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With Lady Fingers, espresso, and a whipped mascarpone filling, this Easy Tiramisu recipe tastes just like what you’d order at an Italian restaurant! No baking required & perfect for making in advance.
Why You’ll Love This Tiramisu Recipe
This classic Italian dessert is one of my favorites. Here’s why!
- No baking required. I LOVE making tiramisu in the summer because there’s no need to heat up my kitchen. All you need is a mixer!
- Only a handful of ingredients. This recipe requires eggs, Lady Fingers, mascarpone, espresso, and just a few other basic ingredients. If I grab Lady Fingers at the store, I usually already have everything else I need to make it.
- Perfect for making ahead. Tiramisu needs to chill for at least 4 hours but overnight is better. If you want a dessert to prep a day in advance, this is it!
What Is Tiramisu?
Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert, made with Lady Finger cookies dipped in espresso and layered with a creamy mascarpone filling and cocoa powder. Some versions include rum in the espresso as well.
In addition to this classic tiramisu recipe, I’ve also made tiramisu cheesecake and tiramisu cake.
Recipe Ingredients
This easy tiramisu recipe is made with just 7 ingredients! Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Lady Fingers – I used Rolands. These are a dry sponge cake cookie shaped like a finger (hence the name). When used in tiramisu, they take on a wonderful cake-like texture from the other ingredients.
- Eggs – You’ll need to separate the egg yolks and whites, so I recommend fresh eggs as they separate easiest. We like to purchase pasteurized eggs from the grocery store for this recipe.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the mascarpone filling.
- Mascarpone – The base of the creamy and sweet filling.
- Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the filling.
- Cocoa powder – For dusting
- Espresso – It should be cold so you’ll want to make it in advance!
How To Make Tiramisu
Tiramisu may sound complicated to make but it’s easier than you think! You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.
- Beat the egg whites. Separate the eggs, with the egg whites in a mixing bowl. Beat on high then slowly add in 1/2 of the sugar. Continue beating for several minutes until stiff peaks form. Scrape into a small bowl and set aside.
- Beat the yolks. Wipe out the mixing bowl then beat the egg yolks on high. Slowly add the remaining sugar. Beat until the yolks are pale yellow with a soft, fluffy texture.
- Make the mascarpone mixture. Beat in the mascarpone and vanilla on low, until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in half of the mixture to the egg whites, then fold in the other half. Be sure to mix slowly.
- Assemble the tiramisu. Combine the espresso and a teaspoon of cocoa powder in a bowl. Dip the cookies in the espresso then lay them side-by-side in the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the cookies, dust with cocoa powder, then repeat the layers.
- Chill. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Tips for Success
Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind when making your tiramisu.
- Be gentle with the egg whites. Make sure to handle the egg white mixture slowly and gently so that the egg whites do not deflate. This is key to your dessert being firmer.
- Mix in the mascarpone slowly. If mixed on high, it will add air bubbles to the mixture and will allow the dessert to deflate as well.
- Dunk the cookies quickly. Lady Fingers will absorb the espresso very fast, so you only need to dip the cookie, flip and remove. Only a second is needed. If you take longer the cookie will turn to mush.
- Add some rum. As an option, you can add 2 tablespoons of rum to the espresso before dipping the cookies, and/or you can add 2 tablespoons of rum to the egg yolk mixture when adding the mascarpone. If you choose to do that, it is advised that you only use 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
- Decorate the top. If you’re feeling fancy, you can spoon the second half of the mascarpone mixture to a piping bag and make large dollops side by side across the top of the dessert before dusting with cocoa.
- Add extra cocoa powder. After being refrigerated, the cocoa powder may need to be touched up as it will become moist.
Serving Suggestions
Be sure to let the tiramisu chill for at least 4 hours before serving – overnight is better! This allows the cookies time to soften and the filling time to set.
Once you’re ready to serve, use a clean, sharp knife to cut the tiramisu into squares. Wipe it clean between cuts for smooth edges. I’ve found a metal spatula is best for serving.
Proper Storage
Tiramisu will last for 2-3 days in the fridge. Since you’re using raw eggs, you don’t want to let it sit in the fridge for much longer than that – plus the cookies will get mushy.
More No Bake Desserts
Tiramisu
With Lady Fingers, espresso, and a whipped mascarpone filling, this Easy Tiramisu recipe tastes just like what you'd order at an Italian restaurant! No baking required & perfect for making in advance.
Servings: 16 slices
Ingredients
- 3 packages Lady Fingers 3.5 ounces each, I used Rolands
- 4 large fresh eggs
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 16 ounces mascarpone
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- cocoa powder for dusting
- 2 cups cold espresso
Instructions
- Separate the eggs, placing all the egg whites in a mixing bowl and the egg yolks in a separate bowl.
- Beat the eggs whites on high with the whisk attachment of a mixer.
- Slowly add ½ of the sugar while mixing.
- Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. This will take several minutes. (You will know it’s ready when you can lift the whisk and the foam can stand vertically without curling over.)
- Gently scrape the egg whites into a large bowl and set aside.
- Wipe out the mixing bowl with a paper towel, then add the egg yolks.
- Beat on high speed while slowly adding the remainder of the sugar.
- Continue to beat until it becomes pale yellow and has a soft, slightly fluffy texture.
- Add the mascarpone and the vanilla extract to the egg yolk mixture and at LOW speed combine until smooth and well mixed.
- Use a rubber spatula to add half of the egg yolk mixture to the egg white mixture and gently fold to combine.
- Add the second half of the egg yolks to the mixture and gently fold until mixed together. (Mix slowly and do not overdo it as the egg whites will deflate and your dessert won’t hold together.)
- Lay out a 9 x 13 pan and pour the espresso into a shallow bowl. Add a tsp of cocoa powder and stir until combined.
- Take one cookie at a time, dip it quickly into the espresso and lay it on the bottom of the pan. Continue this process, placing cookies side-by-side until the bottom is covered.
- Add half of the mascarpone mixture to the pan and spread evenly over the cookies. Dust this layer with cocoa powder.
- Repeat the Lady finger and espresso process until the second layer is covered.
- Add the remaining mascarpone and spread evenly across the top. Dust the top layer.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 603IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
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2 comments on “Tiramisu”
raw eggs so I did not make
Hi Carol, this is how traditional Tiramisu is made. We purchase pasteurized eggs from the grocery store for this recipe as we mentioned in the post, but people have made this for many years using regular eggs.