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Home » Dessert » The Best Classic Tiramisu

The Best Classic Tiramisu

Created: January 14, 2023 Updated: January 16, 2023 by lyuba 27 Comments

30.1K shares
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Tiramisu is an amazing classic Italian dessert. It is made with layers of espresso dipped Ladyfingers cookies, smooth mascarpone cream whipped with a hint of Amaretto and dusted with cocoa powder. This recipe uses raw eggs but they are cooked to safe temperature. 

Enjoy some no-bake desserts, try some of my other recipes like Chocolate Mousse and Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake. 

front view of a slice of tiramisu on a plate with chocolate drizze.

The Best Classic Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a special dessert for me. I tried it for the first time when I moved to the states. This was one of the best desserts on the menu of our family restaurant. My mom was always the one to make the desserts and she insisted that I try her Tiramisu first. I Loved it at first bite! 

I watched her make Tiramisu for years but was always intimidated to make it myself. The finished product always looked like it took forever to make. Boy, was I wrong. This dessert is super easy to make and takes about 30 minutes. The longest part is letting it set in the refrigerator for a few hours.

If you have an immersion blender, then you won’t have to break out your hand mixer or stand-up mixer and it will be that much easier. You can use the whisk attachment for whipped cream, beating the eggs, and beating in mascarpone cheese for the mascarpone filling. (Feel free to use your hand mixer if not!)

There is nothing in the tiramisu not to love. Italian Lady Finger cookies are soaked in espresso and layered with smooth mascarpone cream filling. If that’s not enough, the dessert is infused with Amaretto liqueur and topped with cocoa.

ingredients for tiramisu on the wooden board.

What Is Tiramisu?

This is a beautiful, light and creamy, Italian dessert that doesn’t requite any baking. It’s a simple combination of only a few ingredients: egg yolks, mascarpone, whipping cream, lady fingers cookies, espresso, sugar, and a touch of Amaretto and cocoa powder.

Tiramisu has a light and airy texture from whipped mascarpone filling and lighter-than-air lady finger cookies. The combination of this smooth cream filling with espresso dipped lady gingers cooking is truly heavenly. If you love coffee, you will enjoy this espresso flavored creamy dessert!

Are There Raw Egg In Tiramisu?

Eggs give mascarpone filling it’s deep, decadent, rich and silky texture. Many people get concerned about raw egg yolks mixed with mascarpone and whipped cream. I have to be honest that is one of my concerns as well and that is why I temper the eggs to bring them to a safe temperature in a double boiler.

There is small risk in using raw eggs and that is why it is safer to temper the eggs in desserts like custard, chocolate mousse, and tiramisu. Bring the eggs to a recommended safe temperature of 160°F.

To temper the eggs (get the eggs to a safe temperature), heat them up in a double boiler. (If you don’t have a double boiler, set a glass mixing bowl over a pot filled about half way with water. Water should not be touching the bowl.)

Heat up water in a double boiler over medium heat and lower heat to medium-low. Add egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar and slowly and gently whisk to mix. Heat up yolks and sugar in the double boiler over medium-low heat, slowly stirring the whole time, for 7-10 minutes. (Until eggs are 160-165 F.) Make sure to keep gently stirring to keep eggs moving the whole time so you don’t scramble the eggs. Once they are up to temperature, take off heat.

front closeup of a slice of tiramisu with a piece taken out.

Can I Make This Recipe Alcohol-Free?

Yes, this recipe can be made without alcohol! 

There is such a small amount of Amaretto in this recipe that you can simply omit it without compromising the texture of the cream. So if you do not wish to include alcohol in your Tiramisu, simply don’t add it to the eggs. If you want to bring in the hint of almond flavor, add about 1/4-1/2 tsp of almond extract (no more or it will overpower).

Can I use Coffee Instead of Espresso?

Espresso is the best and ultimate choice for Tiramisu not just for the flavor but also for authenticity. There is quite a big flavor and aroma difference between coffee and espresso, so it will be noticeable! If you are unable to brew fresh espresso, you can always get some instant espresso at the store.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

whipped cream in a small bowl with a whisk.
stirring egg yolks in a double boiler.
adding amaretto into the egg yolks in a double boiler.
whisking egg whites and sugar in double boiler.
whisking mascarpone into egg whites in a pot.
folding whipped cream into egg mixture in a pot.

Mascarpone Cream Filling:

Whipped Cream: use a whisk attachment on the mixer to whip cold whipped cream and 3 tbsp. of sugar in the cold bowl. Whip until stiff peaks appear and place it in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Eggs: Heat up water in a double boiler over medium heat and lower heat to medium-low. Combine egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar and gently whisk to mix. Heat yolks and sugar in the double boiler over medium-low heat, slowly stirring the whole time, for about 10 minutes. (Until eggs are 160°-165° F.) Take the bowl off heat or transfer heated eggs into a bowl. Whisk in Amaretto and, beat egg yolks with a whisk attachment until thickened and light in color.

Mascarpone: Add mascarpone cheese to the egg mixture and whisk until combined. Carefully, fold in whipped cream until all smooth.

dipping a lady finger cookie into espresso.
lady fingers dipped in espresso layered in a baking dish.
adding mascarpone cream over the layer of lady fingers.
layering more lady fingers on top of mascarpone cream.
dusting layered tiramisu in a baking with with cocoa.
tiramisu finished in a white baking dish.

Assembling Tiramisu:

Use an 8×8 baking dish. 

Pour cold espresso into a wide and shallow bowl that will fit the lady finger cookies. Slowly dip each cookie in cold espresso but don’t soak them. Lay dipped cookie in the corner of the dish. Repeat with each cookie, laying dipped cookies side by side until the bowl bottom of the dish is covered.

Cover cookie layer with half of mascarpone cream filling, making sure it is even all over. Layer remaining espresso dipped cookies over the cream and cover with remaining mascarpone cream.

Dust with cocoa powder on top, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (Or for at least 6 hours.)

slice of tiramisu with a piece of mint on top on a plate.

Storing Instructions:

Tiramisu is easily stored in the same dish it is made in, in the refrigerator. Make sure to cover the dish with plastic wrap or a lid, to create an air-tight seal over the top. If the dish you are using comes with a lid, that will be perfect to use.

Store Tiramisu in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. 

This dessert actually gets better over the fist couple of days so you can make it ahead a day or two and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Prepare Tiramisu completely and cover the pan air-tight. Keep it in the refrigerator for a 1-2 days before servings. Dust with a little more cocoa powder right before serving.

Make sure to refrigerate all leftovers immediately. 

Can I Freeze Tiramisu?

Yes, you can, although it is not as good thawed as it is fresh!

If you plan to freeze tiramisu, make it in an aluminum pan or another freezer-safe pan. Make it according to the recipe but don’t add cocoa powder on top. Place one sheet of plastic wrap flush with the mascarpone cream layer on top and gently rub it to make sure it’s touching at all edges. Wrap the whole pan in a couple more layers of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Make sure you are wrapping it air-tight. Label and date it on top.

In the freezer, tiramisu should last up to 3 months.

Thaw it slowly, in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours. Dust with cocoa powder of top and serve it when ready.

More Decadent Desserts To Try:

Tiramisu Poke Cake

Ricotta Cheesecake

French Silk Pie

Hot Chocolate Cake Roll

top closeup of a slice of tiramisu in a plate.
closeup squared view of a slice of tiramisu with piece taken out.

The Best Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a decadent Italian dessert made with layers of espresso dipped Ladyfingers cookies, smooth mascarpone cream with a hint of Amaretto and dusted with cocoa powder.
4.32 from 29 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: tiramisu
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill time: 6 hours
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 9 (8×8 dish)
Calories: 486kcal
Author: lyuba

Ingredients

  • 16 oz Mascarpone
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tbsp white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 2 tbsp Amaretto
  • 10 oz Ladyfingers cookies
  • 1 1/2 cup cold espresso you can use instant espresso powder
  • 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder for dusting
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Mascarpone Cream Filling:

  • Use whisk attachment to beat cold heavy cream and 3 tbsp of sugar in the cold bowl, until stiff peaks appear. Put whipped cream in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  • Heat up water in a double boiler over medium heat and lower heat to medium-low. Add egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar and gently whisk to mix. Cook yolks and sugar in the double boiler over medium-low heat, slowly stirring the whole time, for 7-10 minutes. (Until eggs are 160°-165° F.) Take off heat.
  • Add Amaretto and beat egg yolks with a whisk attachment on the immersion blender or hand held mixer. Beat until thickened and light in color.
  • Beat in mascarpone cheese until combined.
  • Carefully fold in whipped cream until all smooth.

Putting Together Tiramisu:

  • Use an 8×8 baking dish to put together Tiramisu.
  • Pour cold espresso into a bowl that will fit the lady finger cookies. Slowly dip each cookie in cold espresso but don't soak them. Lay dipped cookie in the corner of the dish. Repeat with each cookie, laying dipped cookies side by side until the bowl bottom of the dish is covered.
  • Cover cookie layer with half of mascarpone cream mixture, making sure it even all over.
  • Layer remaining espresso dipped cookies over the cream and cover with remaining mascarpone cream.
  • Dust with cocoa powder on top, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (Or for at least 6 hours.)

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 273mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 92mg | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1265IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 1.6mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles
collage of two slices of tiramisu and title in the middle.

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on February 22, 2015.

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

30.1K shares

Filed Under: Dessert, Italian, Popular Posts Tagged With: mascarpone, tiramisu

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Lisa @ Cooking with Curls says

    February 24, 2015 at 10:14 am

    I bet that is The Best Tiramisu, it looks absolutely perfect!! I wonder why we are all so scared to make it? LOL

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 24, 2015 at 11:07 pm

      I only wish I could share! Thank you, Lisa 🙂

      Reply
  2. Shari Kelley says

    February 24, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    This looks so perfect! I love all the flavors and ingredients in it. Thanks for the encouragement to try it!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 24, 2015 at 11:12 pm

      Awe, thank you! I do hope you try it!

      Reply
  3. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says

    February 24, 2015 at 2:31 pm

    All it took was the word Tiramisu and I started salivating. Your recipe looks marvelous and I am looking forward to making it for my family. I’ve made tiramisu in the past but I like the way your recipe comes together. By the way, you’re changing your camera settings — I find the pictures much lighter. They are as excellent as your tiramisu.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 24, 2015 at 11:17 pm

      I hope you will, Marissa! Let me know how you like it because my mom was in heaven 🙂
      I actually took this photo at my mom’s house and not at home, I think that’s why this photo looks a little different.

      Reply
  4. Wendy says

    June 18, 2019 at 7:54 pm

    Can I used brewed coffee instead of Espresso?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      June 19, 2019 at 6:54 pm

      Wendy, you could use coffee but I would make it very strong so it has a bold flavor and doesn’t get lost in the cream and the cookie.

      Reply
  5. Christine says

    July 14, 2019 at 2:04 am

    Hi,
    I just came across this recipe that I sure my family will enjoy…thank you! Also, I just love the title of your site, it is so true that smiles are our reward for cooking! 😀

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      July 15, 2019 at 8:51 am

      Hi, Christine! Thank you!!! I truly love the smiles family and friends give me when I cook for them! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Lisa says

    July 19, 2019 at 2:28 pm

    5 stars
    I made this, and it was so good! However, it was very runny. I served it as “tiramisoop”! Haha everyone still loved it. I couldn’t get my whip cream thick enough, and the egg mixture- same problem.

    Reply
  7. Caitlin says

    October 11, 2019 at 2:09 pm

    Is this recipe sturdy enough that I could do it in a springform pan and it won’t collapse when I remove the sides?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      October 17, 2019 at 8:57 pm

      Hi. Caitlin! If you put it in the fridge to set up a few hours I do think it would hold up but it taste best cold and needs to be refrigerated so I slice out pieces and put it back in the fridge covered. If you were to wait till right before serving and eat it all it would probably be okay.

      Reply
  8. Caroline says

    October 23, 2019 at 8:25 am

    My favorite dessert. Was wondering if you use soft or hard lady finger cookies. Thanking you in advance for your help.

    Reply
  9. KellyCz says

    January 27, 2020 at 8:32 am

    I made this yesterday. Delicious! Restaurant quality dessert. Will make for company next time (now that I’ve tried it out on my family 😉). Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      January 27, 2020 at 2:14 pm

      I am so glad you liked this recipe! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Jill says

    February 14, 2020 at 8:33 am

    I am making this for my daughters birthday today. Was wondering if you cool the egg/sugar mixture before whipping in the marscapone?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      February 17, 2020 at 5:00 pm

      Sorry, I am just now seeing this! I try to reply as quickly as possible if you ever have another question that needs to be answered immediately please message me on facebook. You would not need to with the recipe.

      Reply
  11. Annette Morrison says

    April 21, 2020 at 5:55 pm

    5 stars
    I have been terrified to make Tiramisu for some reason, but I finally made it yesterday. It was pretty easy to make and very delicious! I used Khalua is that’s what I had. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      April 21, 2020 at 7:33 pm

      Hi Annette,

      I am so glad you liked it! Thanks for talking the time to let me know! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Annette says

    March 1, 2021 at 1:00 pm

    5 stars
    The Tiramisu was delicious and easy to make. I had extra marscapone cream and decided to save it to use as a coffee creamer. It was delicious!!!

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      March 3, 2021 at 5:07 pm

      Yum! I am so happy you liked it!

      Reply
  13. Mary says

    December 25, 2021 at 5:17 pm

    Delicious. I made it for Christmas. Spaghetti as well. Will make it again. My new favorite Dessert

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      December 28, 2021 at 11:46 pm

      Glad you liked it, Mary!

      Reply
  14. Chantal says

    September 27, 2022 at 9:12 pm

    5 stars
    This cake is amazing. I made it for my hubby’s bday and I don’t regret it. I was a bit worried because when I was assembling it I saw there was little specs of eggs but it didn’t show or taste anymore when we ate it. I wonder why that is. Cant wait to make it again and again:-)

    Reply
  15. Margaret Hoover says

    January 17, 2023 at 7:12 am

    Can I make it without the eggs?

    Reply
  16. Juli says

    January 19, 2023 at 1:11 am

    5 stars
    So tasty!

    Reply

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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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