This is how to make a real Tiramisu the proper Italian way! The cream layers are luxurious and rich, but not greasy and heavy like simplified versions made with whipping cream.
It’s simple to make, fun to construct, and tastes even better the next day – and the next! This is a traditional Italian recipe by Vanessa Martin, a well regarded Australian Italian Chef.
Tiramisu – proper Italian recipe!
There are many, many Tiramisu recipes out there in this big wide world. Some are complicated. Some are very shortcut, made using cream in a can.
This is a proper Italian Tiramisu recipe. The way it’s made in Italy and the GOOD Italian restaurants.😇
There is no whipping cream.
And it’s made using raw eggs.
I know that concerns some people. And in fact, somewhere along the lines of history, someone (non Italian!) got scared about eating raw eggs so they decided to start making Tiramisu using tempered eggs (eggs whisked over a water bath).
While food safety may have been a valid concern in the past, these days in Western countries (certainly in Australia), the quality of eggs sold in reputable stores is good enough such that you won’t need to worry about consuming raw eggs.
And if the thought of raw eggs is icky – well, chances are you’ve eaten raw egg without realising it in the form of:
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chocolate mousse (in a traditional or nice French restaurant)
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Pavlova (what do you think that marshmallow centre you know and love is? Raw egg whites!)
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Homemade mayonnaise, hollandaise and bernaise (raw yolks!)
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All those cake batter and cookie dough bowls you’ve licked clean!!
And of course, that Tiramisu you swooned over at that rustic little Italian restaurant?? Raw eggs!
Safety note: for extra precaution, it is recommended that young children, pregnant women or people with fragile health issues avoid foods made with raw eggs. And yep, that includes all the foods I’ve listed above!
The unique thing about the Tiramisu cream is that it’s rich yet light, it sets so it’s cuttable to show the layers, yet it’s soft and creamy.
What goes in Tiramisu
So, other than the eggs, there’s a few more ingredients in Tiramisu worth chatting to you about!
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Lady fingers aka Pavesini or Savoiardi biscuits – pretty widely available nowadays, at least here in Australia. Sold at grocery stores in the biscuit aisle, delis and fruit ‘n veg shops. They are crisp, sweet sponge fingers that taste like vanilla;
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Mascarpone – it’s a very thick, rich Italian cream that has a consistency like cream cheese (see video for consistency). Australians – do NOT use Woolworths or any generic home brand as they are too thin and won’t set, so your cream layer will be too thin. Use good brands such as:
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La Casa Formaggio Mascarpone (Woolworths)
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Montefiore Mascarpone Cheese (Coles)
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Formaggio Zanetti (Harris Farms)
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Latteria Sociale Mantova (Harris Farms, pictured below)
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Any from an Italian deli
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Coffee – Tiramisu ain’t Tiramisu without coffee for dunking the biscuits! You’ll see me using an espresso machine in the video, but in my pre coffee machine days, I always used coffee granules; and
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Frangelico or other liquor – I am actually not really much of a fan of liquor in my sweets, but Tiramisu is the exception! I like Frangelico because it’s a hazelnut flavoured liquor, and also very partial to Kahlua which is coffee flavoured. Other options: Rum, brandy, Bailey’s – go wild, use what you love, or even keep it virgin (almond essence, vanilla extract!)
This is an easy Tiramisu recipe – it’s made the traditional way so the eggs are not tempered.
How to make Tiramisu
The key to a rich-yet-light Tiramisu is to beat the egg whites until fluffy, then fold it through the rich cream mixture of sugar, yolks and mascarpone.
This technique creates a Tiramisu cream which has a consistency like whipped cream (ie soft and spreadable) but it sets in a way that cream never can so you can cut through the Tiramisu to reveal the layers.
I say it “sets”, but it’s still very soft and creamy – it’s a unique texture that sets proper Tiramisu recipes apart from quick version made with whipping cream!
Layering up!
My favourite part! And it goes down like this:
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Dunk biscuits in coffee-Frangelico
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Cover base of dish
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Top with half the Tiramisu cream
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Repeat!
TIP: Dunk quickly! 2 seconds total for each biscuit. Any longer and the biscuit will literally disintegrate in your hands!
The one other thing worth noting about Tiramisu made the proper way – it is far less sweet than most desserts. There’s only 1/2 cup of sugar in this whole recipe and the only other sweetness is the biscuits, but they aren’t that sweet!
In fact, I sometimes fret that it’s not sweet enough – but everybody (and I really do mean everybody) I have ever made this for says it’s the perfect as is.
So in the many years I’ve been making this, I haven’t change the recipe at all! – Nagi x
If you’re thinking about an Italian Dinner Party…
Typical Italian Dinner Party at mine involving proven favourites that are largely prep ahead would have a menu like this:
Starters
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Bruschetta DIY spread made with tomato (when in season) or grilled/roasted Marinated Veggies (which is basically homemade antipasto) with soft ricotta (Australia – avoid Perfect Italiano, it’s powdery and borders on inedible)
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Tuna or kingfish carpaccio (want the recipe? Drop me a message below!)
Main and sides
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Shredded Beef Ragu pasta (a proven, low maintenance winner I make a LOT! Also great to take camping)
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Garlic Bread – yep, I do carb blow outs for company! (Sometimes I go all out with CHEESY Garlic Bread or even Cheese and Garlic Crack Bread)
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Rocket/Arugula Parmesan Salad – toss rocket/arugula with salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Pile into bowls, drizzle with balsamic reduction (store bought fine!), shave over parmesan (using veg peeler). I make this a LOT for everyday purposes – super fast, no dressing to make separately!
Dessert – This Tiramisu!
Watch how to make it
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Easy Tiramisu (Chef Recipe)
Ingredients
- 3 eggs , yolks and whites separated
- 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz / 250g mascarpone , good brand (Important - read Note 1)
- 1 1/4 cups black coffee , hot and strong! (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp (or more!) Frangelico or Kahlua , or other liquor of choice (skip for alcohol free)
- 6.5 oz / 200g (24 - 30) lady fingers, pavesini or savoiardi biscuits (Note 3)
- Cocoa , for dusting
Instructions
- Beat yolks and sugar in stand mixer or electric beater on speed 6 to 7 for 10 minutes or until it changes from yellow to pale yellow (almost white), and is thick (see video for consistency).
- Add vanilla and mascarpone, beat until just combined and smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl, set aside.
- Clean bowl and whisk. Add egg whites and beat until it's stiff (3 minutes on speed 7, should be all white foam, see video!)
- Add 1/2 the cream mixture into the egg whites. Gently fold through. When most incorporated, add the remaining cream mixture and fold through until just combined - don't bash out all the air in the egg whites! (Note 4)
- Mix coffee and liquor together. Quickly dip biscuits in and line the bottom of a 8”/20cm square dish. (See video or step photos above to see how I arrange them).
- Spread over half the cream, then top with another layer of coffee dipped biscuits.
- Spread with remaining cream.
- Cover, refrigerate for at least 4 - 5 hours, preferably overnight
- Dust with cocoa powder just before serving - either before you cut or after placing onto serving plates.
Recipe Notes:
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- La Casa Formaggio Mascarpone (Woolworths)
- Montefiore Mascarpone Cheese (Coles)
- Formaggio Zanetti (Harris Farms)
- Latteria Sociale Mantova (Harris Farms)
- Any from an Italian deli, anything made in Australia
Nutrition Information:
Tiramisu recipe originally published March 2016. Updated August 2019 with new photos, new step photos, brand new video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
Off to Vietnam today to film the first official RecipeTin Food Travels video! Very excited to venture into this new direction which will bring together FOOD along with TRAVEL tips from the RecipeTin Family.
The travel videos will be accompanied with posts that will list exactly where we stayed, where we ate and what we ordered. And the most exciting part (at least for me!) is that I’ll share recipes for the foods I film on the streets of Vietnam!
As for Dozer – unfortunately I am yet to find an airline that will let me take him in the cabin with me, and yet to get the Australian government to relax the rigid 6 week quarantine laws upon return of dogs to Australia.
So until such time, Dozer stays behind for international trips…. and this is what I have to deal with when I’m packing to go away without him….
Oh the guilt! It’s almost too much to bear!! Might be smiling on the outside but I’m crying on the inside 😩
Trish says
Hi Nagi
I love your recipes and was looking forward to this tiramisu
Unfortunately it didn’t turn out as planned
I ended up with a curdled mess Oh add my ingredients at room temp which you didn’t mention but has been said in other recipes and a habit I have when beating eggs particularly
Any ideas what I did wrong?
Liz H says
Sacrificed good sleep hygiene for a taste or two at 11pm. Compounded by more tasting at breakfast. Tiramisu craving met: 10/10
Aish says
Hi Nagi, thanks for the recipe – I would love to try it! I have a couple of questions before I make an attempt:
– Caster sugar is not commonly found in U.S. stores. Would you recommend using same quantity of granulated instead or grinding granulated sugar at home to a fine consistency?
– Can I use a metal 8 inch baking pan to se this?
Thank you!
Charlotte Andrew says
i made a double batch in a 9×13 glass pan. my italian neighbour always makes her tiramisu w/o whipping cream so i wanted to experiment and came upon your recipe. just curious as to why the coffee needs to be hot? it made my marscapone mixture get a bit runny while i was assembling…so maybe it would be better to use a cooled coffee.
Deduni Kuruppu says
Hi Can i use the same recipe without eggs?
Thanks
Fiona says
Another amazingly easy recipe. Thank you Navi. Until now I always thought this would be too technical for me to try but you’ve made it so simple.
Marea says
Just delicious +++. I used Kahlua and had a little tipple at the same time. Nagi, do you think it would freeze?
Mel says
This was so good! I went the virgin option and used hazelnut coffee syrup from Aldi to flavour the coffee dipping. I was a little bit scared to dip too long in case the sponge fingers disintegrated. I’ll let them soak a tad more next time so they are soft and cakey.
Din Rahman says
Hi Nagi, I tried this recipe and got two different version. One is harder and the other one is slightly softer with cream like texture. Of course one is loaded and the other one is alcohol free. The only similarity these two have is they are too sweet to my liking. Is it possible to reduce the sugar to the level that my pancreas won’t be screaming?
Patricia says
Loved the ease of this and then we ate it. Loved that part even more. I did add chocolate shavings to the top of all layers. Held up even two day later.
Jo Mathie says
It is time for chefs abroad, who want others in other countries to try their recipes, (which look cool btw) to put ingredients in grams or ounces. Its not a difficult task because I have used many recipes that have allowed me to convert the measurements. It’s very easy to say that a cup is this and that, when facts show that it is not that simple.
Mrs B says
Perfect, even better alcohol free. I was nervous because of some reviews below. I made this early morning, kept at the back of the fridge & it was ready 12 hours later for after Christmas dinner. So glad I found a recipe without cream! Thanks again Nagi.
Jay says
Hi Nagi,
Thank you for the recipe. I find that my egg yolk and mascarpone mix is a bit on the runny side. What could be going wrong?
Dee says
Thank you Nagi
Made this for Xmas lunch and didn’t have the sponge fingers so used crushed choc chip biscuits and Coles brand mascarpone (don’t judge me – there isn’t much choice in north Qld on Xmas Eve)
Added Frangelico and served in individual dessert bowls, and it was a complete hit
Danielle says
I’m making this today, I live rural and could not find a genuine brand of mascarpone ANYWHERE.
Aldi of all places has a genuine “Made in Italy” authentic Mascarpone, its thick like spreadable cream cheese, and only 4 dollars! I had to share my find.
Georgie says
I gave this a go yesterday for Xmas and unfortunately had to go in the bin as it refused to set in the fridge, I used the La Casa Formaggio brand of mascarpone so maybe one to avoid as it was quite runny out of the container more like a thick cream than the texture of cream cheese.
Charlotte Andrew says
if your tiramisu doesn’t set dont throw it away. pop it in the freezer. It makes a good frozen dessert too 🙂
Jam says
Made this for our early Christmas (only one guest-very sad-but next year!). It was perfect in size but most importantly in taste. I did add shaved chocolate to each layer and on top. Thanks for an easy go-to recipe that can be put together so quickly with such “big time” results.
Kim says
Hi Nagi,
Do you think I can make this two nights in advance? Or will it get watery/soggy
Nagi says
That will be fine Kim! Just make sure you don’t eat it first – the temptation is a problem 😂 N x
Elle says
Nagi. This. Was. INCREDIBLE! Just so delicious and absolutely did not miss the cream or soggy-ness of the sponge fingers that I usually get with other tiramisu recipes. This was hands-down PERFECTION. I used a slightly smaller dish and got three layers, still delicious, and used rum as my liquor. This will be my go-to tiramisu recipe FOR EVER. Thank you!
Ann-Maree says
Hi Nagi I followed recipe but I didn’t have as much filling as yours looks . Could I make more next time somehow ?
Debbie Henderson says
I used twice as many eggs,sugar and used the extra “cream ” to make extra tiramisu in small corningware dishes using several different types of cookies, biscotti,and biscuits. Bicotti and Lotus Biscoti both work well. Thank you Nagi for the recipe.
Tanya Jones says
Hi Nagi, I’ve just made your Tiramisu recipe and followed it exactly. The mixture was quite wet and looked curdled! Do you have any tips why?
Nagi says
Hi Tanya, sorry you had issues here, sounds like it may of been the mascarpone you’re using – can I ask what brand it is? N x