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classic authentic italian tiramisu garnished with mint leaves and strawberry

Classic Italian tiramisu recipe

A restaurant style dessert and also an easy homemade dessert. This classic Italian tiramisu recipe will help you to make the best tiramisu.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Chilling: 6 hours
Total Time: 7 hours
Servings: 1 tiramisu
Author: Tu

Equipment

  • 8x8 in square pan or 8 in round pan

Ingredients 

  • 2 c coffee follow instruction on the label of your coffee, I used instant coffee
  • 20 lady fingers
  • 6 medium eggs separated: yolks and whites
  • 1 tbsp rum optional
  • ½ c sugar divided into 2 portions
  • 2 lb mascarpone
  • 1.5 c heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder prefer Hershey’s cocoa powder

Instructions

Make tiramisu cream

  • Set up a double boiler. Combine egg yolks, vanilla extract and half amount of sugar in a top of a double boiler.
  • Place a double boiler over low heat (barely simmering water) and whisk constantly until the sauce is thick and pale yellow, approximately 10 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and let it cool down slowly. Or if you’re in a hurry, you can whisk over an ice bath until cool.
  • Overcooked egg mixture will curdle and turn into scramble eggs. If so, discard and start over again.
  • Put egg whites in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. On medium-high speed, whip egg whites until foamy then add remaining of the sugar and beat until soft peaks are formed, approximately 3-4 minutes.
  • Transfer whipped egg whites to a large bowl, set aside for later use. Clean the whisk attachment and the stand mixer’s mixing bowl. Add heavy cream in.
  • On high speed, whip heavy cream to soft peaks, about 4 minutes.
  • In a large, clean mixing bowl, using a rubber spatula and fold the egg yolks mixture into mascarpone.
  • Then carefully fold whipping cream and egg whites in to mascarpone mixture just enough to incorporate everything. About 1 minute. Don’t over mix the cream mixture.

Assemble

  • In a deep dish, combine coffee and rum, give it a few stirs. Then quickly dip lady finger on both sides, one at a time, in a coffee mixture. Don’t let the lady fingers stay in the liquid for more than 5 seconds or they become soggy. If so, discard and use a new one.
  • Arrange dipped lady fingers in one single layer in baking pan. (See notes)
  • Followed by a layer Tiramisu cream (about 2 to 3 c). Use an offset spatula to spread mascarpone evenly on top of lady fingers or gently shake the pan.
  • Repeat the process of dipping lady fingers and spreading mascarpone to create more layers.
  • Put the tiramisu in the refrigerator and chill for at least 6 hours before serving. You can dust coco powder on top of tiramisu before putting in a chiller or right before serving.

Notes

Storage:
  • With this classic Italian tiramisu recipe, you can keep the restaurant style dessert in the chiller for up to 3 days.
  • Or portion them into serving size then freeze for up to a month. Let them cool down at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving if choosing this option.
Serving suggestion:
  • Authentic tiramisu can be served with whipping cream and fresh fruits such as: berries, mangoes. According to La Cucina Italiana you can even pair tiramisu with a good bottle of sweet wine.
Assemble notes:
  • You can increase the layer of lady fingers to two or three layers if you like eating the cake part more than the cream part. It'll depend on your own reference.