This Easy Homemade Tiramisu is a classic no-bake dessert you can easily make at home! Creamy and rich, filled with coffee fragrance, this will certainly be one of the best tiramisu you’ll make.
Watch How To Make Easy Homemade Tiramisu Recipe Video
What is Tiramisu?
Anyone who loves Italian dessert will surely love this classic Tiramisu which is probably the most iconic Italian treat. Tiramisu is a coffee-flavoured, no-bake Italian dessert. It is made with layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers sandwiched with a mascarpone cream cheese custard mixture.
This is certainly one of the most popular desserts served in cafes and coffee shops. Well, good news is now you can easily make this at home.
Yes, Tiramisu certainly has all the best things in a slice of cake. It has coffee, liquor, a super creamy custard and just a little chocolate. Absolutely delicious! No wonder this was requested by my daughter Miko to have this made as her birthday cake this year. And this lovely rich Tiramisu was specially made for her on her birthday 🙂
So Enjoy!
Overview on How To Make Tiramisu At Home
Although it may look complicated to make, Tiramisu is actually a very simple Italian dessert that you can easily make at home. You just need to do some planning before you start. Make the cream custard filling the day before and assemble the tiramisu the next day.
It is preferred to make the tiramisu the day before serving so that all the flavours are fully absorbed and is firm enough to slice easily. In fact, you can transfer the Tiramisu from the refrigerator into the freezer for a few hours just before serving. It makes the cutting process a breeze.
How To Make Easy Homemade Tiramisu?
This Tiramisu recipe is really simple and straight forward. Tiramisu is made of two basic components: the cream custard layer and the coffee-soaked ladyfingers, which are italian finger-shaped biscuits. What we are going to do is to layer these coffee flavoured ladyfingers with the cream custard.
Part 1: Making The Mascarpone Cream Custard Filling
To make the custard, first heat up milk and sugar over medium high heat in a saucepan just until it comes to a boil. Meanwhile, separate six egg yolks into a heatproof bowl. Whisk in milk, sugar and all-purpose flour. Mix into a smooth paste. Then gradually whisk in the hot milk into the egg yolk paste. Make sure to stir all the time while pouring in the milk.
Next, transfer the custard into a clean saucepan and cook over medium heat. This will activate the flour and thickens the custard. Be sure to stir continuously throughout the process. Cook the custard just until it boils. Then using a heatproof spatula, stir constantly when the custard comes to a boil and cook for another minute till the custard really thickens up. Then, remove from stove and strain the custard into a bowl and mix in vanilla extract, butter and rum.
Place a cling wrap on the surface of the custard, set aside to room temperature and leave to chill in the refrigerator for a few hours, preferably overnight. When the custard has chilled, mix into smooth mascarpone cheese, a little at a time and mix (using a whisk) till a smooth custard is formed. And the mascarpone custard is ready to be used.
Part 2: Making The Coffee Soaking Mixture
Next, prepare the coffee liquid to soak the ladyfingers. Mix warm espresso or strongly brewed coffee with Kahlua (coffee liqueur) in a shallow bowl. Or, you can also mix the brewed coffee with rum with some sugar to taste for additional sweetness. Also, prepare a loaf pan and line with cling wrap with an overhang on both sides so it is easy to remove the tiramisu after it is chilled. Then prepare to assemble the tiramisu.
Part 3: Assembling The Tiramisu
Dip the ladyfingers, one at a time and arrange in a single layer at the bottom of the loaf pan. Then spoon one third of the mascarpone custard over the ladyfingers.
Repeat with another layer of soaked ladyfingers and cover with another one third of the custard. Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers and the remaining cream. Top with another layer of soaked ladyfingers. Then cover the tiramisu with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. The tiramisu needs time to set up so we can cut nice clean pieces.
Part 4: Serving The Tiramisu. Enjoy!
To serve the tiramisu, first remove the cling wrap from the top and invert the loaf pan into a serving plate. Then remove the whole of the cling wrap. Sift cocoa powder over the top of the tiramisu.
As this tiramisu is quite a rich dessert, slice into smaller pieces before serving. They are usually cut into rectangle slices, so the layers of mascarpone creamy custard and expresso soaked ladyfingers can be beautifully seen.
Important Tips for the Best Tiramisu
Here are some helpful tips for this recipe. To achieve the best flavour and texture for this Easy Homemade Tiramisu, it is important to:
1. Don’t Oversoak The Ladyfingers
Briefly dip the ladyfingers in the coffee mixture. Dip one ladyfinger at a time, with just a quick dip on each side. Oversoaking will cause the layers to collapse.
2. Cook Custard Till Thick and Creamy
When cooking the custard, make sure to stir continuously to achieve a thick and creamy consistency before removing from heat.
3. Use Strong Coffee To Make Tiramisu Soaking Mixture
To get the best flavour, use freshly brewed espresso or strongly brewed black coffee. If you can’t get any of the above, instant coffee with higher ratio of coffee powder to water will work too.
Some Questions on Easy Homemade Tiramisu Recipe
How To Store Tiramisu? Can I Make Tiramisu Ahead Of Time?
This Tiramisu can be made 2 to 3 days in advance and can be kept frozen. To defrost, just leave to room temperature for about 15 minutes. Serve with some cocoa powder dusted on it. Alternatively, you can also serve Tiramisu as a frozen dessert. With an ice-cream cake like texture, this is great straight out of the freezer too!
Can I Make Tiramisu Without Kahlua?
Kahlua is a coffee liqueur that is made with rum, sugar, and arabica coffee. You can substitute Kahlua with rum. If using rum, remember to add some sugar into the coffee mixture. You can also skip the liquor if not preferred.
How About Making Tiramisu Without Alcohol?
Yes. If you do not want to use alcohol in the Tiramisu, you can omit it or substitute with some rum extract for flavour. Make sure to use stronger coffee to soak the ladyfingers.
Easy Homemade Tiramisu 简易提拉米苏
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Equipment
- 9 x 4 x 3 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
Custard Filling:
- 60 ml dark rum
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 50 grams butter, cut into cubes
- 250 grams Mascarpone cheese
Custard Filling (Milk Mixture):
- 420 ml milk
- 100 grams sugar
Custard Filling (Egg Yolk Mixture):
- 60 ml milk
- 50 grams sugar
- 35 grams all-purpose flour
- 6 egg yolks, large eggs
Coffee Mixture:
- 240 ml coffee, strong coffee (espresso)
- 100 ml kahlua, coffee liquor
Tiramisu Base:
- 32 ladyfinger cookies, Savoiardi ladyfinger cookies
Topping:
- 2 tbsp Cocoa powder, unsweetened
Have ready all the custard filling ingredients.
Pour Custard Filling (Milk Mixture) (420ml milk and 100gm sugar) in a saucepan. Cook the milk mixture over medium heat and bring the milk to just boiling, stirring constantly.
Meanwhile, whisk together Custard Filling (Egg Yolk Mixture) (6 large egg yolks, 60ml milk, 50gm sugar and 35gm all-purpose flour) in a heat proof bowl.
When the milk mixture comes to a boil, gradually whisk into the egg yolk mixture. Then transfer into a clean saucepan.
Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously until it comes to a boil. Continue to stir for another minute till really thickens up before removing from heat. Using a strainer, strain the custard into a large bowl. This is to ensure a smooth custard and remove any lumps that may have formed.
Then whisk in the vanilla extract, softened butter and dark rum till well incorporated.
Immediately cover the surface of the custard with cling wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Leave aside to room temperature and refrigerate overnight, or at least six hours till the custard turns thick and cold.
Remove from refrigerator once the custard has cooled sufficiently. Have ready mascarpone cheese.
Place the mascarpone cheese in a bowl and beat till soft and smooth. Then gently fold in the cold custard into the mascarpone cheese and mix till smooth. And we are done with the custard filling. Next prepare the coffee mixture.
To prepare the coffee mixture to soak the ladyfingers, have ready some strong freshly brewed coffee (espresso) and kahlua (coffee liqueur). If you do not have Kahlua, replace with same amount of rum and some sugar to taste.
Combine espresso and kahlua, then pour into a large shallow bowl for ease of dipping the ladyfingers. We can now assemble the tiramisu.
First, line a loaf pan with cling wrap. Make sure the cling wrap extends over the sides of the pan. Also have ready some ladyfingers (finger-shaped cookies).
To assemble the tiramisu, first dip the ladyfingers, one at a time in the coffee mixture. Arrange soaked ladyfingers on the bottom of the loaf pan, side by side, in a single layer till the whole bottom is covered. Spoon custard filling over the ladyfingers to cover them completely.Repeat twice, with two more alternating layers of soaked ladyfingers and custard filling. Finish with a final layer of soaked ladyfingers and cover with cling wrap.Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
After chilled, remove the cling wrap from the top of tiramisu. Place a serving plate over the tiramisu and gently invert from the loaf pan. Then remove the whole cling wrap. Sieve cocoa powder over the top of tiramisu and its ready to be served.
Cut into smaller slices before serving. Enjoy!
Instructions
Prepare Custard Filling:
Prepare Coffee Mixture:
Assemble Tiramisu:
Serve Tiramisu:
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- When cooking the custard be sure to continuously stir or whisk the custard. The custard needs to be thick and creamy before you remove from the heat.
- If you don’t have a barista setup at home, you can get freshly brewed espresso from a local coffee shop, or use strongly brewed coffee. If you don’t have Kahlua, you can substitute with rum; add a little sugar into the coffee depending on how sweet you like. Can also skip the liquor if not preferred. Or alternatively, use rum extract for flavour.
- Use commercially made ladyfingers because they are thicker, crisp in texture and very absorbent, and the shape keeps well even after being dipped in the coffee soaking syrup. Also saves time instead of making your own.
- When soaking the ladyfingers in the coffee mixture, lightly dip the ladyfinger once on each side so they are just moist. Do not drench the ladyfingers. You want the centre to be a bit dry as it will absorb the moisture from the cream custard. If they are too soft, the cake will collapse.
- If you do not want to use alcohol, you can omit it or substitute with some rum extract instead.
- This tiramisu can be made 2 to 3 days in advance and can be kept frozen.
NUTRITION
If you like this Easy Homemade Tiramisu, you may also be interested in our recipe for Steamed White Sugar Cake (Bak Tong Gou), Thin Pancakes, Steamed Caramel Cupcakes or Zesty Lemon Cupcakes. Do check it out!
Still can’t get enough of dessert recipes? Do check out our entire dessert recipes collection.
