Classic Tiramisu: Recipe and Tricks for a Perfect Mascarpone Cream and Pasteurized Eggs
Stop runny cream and the fear of raw eggs!
Tiramisu is a masterpiece of Italian cuisine, but we all know it hides some traps: how do you obtain a dense and safe cream?
This is my family’s traditional recipe, but here you’ll mainly find the FOOLPROOF TRICKS for a professional, creamy, soft and RISK-FREE result, ready to beat any pastry shop!
A spoon dessert loved worldwide, made without baking, alternating ladyfingers soaked in coffee with layers of velvety mascarpone cream, finished with a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Creamy, soft, with an intense flavor: a real delight that’s hard to resist.
What I propose today is the CLASSIC TIRAMISU recipe. The secret to a great final result is to use high-quality ingredients that are well chilled (both the coffee for soaking the cookies and the mascarpone for the cream). You’ll find the ingredient amounts for 750 g of Mascarpone as well as the 500 g Mascarpone Tiramisu Recipe.
Highlights of the Foolproof Recipe:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6/8
- Cooking methods: No-bake
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 440.90 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 35.36 (g) of which sugars 16.16 (g)
- Proteins 8.88 (g)
- Fat 29.61 (g) of which saturated 14.59 (g)of which unsaturated 1.97 (g)
- Fibers 9.98 (g)
- Sodium 83.00 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 120 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
CLASSIC TIRAMISU INGREDIENTS
- mascarpone (about 3 1/3 cups (750 g))
- coffee (1 1/4 cups (300 ml))
- ladyfingers (savoiardi) (1 package (about 9 oz / 250 g))
- eggs (5 whole (about 9 oz / 260 g))
- sugar (about 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (120 g))
- unsweetened cocoa powder (for decoration)
- 2 1/4 cups mascarpone
- 3/4 cup coffee (cold and unsweetened)
- 3 eggs (4 if medium)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 6 oz ladyfingers (savoiardi)
- to taste unsweetened cocoa powder
Tools
- Bowl
- Mixers Bosch Mfq3030 Mixer, 350 W
How to Prepare Tiramisu and Obtain a Perfect Cream
Make the coffee with a moka pot and sweeten it to taste (I usually add 1 teaspoon of sugar to 1 1/4 cups / 300 ml of coffee).
Transfer it to a wide dish and let it cool completely. (See the Tricks section for the ideal temperature).Whip the Yolks: Separate the whites from the yolks. Whip the yolks with an electric mixer together with half of the sugar. The mixture must become pale, frothy and double in volume.
Incorporate the Mascarpone: Add the mascarpone gradually, mixing at low speed to obtain a dense, compact cream.
Whip the Egg Whites: In another bowl, whip the egg whites. When they are foamy, add the remaining sugar. Continue whipping until they are stiff and glossy.
Assemble the Cream: Add the whipped egg whites to the yolk-mascarpone mixture, one spoonful at a time, folding gently with a spatula from bottom to top so as not to deflate the mixture.
The mascarpone cream is ready.Spread a spoonful of mascarpone cream on the bottom of the serving dish (or baking dish), covering the entire base well.
Soak the Ladyfingers: Dip the ladyfingers in the cold coffee for no more than two seconds (see tricks) and arrange them in the dish to create the first layer of cookies.
Add a generous layer of mascarpone cream, completely covering the cookies.
Continue alternating layers of soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone cream until all ingredients are used.
Finish with a layer of mascarpone cream, smoothing it with a spatula.
Decorative tip: You can transfer some of the cream to a piping bag to create rosettes on the surface.
Finish the dessert by dusting it with unsweetened cocoa powder.
Let it rest in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours.
STORAGE
You can store tiramisu for up to a couple of days, well covered, in the refrigerator.
TIPS FOR PERFECT TIRAMISU
EGGS: Raw or Pasteurized?
The traditional tiramisu recipe uses raw eggs, but to avoid the risk of salmonella it is first and foremost very important to buy very fresh eggs of category A Extra.
However, a decidedly safer choice is to buy pasteurized yolks and whites sold in cartons at the supermarket.
To guide you with quantities, keep in mind that a yolk usually weighs about 0.6 oz (18 g) while an egg white on average weighs about 1.2 oz (35 g).
It is of course possible to prepare TIRAMISU without EGGS (recipe here), in which they are replaced by whipped cream, which yields a frothy and velvety cream.
How to Pasteurize Eggs for Homemade Tiramisu – Safe Method
Pasteurizing the Yolks: After separating the yolks from the whites, whip the yolks with 40 g of sugar (taken from the total) until pale and frothy. Heat 25 ml of water with 40 g of sugar (taken from the total) until it reaches 250°F (use a kitchen thermometer!). Pour the boiling sugar syrup in a thin stream over the yolks while continuing to whip with the beaters: the heat will pasteurize the yolks.
Pasteurizing the Whites: Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Heat the remaining 25 ml of water with 40 g of sugar (taken from the total) until 250°F. Pour the syrup into the whipped whites and continue whipping for a few minutes.
Now you can assemble the cream by adding the mascarpone to the pasteurized yolks and then gently folding in the pasteurized whites.
How to Make a Perfect Mascarpone Cream?
For a light and airy cream:
Beat the yolks well with the sugar: they must double in volume and become pale.
Add the mascarpone at room temperature at low speed to incorporate it without deflating the mixture.
The egg whites whipped to stiff peaks should be folded in last, using a spatula and bottom-to-top movements.
Mascarpone substitute: For a lighter dessert, you can replace mascarpone with full-fat Greek yogurt sweetened with sugar or honey (see my Tiramisu with Greek Yogurt recipe).
How to Soak the Ladyfingers in Tiramisu?
The Golden Rule: Dip the ladyfingers in the (cold) coffee on the smooth side (without the sugar) for no more than two seconds. This ensures the coffee is absorbed evenly.
Placement: Place the cookies in the baking dish with the sugared side facing up.
Cookie substitutes: If you don’t want to use ladyfingers, Pavesini, Oro Saiwa-type cookies, or sponge cake discs work as well.
Coffee for Soaking Tiramisu: Hot or Cold?
The coffee temperature for soaking the cookies is very important. Too hot a coffee risks oversaturating and breaking the cookies and making the tiramisu too runny. If the coffee is too cold, you may have difficulty wetting the cookies. The ideal temperature for the soaking coffee is around 99°F, a middle ground: neither too hot nor too cold. If you plan to serve the tiramisu to children, I suggest replacing the coffee with warm milk to which you can optionally add barley coffee (or ‘orzo’) to mimic the coffee flavor.
MASCARPONE CREAM WITH PASTEURIZED EGGS
INGREDIENTS: 4 whole eggs, 400 g mascarpone, 120 g sugar, 50 ml water.
HOW TO PASTERURIZE THE YOLKS: After separating the yolks from the whites, place them in a bowl with 40 g of sugar (taken from the total) and whip them with a mixer for at least 5 minutes until pale and frothy. In a saucepan heat 25 ml of water with 40 g of sugar (taken from the total) until it reaches 250°F (you will need a kitchen thermometer). Pour the hot sugar-water mixture into the whipped yolks while continuing to beat for a few more minutes; the heat of the syrup will pasteurize (cook) the whipped yolks.
HOW TO PASTERURIZE THE WHITES: In a separate bowl whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with a mixer. Take the remaining 25 ml of water and 40 g of sugar (from the total) and heat them as you did previously for the sugar syrup until they reach 250°F. Pour the syrup into the bowl with the whipped whites and continue whipping the mixture with the electric beaters for a few minutes.
PREPARING MASCARPONE CREAM WITH PASTEURIZED EGGS Now that you have pasteurized both the whites and yolks, simply add the mascarpone to the whipped yolks with a mixer until well incorporated, then fold in the pasteurized whites last using a spatula with bottom-to-top movements so as not to deflate the cream. You are now ready to assemble the TIRAMISU WITH PASTEURIZED EGGS.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Why is my mascarpone cream for Tiramisu too runny and how can I prevent it?
The cream becomes runny mainly for two reasons:
Temperature: The mascarpone is not cold enough. Make sure all ingredients (mascarpone and eggs) are well refrigerated.
Whipping: The egg whites or yolks have not been whipped enough. They must be very frothy and firm. When you fold the egg whites into the cream, do it with a spatula using slow bottom-to-top movements so as not to deflate the mixture and to preserve its airiness.Should I use raw or pasteurized eggs for the Tiramisu cream?
The traditional recipe calls for raw eggs, but to avoid the risk of salmonella it is always safer to use pasteurized eggs. You can buy them ready in cartons at the supermarket, or follow the recipe’s procedure to pasteurize yolks and whites at home using a sugar-water syrup brought to 250°F. In any case, if you use raw eggs, always choose very fresh eggs of category A Extra.
What is the ideal temperature of the coffee to soak the ladyfingers?
The coffee should be neither too hot nor too cold. The ideal temperature is around 99°F (warm). Coffee that is too hot can oversoak and break the cookies, making the tiramisu watery. Coffee that is too cold may not allow the ladyfingers to absorb the needed moisture.
How should I soak the ladyfingers to prevent them from falling apart?
For a perfect soak, follow this “rule”:
Dip the ladyfingers in warm coffee on the smooth side (the side without sugar) for no more than two seconds.
Place them in the baking dish with the sugared side facing up.
This ensures the cookie is moist and soft but still maintains the structure necessary to support the cream.Can you make Tiramisu without mascarpone? What is a good substitute?
Yes, it is possible to make a lighter Tiramisu without mascarpone. The most effective substitute is full-fat Greek yogurt, sweetened with sugar or honey. Alternatively, you can use whipped cream, which helps achieve a frothy and velvety cream.
VARIATIONS ON THE CLASSIC TIRAMISU
