A perfect blend of sweet cream and espresso, tiramisu is the ultimate dessert to satisfy my sweet tooth and caffeine addiction at the same time. After almost breaking the bank with my tiramisu purchases, I decided to take matters into my own hands and actually learn how to make my favorite dessert. It was a fun experience and here’s what I learned!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups mascarpone cheese
- ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 24 ladyfingers/sponge fingers (try to get the hard kind)
- 1 cup strong coffee or espresso
- Cocoa powder
- Whipped cream (optional)
Directions:
- In a small pot, bring water to a boil. Place another heat-resistant bowl on top of the pot, making sure the bottom of the bowl is touching the boiling water (congratulations — you just made a DIY double boiler).
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in the bowl above the boiling water until the mixture is creamy and light yellow in color. You can now take the bowl off the heat and allow it to cool.
- Add the mascarpone cheese to the egg yolk mixture and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and slightly fluffy. Don’t forget to fold in the vanilla extract at this stage!
- Place your coffee in a shallow dish to make it easier for dipping. Dunk each ladyfinger first into the coffee and then place it at the bottom of a tall baking dish to create rows. Work fast, or else your tiramisu will be watery.
- Alternate between layers of ladyfingers and cream until you run out of ladyfingers or reach the top of your baking dish.
- Now comes the hardest part — playing the waiting game while you refrigerate your creation for six to eight hours.
Remember to top it off with some cocoa powder and whipped cream before serving!
One of the biggest advantages of making tiramisu at home is the quantity it yields — this recipe was enough for me and my roommates to have two slices each. Additionally, because the recipe is relatively customizable, you can play around with the amount of coffee and cream you want. I also thoroughly enjoyed making this recipe and recommend it as a fun bonding activity to do with your friends or roommates.
Although making tiramisu was a fun process, I did learn a few things as a first-timer. To start off, mascarpone cheese is expensive. Although it wouldn’t be as pricey as buying six slices of tiramisu, the ingredients were on the expensive side, so keep that in mind while budgeting your groceries. Second, be sure to check the dates of the ingredients you buy at the store, even if it’s for same-day use. Unfortunately, my third cup of mascarpone cheese ended up curdled. Finally, plan ahead. Waiting six to eight hours for dessert is not fun if you’ve been craving it for a while, but it’s worth it in the end.
Well, I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience making tiramisu, and I hope you try it sometime. Happy baking!
