Classic Tiramisu With Marsala and Mascarpone
This authentic tiramisu recipe is for the most loved Italian cake in the world. The original version of this spoon dessert is made with eggs, mascarpone, Marsala, a layer of ladyfingers soaked in coffee, and a bitter cocoa sprinkle.
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 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
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Prepare the coffee and cool it in the refrigerator. Using an egg separator, separate the egg whites from the yolks.
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To make the tiramisu cream, in a clean medium bowl, whip the egg whites with half of the sugar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, whisk the raw egg yolks with the remaining sugar at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes. The mixture will whiten and double in volume. This step is essential: the grains of sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture has to fall heavily from a spoon.
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In a large mixing bowl, loosen the cold mascarpone (right from the fridge) with a fork, add Marsala, and whip until creamy. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the cheese mixture and mix gently with a rubber spatula. Take your time to combine ingredients well from the bottom to the top. Once the mascarpone mixture is homogeneous, add the whipped egg whites in three additions. Always mix gently from the bottom up to avoid deflating the cream.
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To assemble the tiramisu, pour the cold espresso into a shallow bowl or dish. Quickly dip ladyfingers (1 to 2 seconds) in the coffee and place them in an 8-inch/20 cm square baking dish, creating a base. If necessary, cut ladyfingers with a serrated knife to avoid creating spaces at the bottom of the dish. Also, try to arrange cookies in one direction. Alternatively, place the cookies at the bottom of the bowl and brush on the coffee. This trick controls how much coffee gets on the ladyfingers.
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Using a spoon, add an even layer of half of the mascarpone filling. Cover it with the second layer of soaked sponge fingers and another half of the mascarpone mixture. Make a decorative pattern if desired. Cover the dish with a lid, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours.
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Before serving, use a fine-mesh sieve for dusting cocoa powder (make a light veil) over the top of the tiramisu. Serve well chilled. Slice tiramisu into servings with a sharp knife, cleaning it between the cuts, or just scoop it onto plates. A metal serving spatula helps remove the slices.
Notes
- Sweeten the coffee according to your taste if desired.
- 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, try to dip one cookie, bend it in half; the center of the cookie should still be somewhat dry. Remember: too much liquid soaked will result in a mushy dessert!
- Try a crisscross with ladyfingers in layers: they will look pretty when you cut them.
- If desired, you can opt for a single layer of cookies and a cream layer.
- The sign of the tiramisu authenticity is placing biscuits face down (flat side) against the bottom of the dish. It is up to you to follow this rule.
- Before serving, the minimum chilling time is a couple of hours, better 3 to 4 hours.
- Don't sprinkle cocoa powder before refrigerating the tiramisu cake: cocoa will darken as it soaks into the mascarpone cream.
- If you want your tiramisu to remain presentable over the hours, sprinkle icing sugar before applying cocoa powder.
- Store the leftover tiramisu covered with cling film in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 617
- Sugar: 16.9 g
- Sodium: 124 mg
- Fat: 42.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 23.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 43.1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7.9 g
- Cholesterol: 349 mg