I didn’t know a single word of Italian when I went to Italy for the first time in 1995 to meet my husband’s family. But his sister Maria taught me how to make excellent dolci (desserts). They now beg me to recreate her tiramisu whenever we return because this is her recipe!
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 2 hrs |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 30 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, separated, divided
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 2 cups brewed espresso, cooled, divided
- 2 (8 ounce) packages mascarpone cheese
- 1 pinch white sugar
- 30 ladyfingers (such as Savoiardi®)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Beat together egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, brandy, and 1 tablespoon espresso in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese; beat until well blended, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Beat egg whites and a pinch of sugar in a separate, clean bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into mascarpone mixture; set aside.
- Pour remaining espresso into a shallow dish. Dip 1 side of each ladyfinger into espresso and arrange on a serving platter in 2 horizontal rows of 6 and 2 1/2 ladyfingers in opposite directions on both ends to form a rectangular shape.
- Spread 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture onto ladyfingers and dust with 1/2 of the cocoa powder. Top with remaining ladyfingers dipped in espresso, mascarpone mixture, and cocoa powder.
- Refrigerate tiramisu until ladyfingers have softened, 2 to 3 hours.
- Strong brewed coffee can be used in place of espresso.
- This recipe contains raw egg. We recommend that pregnant women, young children, older adults, and the immunocompromised do not consume raw egg. Learn more about egg safety from our article,
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 324 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 26 g |
| Cholesterol | 155 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Sodium | 84 mg |
| Sugars | 9 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
little struggle to find lady fingers, but I’m glad I did not give up – love this recipe! thank you
This recipe was super easy to make and super delicious to eat! Needless to say, it didn’t last long. Thank you for sharing.
The.Best..! 2nd time I didn’t have enough espresso so substituted some chocolate coffee from my Nespresso (oh the sacrifices we make).
Great recipe. But two tablespoons of cocoa powder is plenty for me.
Tried different recipes and this was the winner. My family loved it and is requesting it again. So quick and easy to make!
Great, authentic Tiramisu!
I used a mix of strong coffee and Kahlua. My company loved it so I am making it for another group of friends
I was fortunate to have this homemade by Kim, the recipe creator. It’s INCREDIBLE!! It will be my go-to recipe for authentic tiramisu. Try it, you won’t be sorry!
Amazing as is. Great recipe! I make sure my egg whites are extra firm and I gently fold it in the mascarpone mixture just enough until incorporated. The texture is to die for! Almost like a mouse! I also use a an Italian coffee pot that makes espresso on the stove. The best coffee makes the best dessert.
Fabulous recipe . I didn’t add the alcohol to the recipe as I’m allergic to alcohol ( yeah , I know – luck me) ; plus my kids are really young. I used the Nespresso double espresso capsules and followed the recipe . I did have two mixing bowls that I used . The mascarpone part I used a blade and one mixing bowl while the second mixing bowl and whisk attachment was stored in the freezer until I was ready to whip the egg whites . The egg whites whip up in no time and then I just folded the egg whites with the mascarpone. I use the Dutch brand Coco and it elevates the dessert . Thank you to the author for sharing such a nice dessert !
Excellent. People gobbled it up! Initially used Kahlua like some other recipes, but that was way too sweet, so I bought some Brandy per this recipe and that was just right. In fact, doubling the amount of Brandy was delicious even to non-drinkers! I pasteurized the eggs using sous vide (134 degrees for 1 hour, per ATK) for some peace of mind. Honestly, it was hard to imagine that raw egg would end up tasting so good, but no one would know that’s what it was from the delicious and creamy result. Thanks for a great recipe.
Just right. prepared as written. Turned out perfect.
I wasn’t sure about making it but after reading the comments I am definitely going to try it Thanks for posting
A-MAZ-ING!!! Loved this recipe. I didn’t have brandy, but I did have white rum. It worked great. I also added some grated bittersweet chocolate to the top to add some visual texture. This is my first time making a tiramisu. I have found my go to recipe. My husband, who historically doesn’t love tiramisu, loves this! Thanks so much for sharing.
Excellent! Just like nonna used to make! No need to change a thing. Method is perfect. Thanks Kim’s Cookin Now! for sharing this recipe.
First time I’ve every made this- easy, elegant, and delicious!!!
Heaven, absolute heaven. No adjustments are needed for this recipe, it’s perfect. Thanks Kim!
This recipe is fantastic! No need to change or add anything. My whole family loves it. I had no issues with the mixing times listed, like another reviewer stated. Egg/cheese cream mixture came out great. I like letting this sit overnight, so the flavors really have time to marry. It’s pretty hard to do though! 😀 Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
i make almost the same i useunsweetened chocolate and hennessey and ammereto mix
Awesome! Scaled the recipe back by a third and used a 8×8” glass pan. Cognac instead of brandy and enough lady fingers to fit the dish. For my cookies, 3/4 cup of espresso was more than enough to soak them and not have a soggy dessert. I will certainly make this again.
Needs really strong coffee and a little more liquor less than 2 cups of coffee