Tiramisu Recipe

Give your oven a little rest and try out this rich and creamy no bake dessert!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LUWb4WIzwo&w=560&h=315]

Tiramisu looks and sounds like a super fancy dessert (which is great for showing off), but I find it's actually quite easy to make. It's a great no-bake dessert, and it's a lot like a layer cake. The lady fingers make a good substitute for a baked cake and the mascarpone cheese filling is like the frosting. And all without turning on your oven!

What is tiramisu?

The best way I like to describe tiramisu is like a dessert lasagna (I won't bother trademarking that). It's an Italian layered dessert that's made up of lady fingers dipped in coffee and a mascarpone based cream. The whole thing is completed with some cocoa powder and/or grated chocolate.

This recipe is a little different than your classic tiramisu. An authentic Italian tiramisu is usually made with raw egg yolks and egg whites. The egg yolks are whipped with some sugar until they turn a light, pale yellow color and just about double in volume. The egg whites are whipped separately and then added to the cream mixture at the very end.

This tiramisu recipe is a bit richer than a classic Italian tiramisu because it substitutes the raw egg whites with whipped heavy cream. I generally don't like having raw eggs, but I also really like the freshness and richness that the heavy cream gives. Every other part of the recipe stays true to classic tiramisu.

Quick Look: How to make tiramisu without raw eggs:

1. Brew one cup of strong black coffee. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a heat safe bowl. Whisk to break up the eggs and dissolve the sugar slightly.
4. Place bowl over pot of barely simmering water assuring the bowl does not touch the water. Cook eggs, whisking constantly, for 5 to 8 minutes until cooked (160°F). You should be able to make a figure 8 that stays in place for about a second with the whisk.
5. Take eggs off heat and add mascarpone cheese while eggs are still warm. Add vanilla and whisk to incorporate. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
6. Gently fold whipped cream into egg and cheese mix.
7. Quickly dip a lady finger into the cooled coffee and place in a 9x9 inch square dish. Continue to dip and arrange lady fingers until you have the bottom of the dish covered in cookies.
8. Spoon half of the cream mixture over the lady finger layer. Spread evenly to cover cookies. Lightly dust the top with cocoa powder.
9. Arrange another layer of soaked lady fingers on top.
10. Top with the remaining cream. Spread evenly to cover the cookies. Dust with more cocoa powder.
11. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best) to set the cream.

Slice and serve!

Tiramisu Tip:

• Don't let the lady fingers sit in the coffee for too long. A quick one second dip on each side of the lady finger is all you need to get it to start soaking in the coffee. Lady fingers absorb liquid very easily. After you dip them in the coffee, they should still feel quite firm and hold their shape. As they sit, they'll soften even more.

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Tiramisu Recipe Without Raw Eggs

Description: Give your oven a little rest and try out this rich and creamy no bake dessert!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 to 8 minutes

Yield: 1 (9x9 inch) tiramisu

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Ingredients:

- 1 cup strongly brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature
- ¾ cup heavy cream, cold
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (235 grams) mascarpone cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 18 to 24 lady fingers

Instructions:

1. Brew a pot of strong black coffee or espresso. Pour into a wide bowl (wide enough to dip a lady finger in) and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. In a large bowl, whip your heavy cream until about doubled in volume and stiff peaks form (about 5 to 10 minutes using a mixer on high speed). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Set up a bain marie (water bath): Place a large saucepot filled with about an inch of water over high heat. Bring the water to just barely under a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low to maintain hot (but not boiling) water.

4. In a separate large, heat safe bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Whisk together to slightly dissolve the sugar into the egg yolks. Place the bowl over the pot of barely simmering water, but do not allow the bowl to touch the water (the steam should cook the eggs). Gently cook the egg yolks over the bain marie while whisking constantly. The eggs should be fully cooked after around 5 to 8 minutes.

You'll know they're ready to take off the heat when the egg and sugar mix turns a pale yellow color, doubles in volume, and reaches 165°F. It should also be at what's called the ribbon stage. This is when you can pick up a spoonful of the mixture and draw the number 8 without having it disappear too quickly.

5. Remove the egg and sugar mixture off the heat. While it's still warm, add in your mascarpone cheese and whisk it in to incorporate. The heat from the eggs will melt the cheese and the cheese will help cool the egg mixture down quickly. Add vanilla extract and stir to combine. Set aside for about 5 minutes to allow the mix to cool to room temperature.

6. Add your cold whipped cream to the egg and mascarpone mixture. Gently fold the cream into the mix taking care not to deflate the air in the whipped cream too much. Set aside.

Assembly:

7. Working very quickly, dip one lady finger into your coffee. Turn to soak the other side of the cookie with coffee as well. Quickly remove the cookie from the coffee and place into a 9x9 inch square baking or serving dish. You don't want to leave your lady finger in the coffee for more than 1 to 2 seconds per side because of how quickly the cookies absorb liquid.

Repeat the dipping and arranging process until you have one layer of lady fingers covering the bottom of your 9x9 inch dish. This will take around 9 to 12 lady fingers.

8. Top the bottom layer of lady fingers with half of the cream mixture. Spread the cream into an even thickness to cover the lady fingers.

9. Dust a light layer of cocoa powder on top of the cream layer. Dip in coffee and arrange 9 to 12 more lady fingers on top of the cocoa layer. Top with the remaining cream and spread to even out and cover everything with a smooth cream layer. Dust more cocoa powder on top of the tiramisu.

10. Cover your tiramisu and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to harden up the cream and make it easier to slice.

11. Once hardened, using a very sharp knife, cut the tiramisu into about 9 equal pieces. Serve cold.

Enjoy!

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I would love to hear any tips you’d like to add to this post and how your tiramisu turned out in the comments below!

Have any questions? Any ideas to improve this recipe? Feel free to comment for that as well.

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