Homemade tiramisu is easy to whip up because there is no baking involved,ultra-delicious and this is a fun make-ahead dessert. Rich and creamy mascarpone filling layered with coffee and alcohol-soaked biscuits also known as savoiardi biscuits, dusted with cocoa powder.
When making this dessert, it is very important to have the perfect balance of layers. you want to have a good layer of biscuits and a thick layer of the mascarpone custard. This dessert needs to be light airy and packed full of flavour with coffee and alcohol. It is soo easy to eat the whole tray of tiramisu if the recipe is done correctly because it is so light and delicious you won’t even feel that you are eating it.
I have not made this dessert in France during my chef years, in fact, I was not a pastry chef, therefore, didn’t quite get a chance to train in pastry while I was in France, but I loved to bake, so always ended up making desserts at home. and Tiramusi was one of the desserts that I learnt to make at home with a lot of trial and error.
When I was researching for dessert ideas, I came across this dessert. it’s a great entertaining dish, requires less effort, can be served for a large crowd and can be made ahead of time. When I organise a party or a gathering at my place, I love to have a theme for the food I cook, Italian theme menus are quite famous in my household because they are big & bold flavours and easy to share.
Italian theme dinner party ideas
Entree; Focaccia with antipasto and burrata cheese
Main course; Lasagna, Chicken Parmigiana
Dessert; Tiramisu
Is there raw eggs in Tiramisu?
Yes, there is. Some recipes will call out for raw egg yolks and raw egg whites, but in my recipe, I am only using raw egg whites. The reason why I am not using raw egg yolks is that it gives an eggy taste at the end and also it affects the light texture of the desert. By cooking the egg yolks in a double boiler, the recipe can be a bit hard because it is a crucial step in this recipe, but I can guarantee the end result is absolutely delicious.
Because there are raw eggs in this recipe be cautious if you are serving this to young children and pregnant women.
There are so much more recipes out there with raw eggs and you probably don’t even notice that you eat raw eggs. Don’t be afraid of this dessert because once you taste it, there is no turning back and I can guarantee this will be a crowd-pleasing dessert that you will make over and over again.
Tiramisu ingredients
Eggs– Makes sure to use fresh eggs
Mascarpone – This is creamy and light, you must use mascarpone cream for this dessert
Savoiardi biscuits – Also known as ladies fingers, you must have this biscuit in order to make this dessert.
Sugar– White sugar, make sure the sugar is blended finely, so there are no lumps in the mixture ( caster sugar here in Australia is quite fine, but if your sugar is a bit big, just pass it through the blender for 10 seconds to make it smaller
cocoa powder
Liquor – or any other liquor, to be honest, I am not going to have a hard and fast rule that this is the only liquor you can sue. I have also used cognac for this recipe and it has been a great addition.
Coffee; Another important ingredient in this recipe, the quality of coffee you use will impact the final outcome of the dish, so make sure to use a good quality coffee, I use fresh coffee beans that are grounded through my coffee machine, which really makes a big difference.
Tiramisu biscuits
Savoiardi biscuits, this is an Italian biscuit and can be purchased at any local retailer here in Australia, but if you cannot find it anywhere, you can also make it from scratch.
Does tiramisu have alcohol in it
Yes, it does, but if you don’t want to add the alcohol in it, you can omit it. But if you are anything like me, I would double the quantity hahhahahh, trust me, when the coffee liquor has a good amount of alcohol, it actually tastes better.
How long will tiramisu stay fresh
Remember this dessert has raw eggs in it, so I wouldn’t recommend more than 4 days in the fridge.
Tiramisu how long can I keep in the fridge
You need to cool it in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours, so the best is to make this the day before you need it.
Single-serve tiramisu
Well, you can also do tiramisu for two for a date night or just to have a fancy dinner for a small number of people. you can make it in individual glasses and serve tiramisu in a glass, follow the same process and assemble in a short scotch glass. You can also cut portions from a big batch tiramisu and serve as single portions.
Why is my tiramisu runny/watery?
I get this question often, and I can assure you since I have made this dessert a few times now, I have also got a runny tiramisu since I try variations of recipes.
Make sure the egg white and cream are beaten as specified in the recipe, if you under beat it, it will not hold its shape, if you overbeat it, the cream will not be creamy and airy.
When a recipe does not call for cream just eggs; Then it will be runny, because there is nothing to hold the eggs together, therefore cream in a recipe is a must.
Don’t overbeat the mascarpone, there is a few varieties of mascarpone in the market, some are hard, some are soft, so if it is a soft mascarpone don’t overbeat it, just mix it enough so it just gets incorporated.
Don’t overbeat the whole mixture; finally when assembling all components, make sure to just fold it by hand, do not use the machine or over mix it, then it will deflate which will make the pudding runny
You can have a look at my other dessert recipes here
Watch how to make homemade Tiramisu
Step by Step recipe how to make homemade Tiramisu
Tiramisu
Equipment
- Tray
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs (separated)
- 75 g White caster sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla essence
- 225 g Mascarpone
- 240 g Whipping cream Thick cream
Soaking biscuits
- 160 g Black coffee hot
- 3 Tbsp Kahlua or cognac
- 300 g Savoiardi biscuits
Instructions
Step 1 ( Double boiling egg yolks (sabayon))
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites, place the egg yolks in a large bowl, add half of the white sugar place on a double boiler. ( To make a double boiler, fill a saucepan with water and place it on low heat, place the bowl on top of the saucepan, so the steam from the pan will help cook the egg yolks, make sure the bowl does not touch the water in the saucepan)
- Whisk the egg yolk mixture continuously while on the fire until it is thick, creamy and pale in colour. ( The texture you are looking for is a custard-like texture) Please note while the mixture is on the double boiler you have top stay and continuously stir the mixture, it cannot turn as scrambled eggs, the mixture should resemble like a custard)When it comes to that stage, take it off the fire immediately
Step 2 ( Egg yolk+ Mascarpone mixture)
- In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, place the mascarpone and mix for 30 seconds ( don't overbeat it if the mascarpone is soft. Once the egg yolk mixture is taken off the fire, pour it directly to the mascarpone mixture, then add vanilla and mix until just incorporated.
Step 3 ( Egg white mixture)
- In a separate mixing bowl with a whisk attachment add egg whites and rest of the sugar whisk until stiff peaks are formed ( If using the same mixing bowl, make sure it is washed and dried completely before whisking egg whites if there is water or any other mixture, the egg whites will not whisk properly) ( if the sugar has big sugar crystals, blitz it in a blender, to get very fine sugar)
Step 4 ( Whipped cream)
- In a separate mixing bowl with a whisk attachment add cream and whisk until stiff peaks are formed
- Fold all components carefully by hand without deflating the egg whites and cream. Leave the mixture aside until needed
Soaking the biscuits
- Pour hot coffee and Kahlua or cognac or brandy and mix well
- Soak both sides of the biscuits in the coffee mixture. don't soak it too much, just dip both sides one by one. if it is soaked too much it will fall apart
Assembly
- In a 24cmx 24cm square tray, start with a layer of soaked biscuits on the bottom, then add a layer of mascarpone custard mixture, then add a layer of soaked biscuit and finish with a layer of cream. ( 2 layers of biscuits is sufficient)
- Dust cocoa powder on the top. Cover with cling wrap and let it set for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight. Enjoy chilled.