Tiramisu – A Beautiful Mess

My birthday is in a few days and I always celebrate by posting a recipe of a dessert I’m currently obsessed with. This year, I’m sharing this easy tiramisu recipe, which conjures up many fancy restaurant meals for me. This is the perfect homemade tiramisu as it’s incredibly easy to make and does not contain raw egg yolks. While a traditional tiramisu recipe would likely contain yolks in the custard layers, I don’t find it necessary and this version is still ultra creamy and flavorful.

Tiramisu is sometimes called “Tuscan trifle,” as it was invented in Italy in the 1960s or 1970s. In Italian, tiramisu means “cheer me up,” which this dessert most certainly will do! It’s got layers of cake soaked in coffee and rum with creamy, custard-like layers in between. This no-bake dessert is well known and much beloved.

Related – Here are a few other past birthday treats I’ve posted: my favorite brownies, birthday cake cookies, and angel food cake.

Ingredients

• Heavy whipping cream
• Meringue powder
• Granulated white sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Mascarpone
• Espresso
• Water
• Coffee liqueur – I use Kahlua
• Lady fingers
• Cocoa powder

Check out the tips and substitutions section for ideas of ingredients you can swap or change out if you want to avoid alcohol, caffeine, or can’t find certain ingredients in your local grocery store.

Directions

Allow your mascarpone to reach room temperature. In the winter months (when I photographed this recipe), I set it out on my counter overnight.

In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream and meringue powder and until soft peaks form. Then, while mixing, add in granulated white sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. This is pretty much the process to make homemade whipped cream.

Use a rubber spatula to fold in the softened mascarpone until combined with the whipped cream.

In a pie pan or plate with a large lip, combine the espresso, water and coffee liqueur. Quickly dip the lady fingers in the mixture and then place in an even layer in a 8×8 square pan. Once you have the bottom layer, add a layer of the cream filling and smooth into an even layer. Repeat another layer of lady fingers on top. Then the remaining layer of cream filling.

Dust the top of the tiramisu with cocoa powder. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, but up to two days before serving.

Tips & Substitutions

• If you want to make this in a 9×13 pan, you can easily double this recipe.
• The “hardest” part of tiramisu in my opinion is removing it from the pan to serve. If this bothers you, consider building the dessert in individual ramekins or even wine glasses to serve.
• Meringue powder – There isn’t a great substitute for this ingredient, BUT if you can’t find it you can skip it and this recipe will still be very good. It just adds some lift and a little dimension to the whipped cream.
• Mascarpone – If you can’t find this soft cheese, you can substitute cream cheese.
• Espresso – Instead of espresso and water you can use 1 1/4 cups coffee or decaf coffee.
• Coffee liqueur – Other great options are rum or marsala wine. If you want an alcohol-free option, I would just skip it and add an additional 1/4 cup coffee or decaf coffee.
• Lady fingers – These can be a little hard to find at some grocery stores; at mine, they are usually in the freezer of the bakery section. If you can’t find them, I would use vanilla wafers instead, which are more hardy and crispy, so feel free to soak just a little longer to soften them.

While these substitution ideas will make the recipe less authentic, they are meant to help you succeed in still making a delicious and flavorful no bake dessert.

More No-Bake Recipes