Tiramisu, Italian for “pick-me-up,” is a classic no-bake dessert worthy of its name. Easy, elegant and most importantly, delicious, it’s the perfect mood-booster to lift you out of the dark depths of finals season, and can double as a foolproof crowd-pleaser to round out a holiday dinner.
Fragrant, coffee-soaked ladyfingers are layered with mounds of dreamy mascarpone cream, then finished with a healthy dusting of cocoa for a stunning final presentation. Bonus: You can spike the whole thing with alcohol for a boozy — but still classy — treat.
While traditional tiramisu uses egg yolks, this college-student-friendly shortcut recipe nixes them to save time and effort. Don’t worry, the result is equally as delicious — rich, creamy and fully Spoon-approved.
Tiramisu
- Prep Time:30 minutes
- Cook Time:2 hours
- Total Time:2 hours 30 minutes
- Servings:9-12
- Easy
- 16 oz mascarpone cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon coffee liqueur (optional)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 24 ladyfingers
- 1 cup strong coffee, at room temperature
- Cocoa or grated bittersweet chocolate, for dusting
Ingredients
-
Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk together the mascarpone, sugar and coffee liqueur (optional) until smooth.
#Spoontip: Try swapping out the coffee liqueur for rum, amaretto or Marsala wine, according to your taste.
-
Step 2
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form.
-
Step 3
Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until well-combined.
-
Step 4
Lightly dip half the ladyfingers in the coffee and arrange them in a single layer on the bottom of an 8×8 in square pan. (We used a 6×9 in pan.)
#SpoonTip: Be careful not to dip the ladyfingers in the coffee for too long — less than a second will do — to avoid soggy cookies.
-
Step 5
Spread half of the mascarpone filling over the ladyfingers.
-
Step 6
Repeat with the rest of the ladyfingers, arranging them on top of the mascarpone filling.
-
Step 7
Spread the remaining mascarpone filling over the ladyfingers.
-
Step 8
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
-
Step 9
Dust with cocoa powder or grated chocolate before serving.
-
Step 10
Enjoy!
Photo by Isabel Wang