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My Aunty Tata’s Tiramisu is hands down one of the best desserts you’ll ever taste. I am convinced the secrete lies in the perfect balance of creamy mascarpone, cream cheese, and lady fingers soaked in kahlua and strong coffee. If you are looking for a delicious and easy tiramisu recipe, you just found it!
I saw a meme the other day and it said something along the lines of: “one day your grandchild, niece, or nephew, mispronounces your name, and then you just go by that name for the rest of your life”. Needless to say, I couldn’t pronounce Loretta (my aunt) at a young age, and the word Tata came out. Well, she has been referred to as Aunty Tata for 34 years, and this is her Tiramisu recipe.
At nearly every family get together, she brings this dessert and it’s always such a hit. Each layer is meticulously made by dipping ladyfingers into a coffee and kahlua mixture, then layered between sweetened mascarpone and cream cheese. If you love a quick and delicious dessert, you also need to try my Easy Biscoff Cheesecake, One Bowl Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting, Fruity Pebbles No Bake Cheesecake, or One Bowl Chocolate Zucchini Bread.
What is tiramisu?
Tiramisu is an Italian dessert made of ladyfingers, dipped into strong coffee, layered with a creamy mixture combining eggs, sugar, mascarpone and cream cheese.
Looking for more dessert recipes?
Take a look at a few of my personal favourite desserts down below:
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares
- Thumbprint Cookies
- No-Bake Biscoff Cheesecake
- Caramel Apple Crisp
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Morning Glory Muffins
Ingredients you’ll need to make tiramisu
Here is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need to make Tiramisu. For the exact detailed measurements and ingredients, scroll to the bottom of this page to review my recipe card.
- lady fingers
- eggs
- mascarpone
- cream cheese
- granulated sugar
- vanilla
- strong coffee
- kahlua liquor
- cocoa powder
Substitutions & FAQ’s
What flavour does tiramisu have?
The strong coffee dunked ladyfingers are the star of the show, and they pair beautifully with the creamy mascarpone mixture.
Do I need to add the kahlua to this recipe?
If you want this recipe alcohol free-simple don’t use the kahlua and add a little extra coffee for dunking the ladyfingers. If you are not sure exactly what kahlua is, take a peak at this article to answer all of the questions you may have: What is Kahlua?
How to store tiramisu
You can keep this recipe in your fridge for 3-4 days, just be sure to cover it with plastic wrap.
Freezing instructions
I do not recommending freezing this recipe. The nature of the ingredients and the fact it is a no-bake dessert, doesn’t make it a great candidate for freezing.
Did you like this recipe?
If you enjoyed this Tiramisu recipe please consider leaving me a 5 star rating and review!
Tiramisu
Equipment
- 1 9×13 baking pan
- 1 hand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 boxes ladyfingers (400 grams)
- 5 eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 1 tub marscarpone cheese (475 grams)
- 1 brick cream cheese (250 grams), room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups strong coffee, 4 cups water to 6 tsp ground coffee
- 3 tbsp khalua liquor,
- cocoa powder, for dusting
Instructions
- Begin by brewing the coffee.Once it's finished brewing, pour it into a large bowl followed by the kahlua and let cool for at least 20 minutes.Sammy's notes: you want the coffee at room temperature so that the ladyfingers don't break down when you dunk them.
- Separate both the egg whites and yolks. Set aside until ready to use.
- To a medium sized mixing bowl add the egg whites and using a hand mixer, beat continuously on low/medium speed until they form stiff peaks. About 3 minutes.
- To a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla until it reaches a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Add the egg yolks and gently mix until incorporate well.
- Fold in the mascarpone (do not beat) and mix until combined.
- Fold the egg whites into the mixture and mix until just combined.
- Dip the ladyfingers one at a time into the coffee mixture (don’t let soak, just a quick dunk) and lay evenly, side by side in your baking dish. Repeat until the entire base of the baking dish is full.
- Add half of the cream cheese/mascarpone mixture onto the ladyfingers and spread evenly.
- Add another layer of dipped ladyfingers and finish with the remaining cream cheese/mascarpone mixture.
- Dust with coca powder, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
1. Can you share which brand ladyfingers work best for you? And, 2. Can I use instant coffee for this?!
Hi! I have bought a few different brands, but my favourite so far is Matilde Vicenzi ladyfingers. But honestly, any will work! You can use instant coffee (though I prefer fresh) just be sure to make it nice and strong!
So, just for clarification: the egg yolks are not cooked at all? Just mix it in with the cream cheese mixture?
correct!
Hello
Can I substitute mascarpone with total cream cheese
Thank you so much
Hi Naeema, you can, though it will taste more like a cheesecake than tiramisu.
Could I cut recipe in half to work for a smaller pan like 8×8?
absolutely you can!