How to Make Tiramisu

In this post I want to show you how to make tiramisu. Tiramisu is an Italian dessert that is made with an egg and Mascarpone cheese cream and lady finger cookies that are soaked in very strong coffee or espresso. I like adding rum to mine for extra flavor.

I also like cooking my egg yolks in a double boiler to make this easy tiramisu recipe. This is an extra step that gives us all peace of mind. Authentic recipes are made with raw eggs.

Mascarpone is an Italian cheese that is made with cream. It is creamy and mild in flavor.

I make a very strong coffee in my French press for this tiramisu recipe but you can also use espresso powder if you prefer.

I think the most important thing to keep in mind when making this dessert is to not over soak the lady fingers. Simply dunk them — in and out — to wet them. If you leave them in the bowl they will become soggy and your dessert will not be perfect.

This is what you are going to need for this exquisite and easy tiramisu recipe:

Serves eight
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup espresso (very strong coffee)
4 TBS dark rum
6 egg yolks
1 ¼ cup sugar
8 oz. (226 grams) Mascarpone cheese
40 thin lady finger cookies
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Dark chocolate curls
1 – 3 quart dish

Make your espresso by adding 1/3 cup of dark roast coffee grinds into a coffee press and adding 2 cups of boiling water. You can do this with a filter inside a small colander over a cup if you prefer. Simply add the water slowly and let the coffee drip. Cool down the coffee.

Place 1 cup of the dark coffee into a bowl and add the rum. Set aside.

Place the cold cream into a bowl and beat until you have stiff peaks. Place the bowl to the fridge.

Add some water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the water simmer. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and place the bowl over the simmering water. Whisk the yolks for 10 minutes without letting the water in the pot boil into them. We are going to bring the yolks to a temperature that makes them safe to eat without cooking them.

Remove the bowl from the pot and beat the egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes until they are pale and frothy. Add a TBS of the coffee and rum and the Mascarpone cheese. Mix it in. Add the whipped cream and carefully fold it in.

Dunk your ladyfingers in the coffee with rum without letting them get soggy. In and out. Period. Line the bottom of your dish with half of the soaked ladyfingers. Pour ½ of the prepared cream on top and spread evenly. Repeat with a second layer of ladyfingers and the remaining cream. Sift some cocoa powder over the whole dessert and top it all off with some chocolate curls. You can make them by shaving a piece of chocolate with a vegetable peeler.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap without touching the dessert. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or up to overnight. Serve and enjoy.

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