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
Hi
Would I be able to use sponge cake instead of lady fingers? Any pointers on how that would work?
Thank you!
Hi Sonnika, I haven’t tested that to advise but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi, yes you can. It tastes amazing with sponge. Made it that way several times for work. My coworkers couldn’t get enough of it.
Hi Natasha, will I be able to make this two days ahead or will it be too soggy?
Hi Rebecca. Tiramisu keeps well so you can make it a day or two ahead.
So good! I let my egg mixture cool almost completely to room temp and didn’t have any problem with it setting with the whipped cream. My biscuits were a little soggy but I dipped them generously because the last time I made a tiramisu they didn’t soften at all. Still the best tiramisu I have made despite my mistake! I might add more rum next time. It’s hard not to eat the whole pan, definitely a recipe to make for company!
Great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Leah. Thank you so much for the review!
Honestly the best Tiramisu recipe I’ve ever tried. I used only 3Tlbs of brandy( in place off the rum) since there were kids that were going to eat the dessert also. Everyone that ate it said that it was the best they’ve eaten. Thanks Natasha for such an amazing, delicious easy recipe.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Olivia!
I just finished making the cake and I wanted to comment because I came across the same issue that I read a lot of other commenters had and I had when I previously made this cake. It’s with having the cream turn out runny. I think the issue is the egg yolks being too warm when the rest of the ingredients are ended to them. I caught that mistake this time after adding cream cheese (instead of mascarpone) and seeing the runny consistency and quickly put my mixture into the fridge to let it cool off pretty much completely before even starting to whip the heavy whipping cream and adding it. This step would have been avoided if I let the egg yolks cool down pretty much completely before adding anything else to them. This makes sense because in order for your whipping cream to stay fluffy, it has to be added to a cool mixture not a warm one, otherwise it’ll also get warm and go flat/runny. After it being in the fridge for about 20 minutes, I could tell that it was much cooler and when mixing it, it actually left ridges in the mixture so that’s when I added the whipped cream and got that fluffy consistency. Hope this will help others making this delicious cake!
Hi Diana, thank you so much for sharing your tips. I added some extra tips into the recipe post to help with the common pitfalls. I agree with you about the egg yolks and that could be a culprit. I clarified that in the notes as well as in the printable recipe card. Thank you again!
I think I made the mistake of using your video as my guide instead of the actual recipe. I had both in hand but was using the video as the ultimate guide. Your video specifically says you don’t want stiff peaks, however, your website recipe says otherwise. Oh well, live and learn!
Oh no, the video is a great guide but I always recommend to follow the written recipe as we sometimes update the written recipe to make it better.
Hi Diana, I had the same issue with mine. The mixture was runny however when I finished layering it I stuck it into the fridge uncovered overnight. I covered it with cling wrap the next day and served it around 36 hours after making it and it was perfect.
could you replace the heavy whipping cream with something else?
Hi Maria, this recipe really needs heavy whipping cream to get the correct consistency.
You can use full fat coconut milk from a can as it whips up just like heavy cream just be sure to chill well.
I made it for the first time for my husband’s birthday and he loved it. I was told it was restaurant quality.
Thank you so much Natasha for your amazing recipes.
You’re so welcome, I’m happy to hear that he loved this tiramisu!
This is an amazing recipe. It’s so simple and so delicious. It was my first time and I didn’t know how it would go. I didn’t want to make a big batch in case it went wrong, so I split the recipe in half. It worked out perfectly. Everyone loved it. I’ll definitely make it again.
I’m so glad it worked out perfectly for you, Mona!
Hi Natasha,
I would like to make this in a smaller size dish such as a 9×9 square. Would I still use the same amount of all the ingredients or half of all the ingredients? Thank You Sandy
Hi Sandy, I would probably cut down the ingredients by 1/4 for a 9×9 square pan. You could do half the recipe but the cream part will be a little skinny since it will be more spread out. A half size would be an 8×8 pan.
I love how you make everything look so easy. When I watch your shows, I feel that I can make the same thing, too. I also love your funny antics. I can relate with you so much.
Thank you so much for that inspiring feedback. It really means so much to me.
I love to bake and always wanted to make tiramisu. This is the first time I ever made it and the only recipe I chose. It came out great. The only change I made was using Amaretto instead of rum.
I’m so glad you loved it, Sandy!
I followed the recipe and tips exactly and my tiramisu turned out perfectly. Everyone raved about it. I will definitely make this again and again.
Thanks a lot for your good comments and feedback, Liz!
This is the first time I made a Tiramisu from scratch but with this recipe it’s not as intimidating as I thought it would be. Couldn’t find any Ladyfingers in the store so I made my own. I had people over to celebrate my wife’s birthday with this cake and now they all want me to make them one on theirs. I might just do that but I won’t tell them how easy it is with your step by step instructions. Thanks.
Wow! That’s just awesome Howard! I love that you made your own!
Can’t find or make lady finger, What is any other replacement for lady finger please?
Thanks
Hello there, you can also make Homemade Ladyfingers. Here’s the recipe.
Hi! I am confused….. the recipe says mascarpone should be room temp for 15 mins. In your response to some comments you say it should be cold from fridge. Which is it?
Hi Bridget, it should be at room temp for 15 minutes
Wonderful recipe! Outline and video were super easy to follow and I LOVE the tips and tricks you include. My first time making this desert and was very thankful for your recipe! The Custard came out great … I kept ignoring the word YOLKS which I’m thinking the people who found a runny dish also did… but fortunately caught it before it was too late. I used espresso and rum and didn’t dip the fingers till it was time to layer. Next time I think I’ll use ultra fine sugar and remember to chill my whipping bowl. Thank you for your recipe!
Thank you for that wonderful review, Stormi! I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying my recipes and videos!
can i remove rum or is it essential? in which case, can it be substituted? 🙂
Hi Komie, if you prefer to omit the alcohol completely, you can leave out the rum or add a little bit of vanilla extract to taste.
Thank you! Same amount of vanilla or less then the rum?
Hi there, you may sub 1tbsp of vanilla
Love your instruction videos. Love this recipe. Keep them coming 🙂
I also made meat sauce spaghetti this week. Family loved it as well.
I’m so glad your family loved it, Ioana! Thank you for your lovely feedback!
Hello Natasha, I made your tiramisu several times and it was great, but the last 3 times it was soggy and watery. Not creamy at all. What is the reason?
Hi Rania, glad you liked it. My best advice would be to use heavy whipping cream and make sure it’s cold and beaten adequately to medium-stiff peaks. Also, make sure to use the ingredients at the temperatures they are listed. I hope that helps. Oh, also, make sure not to oversoak the lady finger cookies.
Many thanks
I agree. Mine came out the same way. The mascarpone mixture was more like a mousse instead of a cream. I couldn’t wait to make this and followed the recipe to a T.
Tiramisu was my husband’s favorite dessert and I made this for the first time for his bday and it was soooo good. We loved it! So easy to make. I have used spiced rum and it was spot on! Definitely saving this recipe! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you both enjoyed it, Goldie!
Best tiramisu recipe!! Made it three times already and everyone in my family loves it
That’s great feedback, thank you! Glad you always love this recipe, Cassia.