Most of the recipes on my blog are course recipes, so let’s make some dessert for a change. I chose an awesome Italian classic called Tiramisu or Tiramisu cake. This no-bake dessert is so easy to make that I actually asked one of my sons to show you how it’s done. I had to bribe him with 20 bucks, since he’s quite camera shy, so I hope it was worth it. Check the video below, to see how he did 🙂

There are quite a few Italian Tiramisu cake recipes out there, some more authentic, some less… ours is pretty close to the original, but we definitely gave it a bit of a personal touch. Try to give it a try, I’m pretty sure you will like it. Now let’s make it!

TIP: Want to try some more simple desserts? My simple crepes recipe is an awesome classic. You might also like this Italian salted caramel budino puding from Kita. Or how about some keto cookie dough fat bombs? This No bake chocolate mousse cheesecake looks great too. And to wrap it up, this lava cake is the fave of my kids.

Ingredients Needed For This Tiramisu Dessert

20 ladyfinger biscuits
5-6 eggs (high quality)
2 cups of Mascarpone 250g/8oz each
70g (5-6 tablespoons) powdered or granulated sugar
20-25g (2 tablespoons) vanilla sugar
cocoa powder
1 shot Amaretto liquor
1/2 cup espresso

How to make Tiramisu Cake

Watch the video or scroll down for step by step instructions:

Start by separating the egg yolks from the whites. A word of caution here, Tiramisu uses raw eggs so make sure you are working with high quality eggs from a reputable source.

TIP: Make sure there are no trays of the egg yolks left in the separated whites! Even a small amount of yolks will prevent the whites from stiffening up when beaten.

Add 5 tablespoons of powdered or granulated sugar and whisk it with the eggs. Once incorporated, add 2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar and whisk until the yellow color becomes somewhat pale.

Original Tiramisu must be made with Mascarpone! It’s not the cheapest ingredient, but definitely try to get a good Italian brand. We need two standard cups of Mascarpone, these are usually 250 grams or 8 ounces each.

Whisk the Mascarpone into the cream until smooth and lumps free.

Grab a hand mixer now and proceed with the egg whites. Keep mixing or beating until the whites become stiff and peaks are forming. When beaten properly, the stiffened whites will not fall from the bowl when turned upside down.

Start gradually adding the beaten egg whites into the cream now. Mix gently with a silicone spatula as you go, so the foamy egg whites retain their volume. The finished Tiramisu cream should have a smooth and thick texture.

Coffee is an important ingredient in any true Tiramisu, we will need about a cup of quality espresso. Add a shot of Amaretto liquor and mix it in.

NOTE: Marsala wine, Vin Santo or Madeira are the traditional alcohol types used in a Tiramisu, but liquors are also an accepted choice, that’s why we use the Amaretto. On top of that, this liquor is easier to get in our town 🙂

And it’s time to assemble the dessert. We can use a standard baking dish. Start by making a thin cream layer at the bottom of it. Next comes a layer of ladyfingers dipped in coffee. Do not let them soak up too much coffee, a quick dip from both sides is all we need.

TIP: Leave some spaces in between the ladyfingers. These spaces will fill with the delicious cream and create an extra creamy texture of our Tiramisu.

Proceed by making the second cream layer. Make sure you leave enough cream for the final one, so don’t use more than half of what you have left at this point.

Continue with the second layer of our coffee dipped lady fingers. And finish it up with the final layer of the delicious cream. Spread it evenly and make sure every part is properly covered with it.

The final step is to properly dust our Tiramisu with cocoa powder. Use a simple strainer to make sure the coca layer is nice and even. Our Tiramisu is done and it’s time to let it cool down properly in the fridge.

TIP: Don’t have time to wait? Put the Tiramisu cake into your freezer for 20 minutes. Many people skip this step and eat the dessert as soon as completed, which is perfectly fine. We prefer to eat it cold and it also holds the shape a bit better this way.

Once cooled down, we are ready to serve. Our version of Tiramisu is very creamy so it’s kind of hard to take out a nicely shaped piece. But, we tried hard and it worked out pretty well on the second try, don’t you agree?

Bon Appetit my friends, I hope you liked this recipe. Oh and… let my son know how he did, in the comments! See you next time.

Optional Tips For This Tiramisu Cake Recipe

• I strongly suggest using Mascarpone, but there are some substitutes that people use. You can try Crème Fraîche, Whipped Cream or Cream Cheese whipped with butter.
• Want to skip the alcohol? Mix some strong-flavor juice into the coffee… orange, cherry or raspberry work great. Some aroma/extract can be used too. I’ve used almond extract in a Tiramisu once too, and it turned out great.
• Are you afraid of raw eggs? You can gently cook the yolks over a water bath while whisking frequently. As for the egg whites, you can replace them with whipped cream in this case.
• Want to check some 100% authentic recipe? Here is a video with a great Italian chef preparing it.
• Got some Mascarpone left? Try to make this mascarpone frosting recipe.