If you’ve visited an Italian bakery or restaurant, you may have seen tiramisu on the menu. Tiramisu is a rather new dessert, coming into the spotlight in 1969 through a restaurant located in Italy. Then by the 1980s, it became widely popular throughout Italy and eventually made its way around the world.

The word “tiramisu” comes from Italian origins and means “pick me up,” a subtle notable mention of the espresso coffee inside the dessert. However, espresso isn’t necessarily the primary ingredient, as there are multiple layers to the dessert. Let’s look at what tiramisu is and how you can make it at home.

What Is Tiramisu?

Tiramisu has an elegant look with at least four alternating layers of ingredients. The cold Italian dessert consists of coffee or espresso-soaked lady finger cookies, a sweet mascarpone cheese filling, and cocoa powder.

There is also the option of including coffee-flavored liqueur or rum in the coffee soak if you’re interested. However, remember that you do not cook the alcohol off, so only adults should consume your homemade tiramisu if you include the alcohol.

The bottom layer of the dessert is always ladyfingers, so you have a sturdy base, and then you build up from there, alternating between mascarpone and ladyfingers. Most tiramisu recipes call for around four layers, but you can do as many as you’d like. Tiramisu is a no-bake dessert and requires a few hours of refrigeration to firm up for serving.

Authentic Traditional Tiramisu Recipe

Tiramisu has an elegant look with at least four alternating layers of ingredients. The cold Italian dessert consists of coffee or espresso-soaked lady finger cookies, a sweet mascarpone cheese filling, and cocoa powder.

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs 30 mins

Total Time 4 hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 12

Calories 492 kcal

Ingredients

  

Coffee-Soaked Ladyfingers

• 2 Regular-sized packages of ladyfinger cookies
• 1½ cups Strong coffee or espresso
• 2-3 Tbsp Coffee-flavored liqueur or rum (optional)

Mascarpone Cream Filling

• 16 oz Mascarpone cheese
• 1½ cups Heavy cream
• ¾ cups Granulated white sugar
• ½-1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 6 Eggs yolks
• Unsweetened cocoa powder (to dust the top of the finished dessert)

Instructions

 

• Combine your egg yolks and sugar in a saucepan on your stove. Whisk this mixture until thoroughly blended. Set your stove to medium heat and continue whisking the sugar and egg mixture until you see bubbles forming.
• Remove your egg and sugar mixture from the stove, cover it, and put it in the refrigerator for later. It should sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour to cool down.
• In a bowl, combine your heavy cream and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer or standing mixture to beat/whisk the vanilla cream until you see it start forming stiff peaks.
• Take your egg yolk and sugar mixture out of the refrigerator and begin adding scoops of your mascarpone cheese into it. Whisk all of the mascarpone in until everything is completely combined and has a smooth texture. Set this aside.
• In a bowl, combine the coffee/espresso and alcohol (if you want to include it).
• Dust a rectangular dish (about seven inches x 11 inches or something close to this size) with cocoa powder to prevent your tiramisu from sticking.
• Dip some ladyfingers in the coffee and begin lining the bottom of your dish with them.
• When the bottom of the dish is completely covered, spread a layer of the mascarpone mixture on top. You should use about half the mixture.
• Dip more ladyfingers in coffee and create another layer of them.
• Put the rest of your mascarpone cheese mixture on top of your new layer of ladyfingers.
• Sift an even layer of unsweetened cocoa powder over the top of your finished tiramisu.
• Cover the tiramisu and put it in your refrigerator for three to four hours until it is quite firm.Cover the tiramisu and put it in your refrigerator for three to four hours until it is quite firm.
• Pull your homemade tiramisu out of the refrigerator, slice, serve, and enjoy! You can typically store a tiramisu in the refrigerator for a few days before it starts to spoil.

Keyword mascarpone, tiramisu

Tips & Tricks for Tiramisu

Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind when creating your delicious homemade tiramisu.

• Do not soak your ladyfinger cookies for too long. Only dip them in the coffee, or you’ll end up with a soggy mess.
• If you don’t want to dust your dish with cocoa powder, you could line it with plastic wrap or parchment paper. You need to line your dish with something to prevent the tiramisu from sticking and falling apart when you slice it.
• You can create thinner layers if you’d like, but you will probably need more than two packages of ladyfingers.
• The traditional recipe for tiramisu calls for ladyfingers, but you can also use thin layers of sponge cake soaked in coffee if you don’t like ladyfingers.

Nutrition Information of Tiramisu

Here is some general estimated nutrition information on one square of tiramisu.

• 492 calories
• 42.47 grams of carbohydrates
• 31.67 grams of fat
• 8.3 grams of protein
• 1478 milligrams of sodium
• 291 milligrams of cholesterol
• 1.6 grams of fiber
• 29.27 grams of sugar
• 224 milligrams of potassium, 2% of your daily vitamin C intake, 9% of your daily calcium intake, and 12% of your daily iron intake

Mascarpone cheese provides the majority of the stomach-filling protein in this dessert, as each serving of this cheese has 7.14 grams of protein. 

Concluding Thoughts

Tiramisu can make the perfect after-dinner treat to any meal, as it has a coffee kick you need and a dessert wrapped into one convenient dish. It’s an easy dessert to make too, as you don’t need to worry about overcooking it in an oven. Dive into some authentic Italian flavors and create a delicious tiramisu for your next homemade dessert.