Authentic Italian Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a coffee-flavored Italian dessert that exploded onto the foodie scene in the late 1960’s. And it has some of life’s simple pleasures: We’re talking layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and velvety mascarpone cheese, all mingling together in dessert heaven. It’s the ultimate treat for any occasion, whether you’re celebrating something exciting or just satisfying your sweet tooth.

The two best tiramisus I’ve ever had were, of course, in the countryside of Italy.

One I helped make during a magical cooking class in beautiful Umbria at the Slow Cooking School (which I highly recommend you check out if you’re ever over there!).

The second was at a beautiful little trattoria in the mountains of Abruzzo called Le Quattro Ville Trattoria. Our waitress, cook and owner was the sweetest little Nonna. If you ever go there, get the saffron gnocchi that inspired this recipe — you won’t be disappointed.

Does tiramisu really use raw eggs?

This recipe does, yes. Since I’m making this based on the authentic recipes you’ll find all over Italy, this does use raw eggs. To be safe, make sure you’re getting high quality, organic eggs (preferably pasteurized). But if you’ve ever had a real tiramisu before (or even homemade mayo, hollandaise sauce, etc.) then you’ve had raw eggs without even realizing it!

Do I need to use egg whites?

I personally like to use whipped egg whites because I think it gives a lighter overall texture. However, the original Tiramisu recipe from Treviso, Italy does NOT use egg whites. In that one, using the correct technique (aka whipping the egg yolks long enough), gives this tiramisu a creamy, thick cream — no egg whites or heavy cream needed.

You can choose your own destiny here, but just know that egg whites give a lighter cream while omitting them will give you a thicker consistency.

What kind of ladyfingers are best for tiramisu?

This recipe calls for Italian savoiardi ladyfingers, which are the harder ones. You can typically find these in the ethnic or ‘Italian products’ aisle of your supermarket.

There are some recipes that call for pavesini Italian ladyfingers, and while delicious, I personally find them to be too soft.

What kind of coffee is best for tiramisu?

OKAY LISTEN, the coffee you pick MATTERS. And I went through quite a few iterations until I was finally satisfied.

I found that dark roast espresso from our espresso machine was just too bitter, and medium roast coffee brewed in a french press resulted in a tiramisu that just didn’t taste of coffee AT ALL.

So what combo ended up being magic? Brewing Lavazza Perfetto Ground Coffee Dark Roast in a traditional moka pot.

Need a moka pot? This is the one I have from Bialetti.

What kind of mascarpone is best for tiramisu?

I’ve tried multiple brands, and it’s best to get a high-quality Italian brand. I personally love using Vantia, which I find in a local Italian market.

Tiramisu Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make the ultimate tiramisu:

Savoiardi ladyfingers: These hard Italian biscuits soak up the espresso and make the cake-like portion of the tiramisu.

Mascarpone: The signature cream used in tiramisu. Keep this in the refrigerator until needed.

Coffee: To give the tiramisu its signature flavor. I like to brew Lavazza coffee in my Moka pot.

Egg yolks: For creaminess.

Egg whites: Whipped into stiff peaks.

Granulated sugar: For sweetness.

Kosher salt: To bring it all together.

Cocoa powder: For dusting.

Chopped chocolate: To add a bit of texture to the cake. This was something I had never seen until Italy but I absolutely loved it.

Vanilla extract: To add a slight sweetness to the cream.

How to Make Tiramisu

Here’s how to make this dessert:

Step 1: Make the coffee

Make your coffee and put that in the refrigerator to cool.

You can also chop your chocolate at this stage.

Step 2: Whip the egg whites

Add the egg whites to your mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high until stiff peaks form (about 3-5 minutes). You can tell they’re ready when you turn the bowl upside down and the egg whites stay put.

Add the egg whites to a clean bowl and wipe the first one to use in the next step.

Step 3: Whip the egg yolks and sugar

It’s all about technique here. With the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until they become thick and yellow. I like to start on low and gradually work up to medium-high speed. This will take about 3-5 minutes.

A key to look for is that when you take the whisk out, the mixture creates thick ribbons as it flows back down. Like this:

Step 3: Finish the cream

Add the cold mascarpone, vanilla, and salt to the bowl. Start on low, and gradually increase the speed to high.

Whisk until the mixture has thickened to the point that when you go to spoon some out it resembled cold cool whip. Like this:

Step 4: Add the egg whites and chopped chocolate

Fold the whipped egg whites into the mixture. Then add the chopped chocolate and fold in until just incorporated.

Step 5: Layer your tiramisu

Now remove the coffee from the fridge and get your ladyfingers and 9″ square baking dish ready!

Take each ladyfinger and dip in the cooled espresso for 1-2 seconds per side. Add to a deep 9″ square dish in one layer (breaking any ladyfingers you need to so that they fit in one layer).

Add half of the cream and spread evenly.

Then add one more layer of the ladyfingers and spread the rest of the mascarpone mixture on top.

Step 5: Let it set overnight

Cover the tiramisu with plastic wrap and let it set in the refrigerator overnight.

Dust with cocoa right before serving.