The Best Classic Tiramisu Recipe – Easy, Authentic

The Best Classic Tiramisu Recipe – Easy, Authentic – learn how to make this traditional Italian dessert in no time with just 4 basic, simple ingredients. This is the real deal, no shortcuts. Just the way it is made in Italy and you can make it, too.

Original post from 2014. Updated in 2019.

What is tiramisu?

Classic Tiramisu Recipe – layers of lady fingers cookies, dipped in flavorful espresso coffee with rich and velvety mascarpone cream in between. Topped with cocoa powder for this extra touch.

I’m sharing with you the recipe for one of my favorite Italian Desserts – Classic Tiramisu. It is the perfect choice if you are looking for a dessert to enjoy with your coffee.

What a great way to start your weekend- with a slice of this easy to make dessert. If you’ve ever thought that tiramisu is difficult to make, just stick with me and I’ll show you that it isn’t.

I’m not stating that this is the only classic tiramisu recipe in the world, but this is the one that works best for me and my family.

Throughout the years, I’ve tasted other versions, for where Mascarpone is substituted with heavy cream,  lady fingers with pound cake and espresso coffee with instant of regular american coffee and honestly I did not like any of these…

Not sure, if people in Italy do not make it the exact same way I do, but I just find the recipe very easy and extremely delicious.

You can definitely try and substitute some of the ingredients, but no guarantee for the end result.

What ingredients do you need to make this Classic Tiramisu Recipe?

• eggs
• mascarpone cheese
• sugar
• lady fingers
• espresso coffee
• orange liqueur
• unsweetened cocoa powder

Mascarpone is an Italian cheese made from cream, coagulated by the addition of citric acid. It is one of the main ingredients of tiramisu, but is often used in other recipes instead of parmesan cheese or butter. I just love the mascarpone cream used in this recipe. The combination of whipped egg whites (lightness), whisked egg yolks (richness) and sugar and the addition of creamy mascarpone (creaminess) creates the light and unique texture of the mascarpone cream.

Lady fingers are light, sweet sponge cakes (biscuits), shaped in the form of a finger. They also are considered one of the main ingredients of the classic tiramisu.

I made the espresso needed for this recipe with my Nespresso machine, but a Moka coffee maker (or any espresso maker) could be used.

How to make Tiramisu?

It’s been a while since I last made tiramisu. But it was heavily requested by a friend, that’s why, when I had an hour planed for watching my favorite TV show last Sunday, I just put this dessert together at the same time. Great! The only bad thing is that once you make it, you should wrap it and let it sit in the fridge for 6 hours (preferably overnight) for the wonderful flavors to settle.. I try to make it at night, this way I’m not tempted to start eating it before it is set!

Is authentic tiramisu made with raw eggs?

Yes it is! You may want to use pasteurized eggs instead. If you are concerned about t

Raw Eggs : This recipe contains raw eggs. I suggest caution when consuming row or slightly cooked eggs. To reduce risk I recommend the use of fresh, properly refrigerated eggs. You might want to wash and dry your eggs, before you crack them and separate egg yolks from egg whites. This reduces the risk of salmonella and other food-borne illness. You might want to use eggs that have been pasteurized or treated with a different method to destroy salmonella.

I personally avoid using raw eggs, but this is one of the very few recipes in which I do. You can test eggs eggs by putting them in a bowl of water: if they fall to the bottom they are fresh and safe, if they come afloat they are ready to be tossed.

What liquor can be used in tiramisu?

If you’d like, you can leave the liqueur out. What is you decide to follow the recipe as it is – use Grand Marnier. You can use any orange liqueur of your choice. Some recipes call for marsala wine or rum, instead of liqueur.

I used some coffee extract to the coffee, that I dipped the lady fingers in, but this is totally optional. You can use some good quality coffee liqueur instead.

Tiramisu is this type of after dinner dessert, that can be served with some alcohol, like amaretto, marsala or madeira wine or fruit liqueur.

More Tiramisu Recipes:

Tiramisu Cheesecake:

Easy Tiramisu Cake Roll

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5 from 14 votes

Classic Tiramisu Recipe

By Lyubomira L

Layers of lady fingers cookies, dipped in flavorful espresso coffee with rich and velvety mascarpone cream in between. Topped with cocoa powder for this extra touch.

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 6 hours hrs

Total: 6 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 8

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 6 shots of espresso or about 2 cups, (cool)
• ▢ 6 eggs, , egg whites separated from egg yolks
• ▢ pinch of salt, (optional)
• ▢ 3-4 tbsp granulated sugar, (depends on how sweet you like it)
• ▢ 3 8 oz packages Savoiardi lady fingers cookies, (they are 12 in each individual package, but each big pack contains 4-5 individual ones)
• ▢ 1 pound (0.5 kg) Mascarpone cheese, needs to be at room temperature, but not melted, take out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before use
• ▢ optional: 2 tsp dark rum, (marsala wine or any coffee liqueur could be substituted)
• ▢ 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder for garnishing
• ▢ optional: chocolate shavings for garnishing

Instructions 

• Prepare coffee and let it cool at room temperature. Add rum/liqueur/marsala wine and stir.
• In a bowl mix egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes, until pale and thick. (Allow extra time). Using a rubber spatula /wooden spoon or with your mixer on low speed fold in mascarpone cheese. Set a side.
• In a separate bowl beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. (Make sure there is no water in the bowl, otherwise they will not get stiff).
• Fold egg whites into the egg yolk – mascarpone cheese.
• Dip savoiardi cookies into coffee, and lay one by one into a 9×13 pyrex dish. Do not soak the cookies, just lightly dip them, as we need them to retain their firmness.
• Once the first layer of cookies has been laid out, cover with 1/2 of mascarpone cream. (This recipe makes a tiramisu with 2 layers of lady fingers and 2 layers of cream, but if you use a smaller dish, you may be able to get a 3 layer dessert). Repeat with remaining lady fingers and mascarpone cream.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, so the flavors could settle..
• When ready to serve, dust with cocoa powder, cut and serve.

Notes

!Raw Eggs : This recipe contains raw eggs. I suggest caution when consuming row or slightly cooked eggs. To reduce risk I recommend the use of fresh, properly refrigerated eggs. You might want to wash and dry your eggs, before you crack them and separate egg yolks from egg whites. This reduces the risk of salmonella and other food-borne illness. You might want to use eggs that have been pasteurized or treated with a different method to destroy salmonella.
!This recipe makes a tiramisu with 2 layers of lady fingers and 2 layers of cream, but if you use a smaller dish, you may be able to get a 3 layer dessert.
!Mascarpone cheese, needs to be at room temperature, but not melted, take out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before use

Nutrition

Calories: 462kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 265mg, Sodium: 136mg, Potassium: 96mg, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1190IU, Calcium: 116mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Tried this recipe?Mention @cookinglsl or tag #cookinglsl!