As a passionate tiramisu lover, I always make sure to order tiramisu when enjoying Italian cuisine. During my time in Europe, my Dutch teacher generously taught me how to make a classic Italian tiramisu, and it truly left a lasting impression. This recipe is simple and easy to follow—I succeeded on my first attempt! For those interested, it’s definitely worth a try. Feel free to ask if anything is unclear.
Ingredients:
- Eggs: 4
- Sugar: 50g
- Ladyfinger biscuits: 1 pack
- Strong coffee (cooled): as needed
- Rum: 3 tbsp
- Mascarpone cheese: 450g
- Cocoa powder: as needed
Instructions:
- Prepare all the ingredients. Make the coffee in advance and let it cool. If you have a coffee machine, prepare approximately 350g of strong coffee; if not, you can use a bit stronger instant coffee.
- Separate the egg whites and yolks into two large bowls. The image shows separated egg yolks.
- Add 40g of sugar to the egg yolks and beat until the sugar is dissolved. Then, add the Mascarpone cheese in three portions to the beaten egg yolk mixture. Make sure to mix well to avoid any lumps.
- This is the mixed egg yolk and Mascarpone cheese sauce. Add 3 tablespoons of rum and mix well.
- Beat the egg whites with 10g of sugar until they form stiff peaks, as shown in the image. It’s recommended to use an electric mixer on high speed for this step; a manual egg beater might be more labor-intensive.
- This is the completed egg white foam and egg yolk cheese mixture. Combine the two. Add the egg white foam to the egg yolk cheese mixture in three portions, and use a manual egg beater to slowly stir and incorporate until the mixture is uniform.
- Now, let’s start layering. I like to have two layers of biscuits and two layers of cheese mixture for better texture and taste. First, lightly dip both sides of the ladyfinger biscuits in coffee and place them in a glass dish. Then, spread half of the cheese mixture from the previous step. Add another layer of coffee-soaked ladyfinger biscuits, and finally, spread the remaining cheese mixture on top. (The image shows the final layering.)
- This is how it looks after assembling. Refrigerate for 1-2 days.
- Sprinkle a suitable amount of cocoa powder on top before serving.
Tips:
- Authentic Italian tiramisu has a smooth texture with subtle coffee and liquor flavors. Mascarpone cheese is essential. If you don’t have rum, it seems you can use other liquors as a substitute. You may refer to other recipes for suitable alternatives.
