Classic Tiramisu Recipe
Italian for “pick me up,” a Classic Tiramisu Recipe is an espresso and booze-flavored dessert made with mascarpone, cream, and ladyfingers. A topping of grated chocolate is just one more sublime component.
I’ve made a lot of tiramisus and this version is one of the Best Tiramisu Recipes!
Why You Must Make
- It’s rich and creamy as you’d expect for a top-tier tiramisu recipe.
- The eggs are gently cooked in a double boiler before being used in the custard. This makes for a safer-to-eat tiramisu than one with raw eggs.
- If you’re having an Italian-themed dinner, this easy tiramisu recipe is perfect!
How to Make Tiramisu:
- Make the custard using a double boiler.
- Whip the cream and fold it into the custard.
- Make the espresso dipping liquid for the ladyfingers.
- Dip half the ladyfingers (front and back) and a layer on the bottom of the dish.
- Top with half the mascarpone custard.
- Dip the rest of the ladyfingers.
- Repeat the layering.
- Refrigerate for 6 hours or longer.
- Dust with finely grated chocolate before serving.
Copycat Tiramisu Recipe
The inspiration for this recipe came from Romano’s Macaroni Grill of all places. We were on a family trip to Vancouver and I had a bite of my oldest son’s tiramisu. I may have eaten half of his portion!! When I returned home, I was certain that Google would produce this tiramisu recipe in seconds. No such luck. All I found was the scary calorie count (you don’t want to know!) of said dessert. So since Tom and I are both fans of coffee desserts, I figured I could do a few test runs to find the perfect copycat recipe of my own.
The first, a supposed recipe from their sister restaurant, The Olive Garden, fell short. The flavor was nice, but the ratio of mascarpone filling to ladyfingers was off and it was slightly too soupy to cut nicely. Phooey. But some simple tweaks like decreasing the mascarpone and cream plus adding more vanilla and a slosh of rum to the dipping liquid and the filling helped immensely!
Plus this classic tiramisu does not contain raw eggs, so less risk except to the waistline!
Expert Tips
- Have all your ingredients at room temperature for easier mixing and incorporation.
- Use full-fat mascarpone.
- Do not overbeat the mascarpone cheese as it could curdle or separate.
- Do not soak the ladyfingers until they are soggy. You want some liquid absorption, but if they’re too wet, they’ll fall apart. Dip one side, flip and dip the other side. If you have extra ladyfingers, do a test run to make sure your dipping doesn’t make them too wet or even not wet enough.
- This recipe uses the hard, biscuit-like ladyfingers called Savoiardi. If you use sponge cake like ladyfingers, you may need some additional dipping liquid.
- Use different liqueurs. Kahlua is great to echo the coffee flavor from the espresso, but other ideas include Baileys Irish Cream, Amaretto, etc.
- Allow it to chill for at least 6 hours before serving as this will help the custard thicken properly.
- This recipe is different than the typical tiramisu recipes as it heats the eggs to minimize the chance of a foodborne illness. This tiramisu is safer for the very young, elderly, and immune-suppressed. If you are going to serve this to anyone in the at-risk population, use a thermometer to check that the custard temperature reaches 160° F, the temperature needed to kill salmonella.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main ingredients include sponge cake or ladyfingers, a coffee-marsala mixture, a mascarpone layer, plus grated chocolate.
Yes, Marsala wine was used in the custard as well as the soaking liquid for the ladyfingers.
The tiramisu may not have been chilled long enough to thicken the custard. It should be refrigerated for at least 6 hours before serving.
If you used low-fat mascarpone instead of full-fat, it won’t thicken properly. Also, if you overbeat the mascarpone, it will curdle and separate adding extra moisture to the filling.
If the mascarpone is over-whipped, it can curdle, making a lumpy filling.
You May Also Like:
- Mocha Ice Cream
- Kahlua Bundt Cake
- Tiramisu Cheesecake
- Slow Cooker Coffee Glazed Brisket
- Flourless Chocolate Kahlua Cake
- More of the Best Dessert Recipes
Classic Tiramisu
My copycat attempt of Romano's Macaroni Grill Classic Tiramisu.
Ingredients
Filling:
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoons dark rum
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 20-24 ladyfingers (I used a 7-ounce package of Savoiardi biscuit-type ladyfingers)
Soaking liquid:
- ½ cup cold espresso
- ¼ cup Kahlua
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Garnish:
- Grated semisweet chocolate
Instructions
- In the top of a double boiler (or rig your own by placing a heat-safe bowl over a pan of barely simmering water), whisk together egg yolks, rum, and sugar.
- Cook over simmering water while beating with a hand mixer till the mixture triples in size, about 5 minutes.
- Remove pan with egg mixture from heat, mix in mascarpone and vanilla, and set aside to cool slightly.
- Whip cream to stiff peaks, then fold about a third into the egg mixture to lighten. Add the rest and gently fold till combined.
- Combine espresso, Kahlua, sugar, rum, and vanilla in a shallow dish (I used a Pyrex pie plate).
- Dip half of the ladyfingers very quickly into the coffee, and arrange them on the bottom of an 8 x 8-inch pan (you may need to break a few to fit in the pan).
- Spoon half the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers and smooth the top. Repeat with the rest of the ladyfingers and top with the remaining filling.
- Cover with a layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Dust top with grated semisweet chocolate, then cut into squares to serve.
Notes
If you use soft ladyfingers, you may need to increase the amount of the soaking liquid.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 513Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 217mgSodium: 271mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 7g
My search for the perfect classic tiramisu recipe all started after a family holiday to Vancouver, British Columbia. My family relocated to this breathtakingly beautiful, cosmopolitan Canadian city when my dad took a year’s sabbatical at UBC. I learned to say about as “aboot,” been as “bean,” as well as spent the winter weekends skiing on Grouse Mountain and summers at Kits beach or sailing on English Bay. Bill and I had traveled to Vancouver as newlyweds, but we brought the whole family a few years back.
The hubby and I dined at the famed, but now defunct, Lumiere, where Bill will always remember the chocolate cake with beets with disdain. But my most memorable dessert was the classic tiramisu at Romano’s Macaroni Grill (I had no clue it was a chain as it was in a charming old home!) The tiramisu portion was huge, creamy, luscious, and richer than any I’d ever eaten. Truth be told, it was my son Tom’s dessert, but he was kind enough to let me sample spoonful after spoonful. I rarely order dessert, just politely mooch.
42 Comments on “Classic Tiramisu Recipe”
My egg mixture did not triple in size. What am I doing wrong?
Hi, Brandie, did you use an electric mixer? And cook it over a double boiler? It will take some time for the egg mixture to thicken so your arm may get tired. But if you followed those steps and gave it plenty of time, I’m not sure what could have happened. P.S. If it’s thick and has at least doubled in bulk, it’s fine to continue.
This has become a family favorite recipe. I’m asked to make it almost weekly.
this looks absolutely perfect for my brunch on Sunday. Cant wait to try this !
Lizzy,
I love Tiramisu. Your version looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it.
Annamaria
For some insane reason I’ve never taken Tiramisu seriously. That is about to change, this looks delicious!
I’ll have to make this for Madison the next time she is home. Tiramisu is has been her fave since she was very little! Sounds delish!
I haven’t had tiramisu in forever, but I agree a good version can be hard to come by but is such a good thing. This looks great!
Wow, I did not know that you spent time in Vancouver. Our eldest son went to a branch of UBC in Kelowna, B.C. My son and daughter-in-law just got back from their 5 1/2 week honeymoon in Canada….they started on the east coast and worked their way back to Banff, Vernon, Kelowna, Whistler and Vancouver. They had a lovely time!
Your dessert sounds very dreamy for sure!
For years I ordered tiramisu wherever I could. I love it! Such a great recipe with kahlua Liz! I really love love love coffee in a dessert!
Oh my heavens!! Pardon me while I wipe the drool off of my keyboard!
It looks entirely too pretty to eat! But I don’t think I’d have a problem devouring it! 🙂
I LOV Tiramisu! All coffee desserts are at the top of my favorite list 😉
You crack me up: “I just politely mooch.” I do the SAME thing! LOL! This is one of my favorite desserts to order out, and yours looks amazing! Love the boozy sophisticated additions! As always — looks divine, Liz! xo
Copycat recipes are fun to do. Yours sounds way better than the original. I made tiramisu many years ago and must go search for this recipe from a hotel in Vail. I love tiramisu but it is a luxury calorie wise. If you get a few minutes give a holler on your way through. And if not have a great trip. I so miss going to Aspen!
Tiramisu is my first love and this looks like a winning recipe. I need a bigger spoon for this one.
Tiramisu is one of my top dessert choices when dining out. Your version looks gorgeous, Liz! I would like a piece so big that my pancreas would definitely be working overtime!
Tiramisu is on my cooking/baking bucket list — this one looks amazing.
I love this presentation for tiramisu, so pretty!
Liz, I love love love tiramisu!!! yours looks so elegant and delicious! Beautiful!
Tiramisu is really one of my all-time favourites, thank you for sharing this delectable recipe with us. I haven’t heard of that chain restaurant so it must be a BC thing. I absolutely love that slice, so perfect!
How nice that you were able to live in BC, I’ve only visited a few times, it’s such a lovely province. Hope you were also able to get up to Whistler, for world class skiing. Grouse Mountain is also great in the summer, they have some fabulous hikes.
Your pick-me-up would definitely lift the corners of my mouth! Isn’t wonderful that some foods hold such precious memories? Ps Thank you from the coffee dessert loving universe for persevering with your quest for the perfect tiramisu =)
I wiah I had your Tiramisu right now:) pregnancy cravings are starting.. hehe
Beautiful Lizzy! I love Tiramisu!!!
LOVE that you use Kahlua! You cake is beautiful.
I had no idea that Tiramisu meant ‘pick me up’! Perfect name for a perfect dessert, seriously, it’s my favorite! I politely mooch too 😉
It’s a classic for a reason. Glad you worked out the recipe.
I don’t know why, but I’ve never made tiramisu at home. I’ve only enjoyed it at restaurants. Yours looks so good!
I’m so glad you figured this out Liz! It looks super delicious and I love the way it cuts so perfectly!
One of my favorite desserts and so difficult to get right. This one sounds very promising will have to try it out.
Yum! This Tiramisu looks amazing! The layers are gorgeous and are those chocolate covered espresso beans on top? They are beautiful!
I have a Macaroni Grill right down the street (though I don’t eat there much). I love tiramisu and this looks so beautiful and inviting!
It’s been years since I’ve made a tiramisu, but I made it all the time as a newlywed and everyone raved about it. I even remember sending leftovers home with my cousin, who couldn’t get enough of it! Thanks for bringing back those memories.
That looks perfect! My mother always made tiramisu in a trifle dish for holidays, and it always became the highlight of a meal… this looks just as amazing! 🙂
All these years of consuming mass amounts of tiramisu and I never knew it meant “Pick Me Up”
Tiramisu has been on my to try at home list of desserts for ages. Now that I have finally found a store that carries mascarpone I can try your amazing looking recipe.
I can never get enough of tiramisu & this is an eye-candy! xoxo
Tiramisu is my very favorite dessert!
Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts and yours is just beautiful. Believe it or not the last time I had this dessert was in Italy a couple of years ago, need to give yours a try real soon. Wishing you a super weekend.
It looks gorgeous, I love coffee in desserts! We have a B-Day today, the dessert of choice? …pizzelles! Never would have guessed that, but they are nice and easy:@)
Looks absolutely heavenly! You are a dessert queen, Liz.
I would love some! Really great dessert that for some reason I haven’t had for ages..