingers in.
However, if you have an awesome coffee machine at home, you can absolutely use your favorite strong-brewed coffee instead.
Also, coffee granules or instant coffee dissolved in hot water work. Actually every type of coffee works for this recipe. Since coffee is such an integral part of this dessert, only use coffee that you like the taste of.
Ladyfingers
For this authentic Tiramisu recipe, you need hard Italian ladyfingers. Although it also works with soft ladyfingers, I don't recommend using them because the Tiramisu could end up too watery after chilling in the fridge.
Soft ladyfingers tend to get soggy because they soak much more liquid then hard ones. So, you would really need to be very fast in dipping the ladyfingers into the coffee that you, first, have enough coffee for all three layers of ladyfingers, and second, that you don't end up with a watery dessert at the end.
Mascarpone
I recommend using quality mascarpone. My favorites are BelGioioso and Galbani. Be sure that you don't interchange it for ricotta.
Mascarpone can be tricky to work with as it can curdle very quickly within seconds. Below, you find some tips for troubleshooting in the FAQs if needed.
Eggs
In this espresso-flavored dessert, raw egg yolks are usually used. So, please be sure to use only fresh eggs.
However, if you don't want to use raw eggs or want to skip the eggs altogether, below, you find alternatives in the substitutions chapter.
Sugar
It's best using powdered sugar as it dissolves and combines with the mixture the quickest and best. You can alternatively use superfine or granulated sugar and process it in a food processor until it looks like powdered sugar.
Cocoa
You can use either natural or Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting on top.
Photo Instructions
First, start by mixing the egg yolks and sugar until white and creamy, and the sugar is completely dissolved. This takes about 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer on medium-high speed.
Then, add the mascarpone cheese and mix on medium-low speed just until smooth, creamy, and combined about 1 minute.
Use the mascarpone straight out of the fridge when adding it to the egg yolk mixture. Be careful not to overmix the mascarpone mixture.
When you are done mixing, the mascarpone cream should look like in the picture below. The consistency is smooth and creamy but not fluffy or airy like whipped cream.
Next, dip about 9-12 ladyfingers in espresso and arrange in the bottom of a 9x7x3 or 8x8x3 inches (23x18x8 or 20x20x8 cm) baking dish or casserole until fully covered. How many ladyfingers you need depends on the size of the ladyfingers as well as the dish used.
Then spread about 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture on top until evenly covered. You can do this with the back of a spoon or with an offset spatula.
Repeat the process of dipping the ladyfingers, arranging them in the casserole, and spreading mascarpone on top two more times and even the top.
Wrap the casserole with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 8-12 hours. Before you serve it, dust it with cocoa.
I finished my Tiramisu with a layer of whipped cream that I piped on top of the chilled dessert and then dusted it with cocoa. It's not part of the recipe, and I did it just out of decoration purposes. From the taste point of view, it doesn't really matter if the whipped cream is on top or not.
Top Tips
- Use a large mixing bowl for mixing the mascarpone mixture. This makes it less likely to overmix the mascarpone.
- I recommend using only fresh eggs. If an egg doesn't look or smell fresh, please don't use it.
- I don't recommend soaking the ladyfingers in coffee for too long. It makes the dessert watery. Just dip them on both sides quickly.
- Wrap the casserole dish tightly with plastic wrap so that no air or odors from the fridge can get inside the Tiramisu.
- It is best eaten on the second day. The taste is getting better and the consistency creamier when you give it time to rest in the fridge overnight.
Variations
Gluten-free
This easy Tiramisu recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free ladyfingers instead of regular ones.
Dark Rum
Though adding rum is not traditional, it's popular and common. You could also add Amaretto liquor or brandy instead.
You can either add 2 tbsp (30ml) to the coffee where you dip the ladyfingers in or add 1 tbsp (15ml) to the mascarpone cream. Or both.
Whipping Cream
If you want to add whipping cream to your mascarpone cream, you can add 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream after mixing the mascarpone mixture and mix on medium-high speed for about 2-3 minutes until peaks form.
Also, you can add whipped cream on top of the chilled Tiramisu before you dust it with cocoa. To recreate the beautiful top as in the pictures, just pipe little dollops of whipped cream on top. I used a Wilton 1A round tip with my piping bag.
Substitutions
Eggs
If you don't want to consume (raw, unpasteurized) eggs, you have a few options.
- Use pasteurized eggs
If you find pasteurized eggs in the store you can consume them raw safely because they have already been heated within the shells. It's hard to find them in the store though and are not widely available.
2. Lightly cook the egg yolks and sugar
In this case, mix the mascarpone with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
To cook the egg yolks and sugar, you can use a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, place a heat-proof bowl on top of a pot filled up 2 inches (5cm) high with simmering water.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar continuously until foamy and light for about 5 minutes. Then remove from the heat and add to the mascarpone cheese and mix until creamy and combined.
3. Skip the eggs
If you don't want to use eggs at all, mix the mascarpone cheese until creamy for about 1-2 minutes. Then add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth, combined, and sugar is dissolved for about 2-3 minutes.
Keep in mind that without the egg yolks, you have less cream. In this case, I recommend making just a two-layered Tiramisu or add 1/2 cup (120ml) of whipping cream to the mascarpone mixture and whisk until peaks form.
Coffee
If you want to serve this dessert to kids or people that are sensitive to caffeine, you can use either de-caffeinated coffee or use hot cocoa instead.
Storage
You can store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Please be sure to wrap the baking dish very tightly with plastic wrap, that no air or odors from the fridge can go inside the Tiramisu.
If you want to freeze it, prepare as described, wrap tightly and chill for 4 hours in the fridge. Then transfer to the freezer and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge for 24 hours. Dust with cocoa before serving.
FAQs + Troubleshooting
Why did my mascarpone mixture curdle?
Mascarpone may curdle and looks like cottage cheese within a couple of seconds after starting mixing. It can be very quickly overmixed because of its high-fat content. So, if this ever happened to you, you are not alone. This can happen to everybody and is not related to this recipe, particularly.
Tips for success and troubleshooting
- Buy mascarpone cream that contains nothing but (milk,) cream, and citric acid and has a high-fat content - around 42g out of 100g. Don't buy any low-light or substitute product.
- Mascarpone should be used cold and straight out of the fridge.
- Use a large mixing bowl that you have enough place to mix the mascarpone.
- Mix the cream on medium speed and just long enough until smooth and combined.
- If your mascarpone did curdle, you still can save it by transferring the mixture to a microwave-safe bowl and carefully warm it up or by using a double boiler and whisk until smooth. I read some more excellent tips on the Food52 website on that topic.
Why is my Tiramisu watery?
The reason why it can be watery is when the ladyfingers are soaked for too long and are already soggy when arranged in the baking dish. When chilling the dessert, the ladyfingers lose then the access coffee and make the cream watery.
Please make sure that you dip them on both sides quickly that just the outside of the ladyfingers is soft but the inside still solid when you arrange them in the pan.
If that happened to you, you can just try to transfer the Tiramisu to a clean and dry container and remove the excess liquid.
Related Recipes
You can't get enough of Tiramisu desserts? Well, you are not alone. Did you ever think about turning this Italian dessert into a cake? Or make it with gingerbread and eggnog for the Holidays? Tiramisu also appears in my cookbook in a chocolaty version.
Recipe
Authentic Italian Tiramisu Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large egg yolks, cold
- 1 cup unpacked powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 1/4 cups full-fat mascarpone, cold
- 27-36 Italian ladyfingers (hard ones)
- 1/2 cup cooled brewed espresso or strong coffee
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until creamy and the sugar is completely dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the mascarpone and mix on medium speed just until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Quickly dip both sides of the ladyfingers into the coffee, 1 to 2 seconds per side, and arrange 9 to 12 ladyfingers on the bottom of a 9 x 7 x 3–inch (23 x 18 x 8 cm) or 8 x 8 x 3–inch (20 x 20 x 8 cm) casserole dish. The necessary amount of ladyfingers will depend on the size of the ladyfingers as well as that of the casserole dish. The required amount of coffee depends on how long you dip the ladyfingers and how much they soak up. I don’t recommend soaking the ladyfingers for too long; otherwise, the Tiramisu will end up very watery.
- Spread about one-third of the mascarpone cream on top of the ladyfingers. Repeat twice more, so that the Tiramisu is assembled as follows from bottom to top: ladyfingers + cream, ladyfingers + cream, ladyfingers + cream.
- Wrap the casserole dish tightly with plastic wrap so that no air or odors from the fridge can get inside the tiramisu. Refrigerate overnight for about 8-12 hours. Before serving, dust the top lightly with cocoa powder. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
- Use a large mixing bowl for mixing the mascarpone mixture. This makes it less likely to overmix the mascarpone.
- I recommend using only fresh eggs. If an egg doesn't look or smell fresh, please don't use it.
- Don't skip the chilling time. Tiramisu is best eaten on the second day. The taste is getting better and the consistency creamier when you give it time to rest in the fridge overnight.
Eggs
- If you find pasteurized eggs in the store you can consume them raw safely because they have already been heated within the shells. It's hard to find them in the store though and are not widely available.
- You can also cook the egg yolks and the sugar before adding them to the mascarpone. In this case, mix the mascarpone with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy and set aside. To cook the egg yolks and sugar, use a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, place a heat-proof bowl on top of a pot filled up 2 inches (5cm) high with simmering water. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar continuously until foamy and light for about 5 minutes. Then remove from the heat and add to the mascarpone cheese and mix until creamy and combined.
- If you don't want to use eggs at all, mix the mascarpone cheese until creamy for about 1-2 minutes. Then add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth, combined, and sugar is dissolved for about 2-3 minutes. Keep in mind that without the egg yolks, you have less cream. In this case, I recommend making just a two-layered Tiramisu or add 1/2 cup (120ml) of whipping cream to the mascarpone mixture and whisk until stiff peaks form.
Dark Rum You could add 2 tbsp (30ml) of rum to the coffee where you dip the ladyfingers in. You can also add 1 tbsp of rum to the mascarpone cream. You could also use Amaretto or brandy.
Whipping Cream If you want to add whipping cream to your mascarpone cream, you can add 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream after you mixed the mascarpone mixture and mix on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until peaks form. Also, you can add whipped cream on top of the chilled Tiramisu before you dust it with cocoa. To recreate the beautiful top as in the pictures, just pipe little dollops of whipped cream on top. I used a Wilton 1A round tip with my piping bag.
Gluten-Free This recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free ladyfingers instead of regular ones.
Coffee If you want to serve this dessert to kids or people that are sensitive to caffeine, you can use either de-caffeinated coffee or use hot cocoa instead.
More Questions? Make this recipe perfect every time. So be sure to check the full post above. I included easy step-by-step photo instructions and also plenty of useful tips like what to do if your mascarpone curdles and what to do about it.
**Consuming raw eggs is at your own risk.**
Nutrition
Thank you for the recipe.
May I ask how do you make those peaks at the TOP layer please?
Thank you, I'm glad you like it. This is whipped cream piped on top. Whipped cream is not part of the recipe and was added just for decorative purposes.
Can I use caster sugar instead of powdered sugar? Can’t wait to make this!
Yes, that is possible. Just mix the yolks and sugar until pale and creamy and the sugar is dissolved as described in the recipe.
Oh my gosh SO DELICIOUS!!! I made this for my son in law for his birthday present and he was thrilled, especially since it is an authentic Italian recipe as he attended cooking school in Italy and is very enamored with the culture there. It took me quite a bit longer than 10 minutes to prepare, but was fun and worth every minute (I'm probably just a slow cook). Also, I used quite a bit more than the 1/2 cup espresso. Maybe others had the same experience? The ladyfingers I could find at my local market were the soft spongecake type so they make have soaked up more liquid than if I'd been able to find the hard ones. Thanks so much for telling us how you make the 'bubbles' on top of the tiramisu - the pictures were stunning so I'm hoping to copy that idea next time. Keep up the great work and thanks for the fabulous recipe!
From Robin G. in Montrose, Colorado
Robin, thank you so much for your nice feedback! I'm glad that you like the recipe and it was a hit. Happy belated bday to your son in law. Yes, that's for sure the reason why you needed more espresso because the soft ladyfingers soak more than the hard ones. Have a wonderful day!
Followed instructions exactly, and it turned out lovely! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Sabine,,
Tried 3 times with success. I used pasteurized vegetarian eggs and still taste good. Used cooked yolk in first try, still good.
Put also thin dusted cocoa in every layer (and the last one on top just before serve) just because I really like cocoa.
Thanks a lot for this.
Hi Kresna, Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I'm sure that is for our fellow readers a huge help. Thank you!
Wonderful to find an authentic Italian recipe! I lived in Italy where they don't cook the yolks or use whipping cream with the mascarpone. I use Marsala with the coffee. Love your photography too!
Awesome recipe. Very close to my aunt’s recipe that took me years to get out of her. I’m Italian and instead of all Marsala I do 1/2 espresso with it. I’ve also tried the baileys but get dirty looks from the fam. Gotta stick to tradition.
This tiramisu was so delicious. I followed all of the instructions and it worked perfectly. It is the first time I have made a tiramisu, but eaten it many times. NB I only had 250grams of mascapone, so I added 227ml of double cream after mixing in the mascapone.and I used de-cafe coffee which I boiled in my stove top pot. I used 2 coffee mugs of coffee.
Your tiramisu recipe is the best! I sometimes adding 2 tablespoons of baileys into the espresso.. It is now the most requested desert for family dinner. Thank you!