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Classic Tiramisu With Marsala and Mascarpone

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5 from 2 reviews

This original tiramisu is the authentic Italian recipe, made with whipped raw eggs, creamy mascarpone, sweet Marsala wine, and ladyfingers dipped in strong espresso. Finished with a dusting of bitter cocoa, this no-bake dessert needs just 20 minutes of prep and serves 6.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 24 ladyfingers (250 g)
  • 3-4 espresso cups of cold espresso
  • 17.6 oz. (500 g) cold mascarpone
  • 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Marsala
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

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Instructions

  1. Prepare the coffee and cool it in the refrigerator. Using an egg separator, separate the egg whites from the yolks.
  2. In a clean medium bowl, whip the egg whites with half of the sugar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until the mixture whitens and doubles in volume. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture should fall heavily from a spoon.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, loosen the cold mascarpone with a fork, add the Marsala, and whip until creamy. Pour in the egg yolk mixture and fold gently with a rubber spatula from the bottom up.
  5. Once the mascarpone mixture is smooth, fold in the whipped egg whites in three additions, mixing gently to avoid deflating the cream.
  6. Pour the cold espresso into a shallow bowl. Dip the ladyfingers for 1 to 2 seconds and arrange them in one layer in an 8-inch (20 cm) square dish, cutting them to fill any gaps.
  7. Spread half of the mascarpone cream over the ladyfingers. Add a second layer of dipped ladyfingers, then top with the remaining cream.
  8. Cover the dish with a lid, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil, and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours.
  9. Before serving, dust the top with a light veil of cocoa powder using a fine-mesh sieve. Serve well chilled, slicing with a sharp knife (cleaned between cuts) or scooping onto plates.

Notes

  1. Sweeten the coffee according to your taste if desired.
  2. Dip the cookies one at a time. Don't soak ladyfingers longer than 2 seconds to prevent them from getting too soaked and crushed. To test, dip one cookie and bend it in half; the center should still be somewhat dry. Remember: too much liquid soaked will result in a mushy dessert!
  3. Try a crisscross with ladyfingers in layers: they will look pretty when you cut them.
  4. If desired, you can opt for a single layer of cookies and a cream layer.
  5. The sign of tiramisu authenticity is placing biscuits face down (flat side) against the bottom of the dish. It is up to you to follow this rule.
  6. Before serving, chill for at least a couple of hours; 3 to 4 hours is better.
  7. Don't sprinkle cocoa powder before refrigerating the tiramisu cake: cocoa will darken as it soaks into the mascarpone cream.
  8. If you want your tiramisu to stay presentable for hours, sprinkle icing sugar before applying cocoa powder.
  9. Store leftover tiramisu, covered with cling film, in the fridge.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/authentic-italian-tiramisu-recipe/