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
My daughter and I have enjoyed making this recipe a couple of times. It is so easy and the tiramisu wins rave reviews.
Hi Sherry, I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Tiramisu: Can Grand Marnier be used in place of the rum using the same amount?
Hi Glenda, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Natasha. Marcaspone cheese is very expensive for my budget. Can I substitute for regular cream cheese? Thank you.
Hello there. You can substitute with cream cheese but the flavor and texture will be different.
I feel like I’m a pretty good baker, but this was a disaster. It’s been a really long time since I’ve had this much trouble with a recipe, but I won’t be revisiting this one.
Every step of the way, things were curdling. I had to reheat the custard/marscapone mixture over the double boiler. Once I added the mixture to the whipped cream, it curdled again. The final product had the cream beaten to death, and my kitchen is covered with cream and sugar that went flying out of my stand mixer. Super frustrating.
I think it would be better to bring the marscapone to room temp or at least to a closer temperature to the heated mixture, and then maybe chill the heated mixture for an hour or so in the fridge before mixing into the whipped cream, so again the temperatures aren’t as extreme. Or maybe even not mix the whipped cream/ marscapone and leave them separate as I have seen in other recipes.
Hi Randi, I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve made this recipe many times and haven’t experienced any issues with curdling but I am happy to help troubleshoot. Did you watch the video to see the full process to possibly identify what may have been changed? Were there any substitutions made? I suspect the curdling was due to reheating the mascarpone mixture – I’ve never had to do that and I wouldn’t recommend that once the mascarpone is in.
Thank you, Natasha! I made it for the NY eve. It was a huge hit!
Also I used home made ladyfingers, fresh brewed in french press strong coffee and amaretto.
That’s so awesome Elena! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Thank you again for another amazing recepie that I tried Tiramisu is one of our favorite cakes and this one is better than any fancy Italian restaurant that my husband and I tried I learned so much from all of your suggestions and videos actually looking forward to try new recepie in between my busy nursing job and family life thank you so much for all your help I am becoming a great baker
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles!
Oh my goodness! you need to teach classes on how to do a proper cooking video. Yours are quick, easy to follow and understand. You are a pleasure to watch. I will make your shrimp cakes for sure! I love your recipes.
Thank you for that amazing compliment. I sure appreciate that feedback.
Haven’t made yet but I’m think using vanilla chai latte drink ?
Hi Shirley! I have not tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Natasha,
Would love to make this! But 9×13 will be too much for me to be eating them all by myself! Would like to half the recipe and which pan size should i use then? Hope to hear from you!
Thank you
Christy
Hi Christy, you could do a square pan or use a 9″ round springform pan and make it a round Tiramisu with half the recipe.
I made this recipe for Christmas and I’ve decided it’s going to replace my older recipe I’ve been using. The cake turned up great. It does take a little work, but it’s a no bake cake and of course it’s always better the next day and the day after. Natasha. thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Alina! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi Natasha.I’m going to use vanilla extract instead of rum. should i use the same amount as you used for rum?(6 TS)
Hi Sam, I think you can use less than that to not overpower the flavor since the extract is potent.
Hi Natasha. Can i add vanilla to the egg yolks and whisk them with sugar? I’m afraid of the smell that the eggs might give to the tiramisu. Some tiramisu cakes have the smell of raw egg in them.
Hi Sam, keep in mind there is rum added to the mixture and that serves the same role as vanilla in this recipe. I have a pretty strong sense of smell and I haven’t sensed egginess here. Be sure to keep it indoors (away from outdoor draft) while cooling and chilling. For some reason, outdoor draft always amplifies egg smells for me.
I made this for Christmas. Everybody loved it ! I tried with creamy mascarpone at first then it came out too soupy. I tried again with a little bit firmer one then came out perfect! This recipe is really good like restaurant quality.
I love Natasha’s recipes
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Tomo!! Thank you for that awesome review.
Love your recipes Natasha!
Can I substitute the rum for anything non alcoholic? Any suggestions?
Thanks!!
Hi Luna! I’m so happy to hear that! You sure can I have notes on that in the recipe. You are welcome to substitute that with vanilla.
I’d like to try this recipe but what’s the ratios of the water and coffee if using espresso coffee granules? Thanks! Merry Christmas!
Hi Anne, I would make it to the instructions on the package. You can either use a strong coffee in this recipe or espresso for even richer flavor so I would recommend making the amount needed with the package instructions.
Hello! Can I freeze this tiramisu?
By the way I Love your website and I cook from it weekly!
Hi Olena, I have not tried freezing this recipe. If you experiment with that please let us know.
Lovely and easy recipe. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Olá, Natasha, meu creme ficou aguado, fiz como vc mandou e mesmo assim ficou muito mole. Tive que por no freezer para endurecer feito sorvete. Foi bem na hora que coloquei o creme das gemas no do creem cheese que comecou tudo a ficar aguado. Onde foi que errei? obrigada.
Hi Neide, I haven’t had that happen before but I am happy to troubleshoot. Was anything altered in the recipe by chance?
Não, Natasha, nada foi alterado. Quando coloquei o creme de gemas junto com o creem cheese batido, já senti que não ficou com a consistência igual ao seu, ficou bem molinho, líquido, e depois o chantily, senti que ficou mais líquido ainda o creme. Está no freezer e virou um sorvete, mais de um sabor divino! mas eu sei que Tiramisu só vai ao refrigerador e não ao freezer.
This was delicious, a big hit! I used the dry lady fingers, worked so well. I also used white rum as did not have “golden” rum. I was concerned after starting to cook the yolk/sugar mixture to “slightly thickened,” as it was already pretty thick- wondered if my large egg yolks were small, so added a 7th yolk. This gave the mixture a chance to thicken! And it did! I am so sorry there are leftovers- I can’t stop from eating it!! Thank you!
I’m so glad that worked out for you, Lynn! Thank you for that awesome review!
Natasha could you have alternative for ingredients in grams or ozs on your site as i can’t follow cup measurements your recipes look great thanks
Hi Christine, I apologize I thought I had it on this one. If you click on the “metric” in the recipe card, you will see the metric conversions. I hope you love the tiramisu recipe!
Made this today and it tasted pretty good but the filling had a strong heavy whipping cream like taste and the filling was pretty runny! Followed all the video steps as shown. Any suggestions??
Hi Adriana, I haven’t had that experience but I’m happy to troubleshoot. Was anything altered in the recipe? Make sure you also whisk the eggs and sugar on the stove-top long enough or it can also get a little loose and lastly, make sure not to oversoak the ladyfingers which will also add too much moisture to the cake. I hope that helps for next time. I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavor!
hi natasha
this recipe looks great. I want to print the recipe. is there an option on your site to print the recipe. also im in Australia and we use metric. do you have a conversion option ?
many thanks
Hi Genie! We sure do! If you click “Jump to Recipe” that will take you to our printable option. Many of our recipes also have the metric conversion as an option on the printable recipe at the bottom of the recipe post. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes but it is taking some time as we have to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help
I still it possible to assemble this whole tiramisu, dusting with cocoa powder and/or chocolate shavings, 2 days prior to serving?
I would appreciate a timely reply as I want to make this wonderful recipe next week.
Thank you Natasha.
Terry
Hi Terry, it is best eaten within a day of making it but it can sit for a couple of days in the fridge.
This turned out fantastic! Super easy and delicious. Thank you for another great recipe.
P.S. can’t wait for that cookbook
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha! I made your no bake tiramisu this weekend. Thank you! It was fabulous!!! I just wish I had more filling to make it a bit thicker. Could I do so by adding 3 more egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar and then 3 cups whipping cream?????
Hi, Linda, I haven’t tested those exact measurements but you can simply double or make 1.5xs the cream recipe.
Thanks natasha for replying. I have tried so many of your recipes and they have all been a big hit in my house!! You are very good at what you do!!! I just had a piece of the leftover tiramisu, it’s still so yummy!!!! Thank you for replying im gonna try and do it thicker next time I make it, I’ll post a pic when I do. Have a great day and thanks again
You’re so nice! Thank you for that kind and thoughtful review, Linda! I’m smiling big readying your comment.
Does the mascarpone cheese need to be at room temp.
Would appreciate a response
The mascarpone should be cold right out of the refrigerator. I hope you love the Tiramisu cake!
It is so nice of you to reply to my question. I am planning to make it for New Year’s Eve Party we have with friends. I will surely let you know here how it came out. Oh but one last question if I omit the rum will it taste eggy any thoughts?
Hi, It should taste eggy, but you might add a splash of vanilla extract instead, just less than rum of course since vanilla can be a little strong.
I made this recipe on 30th night for New Year’s Eve party. It was delicious. I would say it’s better to just to just let it be int he fridge for 8-10 hrs since mine sat for almost 24 hrs it was a little on the mushy side but nevertheless delicious. Also there was no eggy taste I replaced the rum in the mascarpone cheese with 1.5 tbsp of vanilla extract. Thanks Natasha for an excellent recipe.
I’m so happy you loved the Tiramisu! If you want it to last 24 hours (which it should at least that long), you might try using a little less of the coffee syrup.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit!! Thank you for sharing your recipes and being so quick to answer/comment on our posts. I use your banana bread recipe ALL of the time :)!!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for the wonderful review. Also, if you love the banana bread, make sure to try the chocolate chip version. My kiddos love that one even more!