- Prep time30 mins + overnight chill
- Cook time0 mins
- Servings8
- DifficultyMedium
- CategoryItalian
Tiramisu means "pick me up," and the espresso earns the name. The ladyfingers get a one-second dip — any longer and they disintegrate into mush. The mascarpone cream should be whipped just to soft, billowy peaks; overwhipped mascarpone turns grainy and there is no rescue. An overnight rest in the fridge is not optional — it is when the layers marry into one sliceable whole.
Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1 lb) mascarpone, at room temperature
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar, divided
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) heavy cream
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) strong espresso, cooled
- 3 tbsp coffee liqueur or marsala (optional)
- 24 to 30 ladyfinger biscuits (savoiardi)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
Method
- Whisk the egg yolks with half the sugar over a bain-marie until pale, thick and ribboning, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.
- Beat in the mascarpone until just smooth — do not overmix.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold it into the mascarpone mixture in two additions.
- Whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar to soft peaks and fold in gently. The cream should be airy and billowy.
- Mix the espresso with the liqueur. Dip each ladyfinger for literally one second per side and line a dish with a single layer.
- Spread over half the mascarpone cream, add a second dipped-ladyfinger layer, and finish with the remaining cream. Smooth the top.
- Refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. Dust generously with cocoa just before serving.
Tips for success
- One-second dips — soggy ladyfingers are the number one tiramisu failure.
- Room-temperature mascarpone blends smooth; cold mascarpone goes lumpy.
- Use raw-egg-safe pasteurized eggs if serving to anyone pregnant, elderly or very young — or use a fully cooked zabaglione base.
Watch video tutorial
Prefer to watch it being made? This from Vincenzo's Plate walkthrough covers the same tiramisu step by step — the spoken narration doubles as an audio tutorial.