Easy Tiramisu Recipe
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This Easy Tiramisu Recipe creates a rich, decadent, and elegant Italian dessert. Ideal for dinner parties and gatherings, this scrumptious no bake dessert is made to impress! Learn how to make tiramisu from scratch in under an hour. Anyone can do it!!
Easy Tiramisu Recipe
We love creating authentic Italian recipes, especially desserts! The thing is, a classic Italian tiramisu recipe can take quite a while to make.
Not everyone has the time (or desire) to spend hours making a single dessert, no matter how scrumptious it is.
This is why I decided to make an easier version — it has the flavors of the original, but it is SO much quicker to prepare!
Our easy tiramisu is an Italian dessert with layers of sweet mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers soaked in rum and espresso, and a topping of cookie crumbs, cocoa, and chocolate curls. It’s sure to blow your mind!
Not only is this easy Italian tiramisu recipe a hit with guests, but it’s also very simple to prepare. Most of your time is spent waiting for it to chill.
And once you’ve tackled making tiramisu from scratch, try some unique flavor variations like strawberry shortcake, peanut butter chocolate, and chocolate cherry!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Egg Yolks – These form the base of the creamy custard filling. Carefully separate them out and be sure they are room temperature before starting.
And save those whites for something else… perhaps an omelet or meringue? - Mascarpone Cheese – A very soft and creamy, slightly sweet cheese that is perfect for all kinds of dishes and desserts.
Buy the highest quality you can find for this classic Italian tiramisu recipe, or make it yourself! - Heavy Cream – Unlike the other ingredients, you want this to be very cold in order to whip it into stiff peaks.
Most of it gets folded into the creamy filling, but you’ll need extra for the swirls on top of the dessert. - Ladyfinger Cookies – These are tender, cakey cookies that are long and narrow.
When soaked in espresso and nestled between layers of creamy custard, they become even softer! - Espresso – You’ll need to cool this before using it in this easy Italian tiramisu recipe, but don’t let it sit for too long!
Espresso turns bitter over time, so brew it before you work on the eggs and it should be ready by the time you need it. - Dark Rum – I like to use Myers because it has an extra caramel-y flavor, but your favorite brand will work too.
Coffee liqueur is a great substitute, or simply leave it out (use more espresso for dipping the cookies) for an alcohol-free version!
Tips for Making a Classic Italian Tiramisu Recipe
- Use room-temperature ingredients.
To make the ingredients combine smoothly, it’s important to let the eggs and mascarpone cheese come to room temperature before you begin.
- Don’t scramble the eggs.
Slowly heating the egg yolks and using a double boiler (or a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water) will prevent them from curdling and resulting in scrambled eggs.
- Go easy on the heavy cream.
Overmixing heavy cream can turn it into homemade butter, so mix, but not for too long.
Chill your bowl and beaters before starting this easy tiramisu recipe — it’ll help the cream whip up faster!
- Break out the vegetable peeler.
To get perfectly shaped chocolate curls, use room-temperature chocolate and a vegetable peeler.
It’s an extra touch that makes this easy tiramisu look truly stunning! And as long as the chocolate isn’t too hot or too cold, this kitchen hack for creating chocolate curls works like a charm.
- A sieve is the answer.
Are you wondering how to get perfectly even cocoa on top of the tiramisu? Simply sift the cocoa powder through a sieve, and it will go on beautifully.
Prep Ahead
- Bring eggs and mascarpone to room temp
- Make and cool the espresso
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- 9×13 Baking Dish – This set is one of my favorites! It comes with a lid for easy storage and is great for casseroles too.
- Glass Mixing Bowls – I like to have a variety of sizes on hand, and this set has them all.
- 4 Quart Saucepan – Or any pot that your mixing bowl can nestle on top of to make the custard.
- Stand Mixer for the whipped cream, plus a Hand Mixer for the custard
- A sturdy Silicone Spatula can be used for scraping, stirring, and smoothing and is easy to clean too!
- Piping Bag with Large Open Star Tip (Wilton 1M)
Serving Suggestions
Once your dessert has chilled overnight, dust the entire top with a generous layer of cocoa powder.
Lightly run a knife over the top to score it. This helps you know where to add the toppings and can be used as a guide for slicing later.
Then, pipe the extra whipped cream in the center of each square and finish with cookie crumbs and chocolate curls.
My easy tiramisu recipe is the perfect finish to a classic Italian meal, whether that’s lasagna, chicken or eggplant parm, ravioli, or a hearty soup.
Easy Italian Tiramisu Recipe FAQ
The risk of salmonella is very low if you are using fresh, properly refrigerated Grade A eggs. Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary to cook them.
I’ve made this easy tiramisu recipe plenty of times without cooking the egg yolks and sugar together, and it always turned out decadent and delicious. But, if you’re concerned, you can use pasteurized eggs.
Yes, absolutely! Simply substitute the espresso for strong brewed coffee. After brewing the coffee, let it cool before continuing with the recipe.
Once assembled, place your dessert in the refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours, but preferably overnight. This helps it set, gives the ladyfingers time to soften, and makes it easier to slice.
Cover the pan of tiramisu tightly with plastic wrap so it doesn’t absorb any odors or dry out.
Storing and Freezing Easy Tiramisu
As long as it’s kept refrigerated, leftover tiramisu will last up to 3 days. Keep it tightly covered, except for when you are serving.
If it’s going to be sitting out for longer than 2 hours, you will need to keep it on ice so it doesn’t spoil.
Additionally, you can freeze any leftovers for up to 1 month as long as they are kept in a tightly sealed container.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Italian Desserts
Easy Tiramisu Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 16 ounce mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream, cold (divided)
- 7 ounce packages ladyfinger cookies
- 1 1/2 cups espresso, cooled
- 6 tablespoons Meyers dark rum
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- semi-sweet chocolate bar for curls, optional
Instructions
- In a medium glass mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Add granulated sugar and continue whisking until combined.
- Bring a pot of water to a simmer and place the bowl with egg yolks/sugar over the steam. Whisk constantly while heating until the mixture is warm, thick, and light yellow. Most of the sugar should be dissolved (rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers to feel for granules).
- Allow the egg mixture to cool for a few moments. Add 2 tablespoons of rum and the mascarpone cheese to the egg mixture. Beat with a hand beater until the mixture is smooth.
- In the cold bowl of a standing mixer, add 2 cups of heavy whipping cream. Beat with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form (do not overwhisk.)
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg/mascarpone mixture.
- Add 1/4 cup of Meyers rum to the espresso and stir to combine.
- Dip one ladyfinger into the espresso, turning it to quickly cover each side of the cookie.
- Place the ladyfinger into a 9×13 baking dish. Continue dipping cookies and placing them to cover the bottom of the dish.
- Spread ½ of the cream mixture over the layer of ladyfingers.
- Top with a second layer of dipped ladyfingers.
- Spread the remaining cream mixture and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- Whip remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a piping bag fit with Tip #1M.
- Shake unsweetened cocoa powder through a sieve to generously cover the top of the tiramisu.
- Score into 12 sections. Pipe 12 dollops of whipped cream, one in the center of each piece.
- Sprinkle with ladyfinger cookie crumbs and chocolate curls, if desired.
- Serve or keep chilled until ready to serve.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published August 2021, updated and republished September 2024
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My friends and I all loved this tiramisu recipe. It was pretty easy to make as well.
what can I use instead of espresso?
Can this recipe be made eggless as I cannot eat raw egg (retired nurse here shudders at that)? What could be used instead?