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This delicious and unbelievably easy Tiramisu recipe is made with coffee soaked lady fingers, sweet and creamy mascarpone (no raw eggs!), and cocoa powder dusted on top. It requires no baking and can be made in advance!
Who doesn’t love an easy no-bake dessert? That’s one of the best things about this tiramisu recipe. If you are looking quick no-bake dessert I also love No Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars and Butterscotch Cereal Bars.
This recipe has been a long time coming, and I'm embarrassed to admit how much tiramisu has been made in the trial of this recipe (I literally bought out every package of Savoiardi lady fingers at two different stores!) but I wanted to nail down the right approach.
By “right approach”, I mean how traditional of a tiramisu recipe I wanted to share. (In case you're not familiar with it, Tiramisu is a popular Italian dessert made with lady fingers (or spongecake), coffee, liqueur, and mascarpone cheese topped with chocolate powder). Should I make the lady fingers from scratch? Does it matter? And more importantly, do I make it with raw eggs?
What makes my recipe different:
My tiramisu does not use raw eggs. It's the easiest tiramisu recipe to make, and there's no sacrifice in flavor.
Traditional tiramisu uses raw egg yolks and sugar beaten and then combined with raw whipped egg whites and mascarpone. I've tried that method, but thought people would most likely be turned off by the raw eggs.
Then I tried using a double boiler to gently cook the eggs and sugar before adding them to the mascarpone, which is a really common method used in lots of modern recipes (the Pioneer Woman has a great recipe!). I found it tricky to get the thick and creamy mascarpone layer I wanted.
So, I ultimately decided to swap out the egg whites in favor of fresh whipped cream, because I like the flavor and texture more. The result is delicious and EASY! You're going to love it! Make sure to try my Pumpkin Tiramisu and Lemon Tiramisu too!
Ingredients you'll need:
- Ladyfingers: I buy them, but you could make them from scratch.
- Mascarpone: it wouldn't be true tiramisu without mascarpone, but if you absolutely must, you could substitute cream cheese.
- Coffee: I use espresso
- Heavy Whipped cream
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla extract: or substitute imitation vanilla
- Cocoa powder: for dusting on top
How to make Tiramisu:
- Mix creamy filling. Beat the mascarpone, cream, sugar, and vanilla together until stiff peaks.
- Dip lady fingers. Add the espresso and liqueur (if using) to a shallow bowl and dip the lady fingers on both sides (don't let them soak–just a quick dip!)
- Layer mascarpone. Smooth a layer of the mascarpone/whipped cream mixture on top of the lady fingers.
- Repeat. Add another layer of lady fingers (dipped in coffee and liqueur) and another layer of cheese mixture. Dust with cocoa powder.
What kind of alcohol is used in tiramisu?
Tiramisu can be made with or without alcohol. This recipe calls for coffee flavored liqueur because I like that it enhances the coffee flavor.
Alcohol free: Leave it out completely.
Alcohol variations: use dark rum, brandy, marsala wine.
Espresso substitutions: coffee, decaf
MAKE AHEAD AND FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS:
Tiramisu is even better when made in advance, allowing the flavors to blend! It will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
To freeze, make completely, but don’t dust with cocoa powder. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and then tinfoil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and dust with cocoa powder a few hours before serving.
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Tiramisu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream , (360 ml)
- 8 ounce container mascarpone cheese , ,room temperature (225 g)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar , (67 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , (5 ml)
- 1 1/2 cups cold espresso , , prepared (360 ml)
- 3 Tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur , ,optional (Kahlua or DaVinci brands) (45 ml)
- 1 package Lady Fingers, ,Savoiardi brand can be found in the cookie aisle at your local grocery store, or online
- Cocoa powder for dusting the top
Instructions
- Add whipping cream to a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with electric mixers (or use a stand mixer). Slowly add sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks. Add mascarpone cheese and fold in until combined. Set aside.
- Add coffee and liqueur to a shallow bowl. Dip the lady fingers in the coffee (Don't soak them–just quickly dip them on both sides to get them wet) and lay them in a single layer on the bottom of an 8×8'' or similar size pan.
- Smooth half of the mascarpone mixture over the top. Add another layer of dipped lady fingers. Smooth remaining mascarpone cream over the top.
- Dust cocoa powder generously over the top (I use a fine mesh strainer to do this). Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or up to overnight before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Check out my webstory! I originally shared this recipe April 2017. Updated January 2020 with process photos and instructions.
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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OMG I ate the entire desert myself in ONE day. it’s that good. Making another soon.
It was amazing, I loved it. I used vanilla extract to my hearts content so that did not going quite well but apart from that, IT WAS DELICIOUS
Made this for my daughter-in-laws for her birthday. Wow!! She loved it. It is so easy. Love that there are NO EGGS. Thank you
Did you check the sponge fingers did not have eggs?
This was so delicious, tiramisu is my husbands favorite dessert and he said this was one of the best he’s tasted! So easy and I love that it has no raw egg!
I had never tried tiramisu because I don’t like coffee. But my daughters convinced me to try this recipe. OMG!!! It is soooo delicious! And it was really easy to make. I had read the comments and whipped up the mascarpone cheese so that it blended well with the whipped cream. This recipe is definitely one I will make again and again.
I had never tried tiramisu because I don’t like coffee. But my daughters convinced me to try this recipe. OMG!!! It is soooo delicious! And it was really easy to make. I had read the comments and whipped up the mascarpone cheese so that it blended well with the whipped cream. This recipe is definitely one I will make again and again.
I replied before reading the comments so wanted to add that we used Goya lady fingers which are light crispy and dry. Our whipped cream was quite stiff before adding the mascarpone and we just folded it in until it was combined. Also, there is only 1/3 C. of sugar added to 1 1/2 C cream plus 1 C of mascarpone, definitely not over sweetened. It was light and creamy. In the end, we had about 1/3 cup of the cream mixture left over, which we saved to have with blackberries later. I prefer to have too much over too little. Thanks again for this great recipe.
My 13 year old daughter and I made this today and it is the real thing, only easier to make! It took 20 minutes to prepare and tasted delicious, just like the little Italian place down the street…if not better. This is a family keeper, better than birthday cake (and easier to make… Shhhh.)
I made this yesterday for a birthday. My nephew “licked the bowl” and declared it delicious. My daughter, her boyfriend (the birthday boy), and my nephew just finished it off. It was a hit!! Thank you for such a simple, delicious recipe!
Soooo good and easy to make.
I don’t have a expresso maker? What can I substitute for the espresso?
Thanks, Kathy
Do you have a French press coffee maker?
I used 3 tblspns of espresso coffee to 1 1/2 cups water and it works well
Bustelo Instant Espresso works just fine
Walmart sells instant powdered expresso, or I’ve also made this with cold coffee – the coffee taste just isn’t as strong.
Absolutely delicious, and incredibly easy!
This was an epic fail for me. Probably because I live in a small town in the middle of Wyoming and the only lady fingers I could find were in the bakery section. When I make it again, I will purchase 2 packages of spongy lady fingers and toast them slightly in the oven before I dip them. Whipped layers turned out great and the flavor of my strongly brewed K cups with the Kahlua was great. Operator error with the ladyfingers.
I brought it into the office and everyone loved it. Many people raved that it was the best tiramisu they’ve ever had.
A few changes:
– I’ve made the recipe a couple of times and since I’m based in Australia, I used the same cup measurements with an AU cup.
– Instead of granulated white sugar, I used confectioner’s sugar instead.
– I use Coles heavy thickened cream as heavy whipping cream isn’t readily available.
– Since I don’t own an expresso machine, I used 2.5 tsps of instant coffee in 1.5 cups of water.
Hope this helps 🙂
I’ve made tiramisu with egg whites several times, but was concerned my guests may be turned off by the idea of it on a hot summer day so I tried this recipe instead. I’m baffled by all the positive reviews. The recipe is terrible: too sweet, too much fat, none of the light, pleasant creaminess of tiramisu made with egg whites and mascarpone. I’m glad I put aside a small portion to try before serving it to guests, because I would be embarrassed to share it. Had to toss it all. All my ingredients were fresh and tasted well on their own, but I still ended up with a nauseating aftertaste after just two tablespoons of this so-called tiramisu.
This was so easy and delicious. At first I was worried as when folding the marscapone into the cream I did not get the same fluffy consistency your video showed. Mine was creamy but liquidy. I am so glad I went forward and just hoped after chilling it would get the right texture. It did!
Thanks for this. Will make often.