Authentic Tiramisu is a classic Italian no-bake dessert made with layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and incredible mascarpone cream. Perfect for the holidays and any occasion!

Tiramisu is probably the most iconic Italian dessert – and for a reason. With its irresistible coffee flavor and velvety, slightly sweet mascarpone cream, it will impress even the pickiest of eaters.

It’s rich and indulgent but at the same time light and airy so that one helping is never enough. It requires no baking and can be made a day in advance!

This tiramisu has been my go-to recipe for years. It’s foolproof  and gets everybody excited. That’s why it is part of my German cookbook ‘Taste of Travel’, which contains my all-time favorite recipes around the world.

No Ladyfingers? Use sponge cake!

Sometimes ladyfingers (Savoiardi) can be hard to find. If your supermarket doesn’t carry them, you can simply use store-bought sponge cake as an alternative. Just make sure you use a thin layer of sponge cake, otherwise the cake will not get soaked with coffee.

So what I’d recommend is to cut the sponge cake into thin strips and use them the same way you would use ladyfinger biscuits. The sponge-cake layer should only be 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch (7-9 mm) thick.

The tiramisu recipe is from my German cookbook ‘Taste of Travel‘, which I translated for this blog post. I hope you’ll enjoy my go-to recipe for tiramisu.

Recipe for authentic Italian Tiramisu

Brew the coffee and set aside to cool. Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer until pale and creamy-thick, about 3-5 minutes.

Add mascarpone cheese and mix on low speed until combined and smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the coffee. The mascarpone cream should be creamy and easily spreadable. If it is too firm, add an additional tablespoon of coffee.

Combine the rest of the coffee and amaretto (if using) in a bowl or dish. Quickly dip a third of the ladyfingers one at a time in the coffee mixture. A 1-second-dip on each side is enough. Do not over-soak the ladyfingers as they’ll break and the layers may get mushy.

Arrange 1/3 of the soaked ladyfingers in a single layer in the bottom of 8 individual glasses or small bowls (ramekins). Alternatively, use a 7×11-inch dish, a 9-inch square pan or a 10-inch cake or springform pan.

Spread 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers.

Repeat layers twice more. Make sure to evenly spread the mascarpone layers, especially the top layer.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle with a thin layer of cocoa powder through a sieve right before serving (otherwise the cocoa layer will get moist and dark).

Enjoy!

Classic Italian Tiramisu (my all-time fav!)

Serving Size: 8 servings

This creamy classic Italian Tiramisu has been my go-to recipe for years. Everybody loves it!

Recipe: Taste of Travel cookbook (German, translated) by Ursula Schersch

Ingredients

• 3 fresh, large egg yolks (see note)
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (80 g) granulated white sugar
• 2 cups (16 oz/453 g) mascarpone cheese
• 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) strong brewed coffee
• 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur (optional)
• 6 to 7 oz (170-200 g) lady fingers (see note)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Instructions

1. Brew the coffee and set aside to cool.
2. Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer until pale and creamy-thick, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add mascarpone cheese and mix on low speed until combined and smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the coffee. The mascarpone cream should be creamy and easily spreadable. If it is too firm, add an additional tablespoon of coffee (see note).
4. Combine the rest of the coffee and amaretto (if using) in a bowl or dish. Quickly dip a third of the ladyfingers one at a time in the coffee mixture. A 1-second-dip on each side is enough. Do not over-soak the ladyfingers as they’ll break and the layers may get mushy.
5. Arrange 1/3 of the soaked ladyfingers in a single layer in the bottom of 8 individual glasses or small bowls (ramekins). Alternatively, use a 7x11-inch dish, a 9-inch square pan or a 10-inch cake or springform pan. Spread 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Repeat layers twice more. Make sure to evenly spread the mascarpone layers, especially the top layer.
6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with a thin layer of cocoa powder through a sieve right before serving.

Notes

Eggs: This recipe, like many other original Italian tiramisu recipes, contains raw eggs. Make sure to use pasteurized eggs if you are not allowed to eat raw eggs for health reasons.

Ladyfingers: You’ll need about 36 ladyfingers for a large dish and slightly less for 8 individual glasses. If you are using a brand with thick ladyfingers, split them in half lengthwise, so that you’ll have enough for 3 layers. Alternatively, just make a 2-layered tiramisu. If you don’t have ladyfingers, use thin sponge-cake layers, only about 1/4 to 1/3-inch (7-9 mm) thick.

Spreadable mascarpone cream: If the cream is still not creamy enough after the addition of 3 tablespoons of coffee, you can add a little milk or heavy cream to make it creamier. The consistency of the mascarpone cream largely depends on the brand and water content of the mascarpone cheese used. With the brand I use, I only need to add 2 tablespoons of coffee to the mascarpone cream to get a nice, soft and easily spreadable consistency.

Recipes for leftover egg-whites: With the leftover egg whites, you can make my favorite Easy Lemon Amaretti Cookies (no mixer, one bowl), Pavlova . You can also add them to the next omelet that you make or fold them (whipped to stiff peaks) into pancake batter for extra fluffy pancakes. Egg whites also freeze well.

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https://www.lilvienna.com/classic-italian-tiramisu/