Italian Tiramisu Recipe

5 from 50 votes

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Italian Tiramisu is a much loved dessert. But do you know how to make tiramisu at home? Follow my recipe for delicious restaurant results. This classic Italian dessert layers coffee dipped savoiardi (also known as Lady Fingers) and a wonderful mascarpone filling with no raw egg!

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Chilling Time6 10

Total Time6 50

Servings: servings

Author: Marcellina

Equipment

9 x 13 inch serving dish (23 x 33cm)
double boiler see Note 1 below

Ingredients

Coffee Dip

1 ¼ cups strong coffee (300 mls (more if needed))
2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)
2 tablespoons white sugar

Zabaglione

4 egg yolks (at room temperature)
½ cup granulated white sugar (100 grams divided if making option 2)
½ cup sweet Marsala wine (120 mls)

Mascarpone filling

2 cups mascarpone cheese (450 grams or 1lb)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream OR 4 egg whites (240 mls (containing at least 36% fat) (for stabilized whipped cream, see variations below))

For Assembly

30 savoiardi cookies (approximately 10oz/300 grams or enough for two layers in the pan)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

To prepare the coffee dip

In a shallow dish pour coffee. Add sugar and rum (if using). Stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Make the zabaglione

Put the egg yolks, sugar, and sweet Marsala wine in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler. Whisk lightly to combine well.
Place the bowl or the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. The bottom of the bowl mustn’t touch the water.
Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens and becomes pale and creamy. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Be careful not to make scrambled sweet Marsala wine eggs. If necessary, take the bowl off the heat every so often if you think it’s getting too hot.
Once the zabaglione is ready, cool it down quickly by placing the hot bowl in a second bowl of iced water. Whisk from time to time until the zabaglione has cooled to room temperature. Set aside.

Mascarpone filling using whipped cream - Option 1

Make the zabaglione as written above.
Pour the heavy cream into a medium bowl and whisk either by hand or with an electric mixer until firm peaks form. It should be thicker than soft peaks but not stiff peaks.
Use a spoon to stir the mascarpone cheese. I usually do this directly in the container it comes in. The purpose of this is to loosen the mascarpone cheese enough so that it blends easily with the whipped cream. Don’t overbeat because the mascarpone cheese can split.
Gently but thoroughly fold the cooled zabaglione, loosened mascarpone cheese, and salt into the whipped cream. The mascarpone filling with whipped cream is now ready.

Mascarpone filling using egg whites - Option 2

Make the zabaglione using ¼ cup of granulated white sugar. Reserve the remaining sugar.
Use a spoon to stir the mascarpone cheese. I usually do this directly in the container it comes in. The purpose of this is to loosen the mascarpone cheese enough so that it blends easily with the whipped cream. Don’t overbeat because the mascarpone cheese can split.
Whisk 4 egg whites and salt with the remaining ¼ cup of granulated white sugar until stiff peaks form, and the sugar has dissolved. It will be a shiny, thick meringue consistency.
Combine the mascarpone and cooled zabaglione well. Then gently but thoroughly fold the meringue into the mascarpone mixture. The mascarpone filling with egg whites is now ready.

To assemble Italian Tiramisu

Briefly dip half of the savoiardi cookies in the coffee, one at a time, and place them in a single layer in a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33cm) pan. Be careful not to let the savoiardi soak too long because they will become soggy and fall apart. Soaking for 2 or 3 seconds on each side should be enough.
Spread half of the mascarpone filling over the first layer of coffee-soaked savoiardi.
Repeat the dipping of savoiardi cookies in the coffee, adding another layer to cover the filling. You may not need all of the coffee dip depending on how much the savioardi soaked it up.
Spread the remaining mascarpone filling over the second savoiardi layer.
Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight for the flavors of this Italian Tiramisu to combine and the filling to set. Sieve cocoa powder over the tiramisu before serving.

Notes

Instead of a double boiler, you can DIY. Use a medium saucepan and a large heatproof bowl that fits snugly over the saucepan so that it can trap in the steam. There needs to be at least 4 inches (10cm) of space between the base of the saucepan and the bowl. The bottom of the bowl should never touch the simmering water in the saucepan.

Tips for Success

Savoiardi differ from brand to brand. If the savoiardi are very light and porous, they will absorb more liquid. Be very quick when dipping so that they don't become soggy.
This Italian Tiramisu is best made the day before, but can be made even 2 days before. It will keep for at least 5 days in the refrigerator.
Italian Tiramisu can be frozen for 1 month. Place a layer of nonstick paper over the top, then wrap well in plastic wrap. Thaw in the refrigerator. On hot days, tiramisu is delicious eaten as a frozen dessert.

Substitutions

Alcohol-free: Substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for the sweet Marsala wine. Because there is less liquid, it will cook more quickly, so watch it carefully. You could also substitute non-alcoholic sweet white wine.
Coffee: Use decaffeinated coffee instead for a caffeine-free Italian Tiramisu.

Variations

Stabilized Italian tiramisu: If you prefer a firmer filling, stabilize the whipped cream with powdered gelatin. To do this, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of powdered gelatin over 4 teaspoons of cold water in a microwave-proof bowl. Let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes. Then microwave for a few seconds until the gelatin is fully dissolved but not boiling. Set it aside to cool slightly. Add gradually to the cream at the soft peaks stage while the mixer is on low speed, then increase speed and beat until firm peaks form.

Nutrition