Tiramisu is an Italian dessert that is made of coffee and rum-soaked lady fingers layered with creamy custard and whipped cream. It’s light and creamy which is well balanced with the coffee and rum flavor. There are many different tiramisu recipes and I tried a few of them before developing this one and it has been my go-to dessert recipe for large parties for the past few year. One of the main advantages of tiramisu is that it should be prepared a day ahead so you will not have to worry about your dessert the day of the party. Resting the tiramisu overnight in the fridge allows all the flavors to come together, which makes it significantly more delicious.

To save time, you can use store-bought lady finger cookies. When soaking the cookies, you want to just dab each side in the coffee/rum mixture for one to two seconds. If you leave the cookies in coffee for too long, they will get too soggy. The cookies will appear dry when you’re layering them, but they will continue to absorb moisture from the custard and whipped cream and soften more as they rest overnight. 

Making the custard may be the trickiest part of this dessert. You have to temper the eggs by adding hot milk to them while whisking very quickly to avoid making scrambled eggs. If you’ve never made custard, it may be easier to use an immersion blender or a hand-held electric mixer while tempering the eggs. You can also pass your custard through a strainer at the end to remove any clumps. 

In my opinion, it is better to fold the custard and whipped cream together before layering the dessert. Many recipes keep the layers recipes and I have tried it both ways, but by folding them together first, it makes for a more cohesive dessert. 

Once the tiramisu is ready to be rested overnight, make sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the cream from absorbing any scent/flavors from the fridge. If you would like, you can decorate with more whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder or chocolate shaving before serving. 

Tiramisu

Course: DessertsCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Difficult

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Resting Time

10-12

hours

The only tiramisu recipe you’ll ever need!

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks

• 3/4 cup white sugar

• 2/3 cup whole milk

• 1¼ cup heavy whipping cream

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 pound mascarpone cheese at room temperature

• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee at room temperature

• Optional: 2 tbsp rum

• 2 packages of ladyfinger cookies

• For decoration

• 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• Optional: 2 tbsp dark chocolate shavings

Directions

• Heat the milk in a medium sauce pan, stirring occasionally until hot.
• While the milk is heating up, whisk together the yolks and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Temper the eggs by slowly drizzling half of the hot milk into the eggs while whisking vigorously.
• Add the egg/milk mixture to the pot with the remaining hot milk on low heat while mixing constantly. 
• Continue heating the custard while stirring until it thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
• Refrigerate the custard for at least one hour (maximum overnight).
• Once the custard has cooled, whisk in the mascarpone until smooth.
• In a medium bowl, beat 1¼ cup heavy whipping cream and 1/2 tsp of vanilla until stiff peaks form.
• Gently, fold in the cream into the custard/mascarpone mixture.
• Pour coffee and the rum (if using) into a deep dish and stir to mix.
• Dip ladyfinger cookies briefly into the coffee mix on both sides (don’t leave them too long, otherwise they will get soggy).
• Place the ladyfingers in an even layer in a trifle or a baking dish.
• Top with 1-1 1/2 inches of the custard mix (be generous with the custard).
• Repeat the layers until you run out of custard.
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Before serving, beat together the remaining 2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla on high until stiff peaks form. Decorate the top of the tiramisu with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder and shaved dark chocolate. Please note that this step can be done up to 4-5 hours before serving, but cover the tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.