Classic Italian Tiramisu Recipe
Total Time
8 hrs 40 mins
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Rating
4.99 out of 5 stars
(645)
Ingredients
12 slices
- 1 1/2 cups espresso (or strong coffee), room temperature
- 6 Tbsp golden rum, divided
- 40 ladyfingers
- 6 egg yolks, (large)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 16 oz mascarpone, cold
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 2-3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, to dust the top
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Preparation
Step 1
In a bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups espresso and 3 Tbsp rum. Quickly dip half of the ladyfingers, one at a time and arrange in a single layer in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Dip once on each side so they are moist but do not soak ladyfingers or the cake will collapse.
Step 2
In a separate rimmed medium glass bowl, whisk together yolks and sugar. Place over steam (on a saucepan with simmering water) and whisk 10 minutes on low heat until the mixture is lighter in color, slightly thickened, and not grainy when you rub between your fingers. Remove from heat and whisk for a few minutes off the heat to help it cool down then set aside to cool while doing step 3.
Step 3
Beat together 16 oz mascarpone and 3 Tbsp rum. Use an electric hand mixer to beat in the warm yolk mixture until well incorporated.
Step 4
In a separate bowl, beat cold heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Use a spatula to gently fold half of the whipped cream into mascarpone cream then blend in remaining whipped cream, just until incorporated. Do not overfold or it will become grainy.
Step 5
Spread half of the cream over the first layer of ladyfingers. Dip and arrange remaining ladyfingers. Spread remaining cream. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Dust with cocoa powder before serving. It is ok to dust with cocoa ahead of time – it will just darken it in color from the moisture.
Step 6
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Chef's notes
Do not over-soak the ladyfingers or the layers may collapse. A quick dip on each side is enough. There will be some syrup left behind.
When whisking yolks and sugar over steam, make sure the bowl is not touching the water beneath it.
Use cold HEAVY whipping cream and beat until stiff peaks form – whip slowly over time for the cream to remain more stable. Don’t overbeat or it will turn buttery and be difficult to blend. Also, avoid under-beating which will keep it from setting properly.
When folding the cream into Mascarpone, do not over-mix the cream or it may turn grainy.
Chill the cake for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator or overnight and it will be very easy to slice and serve. Serve the cake cold.
Leftovers are good refrigerated for up to 5 days because there are no raw eggs in the cake.
