Tiramisù

Tiramisù means "cheer me up" in Italian and aptly describes this dessert traditionally made from savoiardi or ladyfingers or sponge cake, espresso coffee, mascarpone cheese, egg whites, yolk and sugar. The biscuits are sprinkled with strong coffee, and then embedded in a thick rich custard.
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 2 egg yolks
- 100 g (½ cup) white granulated sugar
- 500 g (2 ½ cups) mascarpone cheese
- 4 small coffee cups espresso coffee
- 400 g of lady fingers (savoiardi) (or sponge cake)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
Steps
- Make espresso. Cool slightly.
- Separate egg yolks and whites of two eggs into two bowls.
- Beat sugar into yolks.
- Beat mascarpone into sweetened yolks.
- Add two more egg whites to the other two. Whip until stiff peaks form.
- Fold egg whites into mascarpone mixture.
- Dip both sides of ladyfingers quickly in espresso.
- Layer soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone in large bowl or pan. Start with ladyfingers, finish with mascarpone.
- Refrigerate 1–2 hours.
- Sprinkle unsweetened cocoa powder on top just before serving.
Notes from the original
- Savoiardi are the traditional biscuits used with this recipe, rather than ladyfingers. Sponge cake can also be used.
- It is common, but not in the original recipe, to use marsala wine (or brandy or cognac) or Amaretto di sarono with the coffee.
- Cream can be used as an alternative to Mascarpone cheese. Whip 375–500 ml (¾–1 pint) of double cream (heavy cream) until stiff peaks form, then add the sugar and continue from step 2.
- Full-fat cream cheese can be used as an alternative to mascarpone; add some cream to taste.
- An Atkins friendly version of this recipe is also available.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Tiramisù” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-12-23, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Tiramisu Fanes.jpg by Markus Mitterauer from Austria aka addicted, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.






