Something Sweet · Italy

Classic Tiramisu

By The Savorient Team

Espresso-soaked ladyfingers layered with whipped mascarpone cream — no oven required, just a little patience while it sets.

Classic Tiramisu in a ceramic dish dusted with cocoa powder, one square portion served on a plate showing the layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone cream
Where this comes from: tiramisu is a surprisingly young dish — most food historians place its invention in the Veneto region of northern Italy somewhere in the 1960s or 70s, which makes it a modern classic rather than an ancient one. The name translates roughly as "pick me up," a fair description of what espresso and sugar do for you after a long lunch. Italians tend to be firm about what belongs in it: mascarpone and nothing standing in for it, no gelatin, and no oven — it sets in the refrigerator, which is why the waiting is not optional.
30 minPrep time
10 minCook time
6 hrChill time
6 hr 40 minTotal time
12Servings
MediumDifficulty

Ingredients

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 16 oz mascarpone, room temperature
  • 1 cup heavy cream, cold
  • 1 1/2 cups strong espresso, cooled
  • 3 tbsp Marsala wine or dark rum (optional)
  • 24 ladyfingers (savoiardi)
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
  • Dark chocolate, for shaving over the top (optional)

Instructions

  1. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, without letting the bowl touch the water. Keep whisking 8-10 minutes, until the mixture is pale and thick and reads 160°F on a thermometer — this is what cooks the yolks safely. Take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
  2. Beat the mascarpone into the cooled yolk mixture until completely smooth. Starting with room-temperature mascarpone keeps it from turning grainy.
  3. In a separate bowl, whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold it into the mascarpone mixture in two additions, stopping as soon as no streaks remain.
  4. Stir the Marsala into the cooled espresso in a shallow dish.
  5. Dip each ladyfinger into the coffee for about 1 second per side — any longer and they fall apart. Arrange a single layer across the bottom of a 9x13-inch dish.
  6. Spread half the mascarpone cream over the ladyfingers. Add a second layer of dipped ladyfingers, then the remaining cream, smoothing the top.
  7. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. It needs this time to set — cut too early and the layers slide apart.
  8. Just before serving, dust the top evenly with cocoa powder and finish with dark chocolate shavings.

Related recipes

French Crème Brûlée

French Crème Brûlée

5 hr 5 min · Make ahead
New York Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

11 hr · Worth the wait
Baklava

Baklava

5 hr 35 min · Makes 24