Tiramisu is a classic Italian no-bake dessert made with layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and incredible custard-like mascarpone cream that contains no raw egg. Tiramisu dessert is elegant and divine, and this recipe is easy enough for beginners. Watch my video tutorial below and learn how to make a classic Tiramisu.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts, and this recipe is amazing! I’ve made it several times, and it’s always a hit.“ – Lisa ★★★★★
Italian Tiramisu Video
My homemade tiramisu recipe looks so impressive, tastes amazing, but comes together in only 5 simple steps. It’s a great make-ahead dessert since the flavors get better over time!
What is Tiramisu?
The word Tiramisu (tirami su in Italian) means “cheer me up” or “pull me up,” because one bite will put you in a good mood! Authentic Tiramisu dessert has 2 main layers: sponge cake (ladyfingers) soaked in coffee liqueur, and then topped by a decadent mascarpone cream layer. Classic Tiramisu recipes often contain raw egg yolks, but we use a different process to create the custard-like cream with the same amazing texture and flavor.
I love classic Italian desserts like Panna Cotta, Affogato, and let’s not forget the Berry Tiramisu. This classic Tiramisu recipe is probably the most iconic Italian dessert, which is why it’s on the menu in nearly every Italian restaurant. This homemade version does not disappoint!
Ingredients for Tiramisu
My easy Tiramisu recipe calls for a short list of ingredients, but be sure to check out the substitution ideas below.
- Espresso or strong coffee – Use espresso if you have an espresso machine, or use your favorite strong-brewed coffee. See substitutes below.
- Golden Rum – flavors the cream and the coffee syrup. The light color keeps the cream layer lighter in color.
- Ladyfingers – Lady Fingers, called “savoiardi” in Italian, are essentially sponge cake cookies, and they are easily found at grocery stores or online. Dry and crisp ladyfingers are preferred. Ladyfingers are great in other no-bake desserts like Charlotte Cake, Raspberry Mousse Cups, and my Berry Trifle.
- Egg yolks and sugar – heated in a double boiler to gently cook the yolks and dissolve the sugar. Use the leftover egg whites in an Omelette or to whip up delicious Pavlova.
- Mascarpone cheese – essentially the Italian version of cream cheese, stabilized with lemon juice or citric acid. It has a smoother consistency, is milder in flavor, and has twice as much fat as cream cheese.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – Use chilled right out of the fridge. Opt for Heavy cream instead of light or regular cream, since these could make the mixture runny.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – optional, for garnish.
Substitutions
My Tiramisu recipe uses classic ingredients, but you can get the same great result with these easy swaps:
- Rum – You can switch to dark rum, Grand Marnier, or amaretto, if needed, or you can omit it and add a bit of vanilla extract to taste.
- Coffee – if you’re concerned about caffeine, try decaf for the same traditional coffee flavor, but if you want a different flavor profile, check out our Berry Tiramisu.
- Mascarpone – substitute with full-fat cream cheese, like in our Tiramisu Yule Log
How to Make Tiramisu
- Soak the Ladyfingers – Mix coffee and rum in a bowl, and then quickly dip half of the ladyfingers in the coffee mixture. Arrange them in a 9×13 casserole.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a heat-proof bowl and then set it over a saucepan of simmering water to steam on low heat, but make sure the bowl isn’t touching the water. Whisk for 9-10 minutes. Remove from the steam and whisk for a few minutes to cool slightly.
- Beat mascarpone and rum together in a separate bowl with an electric hand mixer, and then beat in the cooled yolk mixture until blended.
- Whip cold heavy cream to stiff peaks. To get stiff peaks, start with a chilled bowl and whip the heavy cream until you can lift the beaters out of the fluffy cream and it stands straight up. If the tips fall slightly (soft peaks), whip a little longer. Fold half of the cream into the mascarpone mixture with a spatula, then fold in the rest.
- Spread half of the cream over the ladyfingers, and then dip the remaining ladyfingers and arrange them over the cream. Layer the remaining cream on top, and then cover and refrigerate overnight. Dust with cocoa powder and serve.
Tips for the Best Tiramisu Recipe
After years of making this recipe, here are a few of my tips to get the best result:
- Do not over-soak the ladyfingers, or the layers may collapse. A quick dip on each side is enough.
- Use cold HEAVY whipping cream to whip slowly to get stiff peaks for more stability. Don’t overbeat, or it will turn buttery and difficult to blend.
- Fold just until combined -when folding the cream into Mascarpone, do not over-mix or it may turn grainy.
- Chill the cake for at least 8 hours or overnight, and it will be very easy to slice and serve.
This is the best tiramisu recipe because the flavors are classic and decadent, but the easy-to-follow directions make it simple enough for beginners! Impress your guests with this elevated and supremely delicious dessert.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The eggs are cooked in my tiramisu recipe, so the dessert can be kept longer in the fridge. The flavors taste better the longer it rests!
- To Refrigerate: Cover and chill for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Cover in a freezer-safe, airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
Tiramisu Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups espresso , (or strong coffee), room temperature
- 6 Tbsp golden rum, divided
- 40 ladyfingers
- 6 egg yolks, (large)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 16 oz mascarpone, cold
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold*
- 2-3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, to dust the top
Instructions
Soak the Ladyfingers
- Dip – In a bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups espresso and 3 Tbsp rum. Quickly dip half of the ladyfingers, one at a time, and then arrange them in a single layer in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Dip once on each side so they are moist, but do not soak ladyfingers or the cake will collapse.
Mix the Tiramisu Mascarpone Cream
- Whisk – In a separate rimmed* medium glass bowl, whisk together yolks and sugar. Place over steam (on a saucepan with simmering water) and whisk 10 minutes on low heat until the mixture is lighter in color, slightly thickened, and not grainy when you rub between your fingers. Remove from heat and whisk for a few minutes off the heat to help it cool down. Then set it aside to cool while doing step 3.
- In a separate bowl, beat together 16 oz mascarpone and 3 Tbsp rum. Use an electric hand mixer to beat in the warm yolk mixture until well incorporated.
- Whip – In a separate chilled bowl, beat cold heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form*. Use a spatula to gently fold half of the whipped cream into mascarpone cream, then blend in the remaining whipped cream, just until incorporated. Do not overfold, or it will become grainy.
Layer the Tiramisu
- Spread half of the cream over the first layer of ladyfingers. Dip and arrange the remaining ladyfingers on top, and then spread the remaining cream on top. Cover with foil and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Dust with cocoa powder before serving. It is ok to dust with cocoa ahead of time – the color will just darken from the moisture.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Dessert Casseroles
These are the best-rated and most requested desserts that fit conveniently into a 9×13 casserole dish:
- Tres Leches Cake
- Lemon Bars
- Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple Crisp
- Baklava
- Pumpkin Cake
- Easy Cinnamon Rolls
- Peach Crisp
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Hello Natasha, thank you for the informative video. My sauce was runnier than yours. I’m wondering why and what I can do about this.
The mascarpone mix was thick, the heavy whipping cream had stiff peaks, but it seems the problem was with the yolks. I used fresh eggs from our chickens so they were definitely good quality. Any advice?
Hi Monia. Did you egg yolk/sugar mixture get thicker when mixing over the steam? If not, it could be that it needed to be whisked longer or more vigorously. If your egg yolk mixture did get thicker, then it likely needed to cooled longer before mixing in the mascarpone and whipped cream.
Yummy! I wanted to know if the eggs should be brought to a safe temperature? And what is it? Your blog is the gold standard! Thanks! Sandi
Hi Sandi! If you want to follow the USDA GUIDELINES, it’s 160 degrees.
Amazing recipe! Both my daughter’s and husband’s fav! One note – I prefer to powder with chocolate right after tiramisu is done. Inhaling chocolate powder is not very pleasant and can inevitably happen when eating such delicious desert 🙂
Made for the first time and it was truly incredible. Everyone was licking their fingers
Hi Natasha , I was wondering if it could work with just 400 gms of Mascarpone cheese. As it’s exactly a tub and I wouldn’t need to get another one for only 50 gms only. Would I need to adjust any other ingredient? Thanks
Hi Ana! I haven’t tried it with less so I don’t know how it will effect the overall consistency of the cream. You could try to use 50g of cream cheese to help make up for it.
I am curious Natasha about converting this to a Trifle, any suggestions? it’s my husband’s favorite but he loves trifles, so I thought combine it but not sure about tweaking the recipe to do that.
Hi Cindy! I won’t have the exact instructions for that, but you should work to assemble this in a trifle style dish using the same layering method.
This was good and I learned some things making it. My first try at heating the egg yolks was a disaster lol. Round two went much better. I was disappointed because my lady fingers were very dry. I think I was so nervous about getting them too wet that I probably should have soaked them just a little longer because they didn’t retain the coffee flavor at all. I will make this again because all the components are really good.
Delicious! The custard/whipped cream filling is a flavour-game changer!! This was the perfect end of meal treat after a smorgasbord of Italian entrees & side dishes. With children at the table, I substituted 2 Tbs of Kahlua for rum that was added to the coffee – and added vanilla to the whipped cream before folding into the custard.
I’m making this tiramisu in 30-5 oz cups any recommendations.
Hi Lucy! I haven’t made this in smaller portions so I’m not sure how much you’d need to get 30. You shouldn’t need to make any changes though.
Hi Natasha, can I freeze tiramisu and if so, how do I thaw it to serve?
Hi Benita! Yes, it freezes well. Just let it thaw in the refrigerator.
It’s good, but for me personally it’s like eating pure cream. More ladyfingers or less cream needed. My guests liked it a lot, though. Thanks
Hi Nataliya! I’m glad to hear your guests enjoyed it.
Let me tell you more. They are asking me to make it again. Thank you for the recipe.
(cont. of comment below) I also used no vanilla or rum in dipping syrup, substituted the extra liquid with more coffee. And I didn’t add vanilla or rum to cream cheese at all. Everything was still perfect!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us! I’m so glad it was a hit.
This tiramisu recipe is perfect. I used two Philadelphia cream cheese packs as a substitute for Mascarpone, and the results were amazing! If one happens to have no mascarpone at hand, they can still (very) successfully make the dessert with cream cheese.
Thank you so much for the recipe!
P.S The first time I made this tiramisu, my family thought it was store-brought. They were surprised when I told them it was made using basic ingredients!
The recipe is absolutely amazing : very tasty and easy to make. I am making it today for tomorrow party. Six whites, which left from tiramisu I am going to use to make mini Pavlova. Works perfectly to make them together. We absolutely love both! Thank you, Natasha!
How far in advance do you recommend making this if I want to serve it at a party?
Hi Ashley! You can make it a day or two ahead.
Going to make this for the first time for my husband’s b’day…. Just wanted to know of I could substitute the rum for Irish cream?
Hi there! I imagine that would be fine, it’s going to add extra creaminess to the recipe. Hope you love it!
This was my first time making tiramisu, and your video was very helpful. Mine came out amazing, and I wowed the family with it. Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth! That’s so great to hear. I’m glad it was helpful.
In your video you say not to beat the cream to stiff peaks but in the recipe it says to beat it to stiff peaks. I’m looking forward to making this but need to know which one is correct. Thank you. P.s. I love every recipe I’ve made of yours!
Hi Kim, Whip 2 cups cold heavy cream to stiff peaks is correct. At the 1:45 minute mark I state to ensure you “don’t over-beat the cream”, once you have the stiff peaks you want to stop beating them. I hope that makes sense and helps and I hope you LOVE this cake!
Hi Natasha! If I want an alcohol free recipe, what do I beat the mascarpone up with?
Hi Celeste. You can omit the rum. You can add a little bit of vanilla extract for flavor. Add it to taste, like 1-2tsp.