Serves 8–10
Prep 30 min
Chill Overnight
Cook None
Level Easy
Tiramisu is one of the most crowd-pleasing desserts in existence and also one of the most forgiving to make. There is no oven, no thermometer, no timing to nail. You whip some things together, dip biscuits in coffee, layer it all in a dish, and leave it in the fridge overnight. What you get the next day — if you used good ingredients and didn’t rush the chilling — is something quietly extraordinary.
The one requirement is patience. Tiramisu that has chilled for three hours is fine. Tiramisu that has sat overnight is a completely different experience — the mascarpone cream has set properly, the ladyfingers have absorbed the coffee and become almost custardy, and the whole thing holds together when you serve it in clean, defined portions. Make it the night before. This is not optional advice; it is the recipe.
0
Minutes cooking
~420
Cal per serving
8–10
Servings
8 hrs
Minimum chill
Ingredients
500 g mascarpone, at room temperature
6 large eggs, separated
120 g caster sugar
300 ml strong espresso, cooled
60 ml dark rum or Marsala wine
300 g Savoiardi (ladyfinger biscuits)
3 tbsp good cocoa powder, for dusting
1 pinch fine salt
On the mascarpone: Take it out of the fridge at least an hour before you start. Cold mascarpone is stiff and resists mixing — it will form lumps in the cream that never fully smooth out no matter how long you beat it. Room temperature mascarpone folds in effortlessly and creates a uniformly silky cream. This is probably the single most impactful instruction in this recipe.
On the coffee: Brew the strongest espresso you can — six shots for 300 ml, or moka pot coffee made double-strength. Weak coffee means the biscuits barely taste of anything. The coffee flavour is supposed to be prominent, almost aggressive. If you don’t have an espresso machine, instant coffee dissolved in very little water works fine. Let it cool completely before dipping — warm coffee starts to cook the egg cream and can make the bottom layer soggy and loose.
Instructions
Whisk the yolks and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the caster sugar using an electric whisk for 4–5 minutes until the mixture is very pale, thick, and has roughly doubled in volume. It should fall from the whisk in a thick ribbon and hold its shape for a second before dissolving. This is called the ribbon stage and it is important — it means the sugar has fully dissolved and the yolks have taken on enough air to lighten the cream.
Fold in the mascarpone. Add the room-temperature mascarpone to the yolk mixture in two or three additions, folding gently with a spatula each time. Use slow, deliberate movements — cut down through the middle and fold up around the edge, rotating the bowl a quarter turn each time. You are trying to keep as much air as possible. Mix until just combined and smooth with no white streaks. Do not beat it.
Whip the egg whites. In a separate perfectly clean bowl — any grease will prevent the whites from whipping — add the egg whites and the pinch of salt. Beat with clean beaters until you reach stiff peaks: the whites should hold their shape when you lift the beaters and the tip should stand up straight without drooping. This takes 3–4 minutes with an electric whisk.
Combine the two mixtures. Add one large spoonful of the beaten whites to the mascarpone mixture and stir it in — this loosens the cream slightly and makes folding the rest easier. Then add the remaining whites in two or three additions, folding very gently each time. When it is just combined with no white streaks visible, stop. Overmixing deflates the air you have built up and results in a denser, heavier cream rather than the light, mousse-like texture you want.
Combine the coffee and alcohol. Mix the cooled espresso with the rum or Marsala in a shallow bowl wide enough to fit a ladyfinger horizontally. The alcohol is optional but adds complexity and cuts through the sweetness — the rum gives a warmer, deeper note; Marsala is more traditional and slightly sweeter.
Dip the ladyfingers — briefly. Take a Savoiardo and dip it in the coffee mixture for one second per side. Not longer. They are porous and absorb liquid very quickly — a two-second dip gives you a soggy biscuit that disintegrates when you try to layer it. One second per side leaves the centre still dry, which is exactly what you want. The biscuit will continue absorbing moisture from the cream as it chills overnight and will be perfectly hydrated by morning.
Layer the tiramisu. Lay the dipped ladyfingers in a single, tight layer in the bottom of a 30 × 20 cm dish or similar. They should fit snugly with no gaps. Spoon half the mascarpone cream over the top and spread it evenly with a spatula. Add a second layer of dipped ladyfingers, then the remaining cream, smoothed flat across the top.
Dust with cocoa and refrigerate overnight. Sift a generous, even layer of cocoa powder over the entire surface through a fine sieve. Cover the dish tightly with cling film — without touching the surface — and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, ideally overnight or up to 24 hours. The cream will set firm, the biscuits will become custardy, and the layers will hold cleanly when cut.
Serve cold, in portions. Dust with a fresh layer of cocoa immediately before serving — the first layer absorbs into the cream overnight and the surface needs refreshing. Use a sharp knife to cut clean squares or rectangles and a wide spatula to lift them out. The portions should hold their shape if the cream has been properly made and properly chilled.
Notes
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On the raw eggs: Traditional tiramisu uses raw eggs, which are safe for most people but are worth considering if you’re cooking for the elderly, pregnant, or immunocompromised. If you want to avoid raw eggs entirely, the yolks can be pasteurised by whisking them with the sugar over a bain-marie (a bowl set over barely simmering water) until the mixture reaches 70°C. The result is nearly identical and the eggs are fully safe.
On the raw eggs: Traditional tiramisu uses raw eggs, which are safe for most people but are worth considering if you’re cooking for the elderly, pregnant, or immunocompromised. If you want to avoid raw eggs entirely, the yolks can be pasteurised by whisking them with the sugar over a bain-marie (a bowl set over barely simmering water) until the mixture reaches 70°C. The result is nearly identical and the eggs are fully safe.
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Add more coffee to the dish. If after dipping all the biscuits you find the bottom layer looks dry in places, spoon a little extra coffee directly over it before adding the cream. The cream layer will prevent any additional absorption from the top, so this is your only opportunity to correct under-soaked biscuits.
Add more coffee to the dish. If after dipping all the biscuits you find the bottom layer looks dry in places, spoon a little extra coffee directly over it before adding the cream. The cream layer will prevent any additional absorption from the top, so this is your only opportunity to correct under-soaked biscuits.
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Cocoa quality matters here. The cocoa is the top note of every bite — it should taste like something rather than just look brown. Use a proper Dutch-processed cocoa (Valrhona, Van Houten, or similar). The cheap stuff is thin and slightly acrid; good cocoa is rich, slightly bitter, and intensely chocolatey. This is one ingredient where the upgrade is genuinely noticeable.
Cocoa quality matters here. The cocoa is the top note of every bite — it should taste like something rather than just look brown. Use a proper Dutch-processed cocoa (Valrhona, Van Houten, or similar). The cheap stuff is thin and slightly acrid; good cocoa is rich, slightly bitter, and intensely chocolatey. This is one ingredient where the upgrade is genuinely noticeable.
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Citrus variation: Add the finely grated zest of one lemon or orange to the mascarpone cream. The citrus cuts through the richness and lifts the whole dessert. Particularly good with the rum version.
Citrus variation: Add the finely grated zest of one lemon or orange to the mascarpone cream. The citrus cuts through the richness and lifts the whole dessert. Particularly good with the rum version.
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Individual portions: Instead of one large dish, assemble in individual glasses or ramekins. Layer cream, a broken biscuit or two, more cream, cocoa. These serve neatly, look elegant, and can be prepared up to two days ahead. The individual glass format also means each portion has a better cream-to-biscuit ratio in every bite.
Individual portions: Instead of one large dish, assemble in individual glasses or ramekins. Layer cream, a broken biscuit or two, more cream, cocoa. These serve neatly, look elegant, and can be prepared up to two days ahead. The individual glass format also means each portion has a better cream-to-biscuit ratio in every bite.
Do not try to serve it the same day you make it. Freshly assembled tiramisu is soft, unset, and barely holds together. Eight hours is the minimum; twelve is better; twenty-four is best. The overnight chill is not just for food safety — it is what makes the texture correct. Plan accordingly and make it the night before you need it.
The best dinner party dessert you can make
Tiramisu is perfect for entertaining because all the work is done the night before, it serves a crowd from a single dish, it travels well in the fridge, and it is genuinely one of the most liked desserts in existence — there are very few people who don’t want tiramisu after dinner. It takes thirty minutes of active work, none of it technically demanding, and delivers something that looks and tastes like considerably more effort than that. This is exactly the kind of recipe worth keeping in rotation.
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