This Valentines Day (or any special day of the year), surprise your sweetheart with a piece of delicious Tiramisu. This Italian cake recipe is a must for coffee lovers and you’ll be surprised that this elaborate looking dessert can be so easy it is to make.
Ingredients:
Cream Cheese – 8oz box at room temp
Sugar – 6 Tbsp (divided)
Whipped Cream – 3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream plus 1 Tbsp Sugar whipped to 1 1/2 cups (1 1/2 cups of Cool Whip may be used as an instant alternative)
Egg Yolks – 3
Strong Coffee – 1 cup (or as needed) mixed with 2 Tbsp Rum (optional)
Lady Fingers – 1 package (Alternative: 1/2 box white cake mix, see below)
Cocoa Powder & Powdered Sugar – for garnishing
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix softened Cream Cheese with 3 Tbsp of sugar until sugar is completely dissolved.
2. In a separate bowl, mix 3 egg yolks with remaining 3 Tbsp of sugar and whisk continuously in a double boiler until eggs are cooked (approx 1-2 minutes). The color of the yolks will turn a lemon yellow when done.
3. Immediately mix the egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture and stir well.
4. Add 2-3 Tbsp of the coffee into the mixture and mix well.
5. Whip Heavy Whipping Cream and 1 Tbsp Sugar in a bowl over ice until fluffy. Fold Whipped Cream into cream cheese/egg mixture until well incorporated.
6. Dip each Lady Finger into the coffee (for 1-2 seconds on each side) and place into square or rectangle tray until the bottom is completely covered.
7. Spread 1/2 of the cream cheese filling evenly on top of the fingers.
8. Lightly dust cocoa powder over the filling. Tea strainer works great!
9. Repeat with another layer of coffee dipped fingers.
10. Top with remaining filling.
11. Sprinkle cocoa powder over the top to form a coating.
11. Chill overnight to set.
12. Garnish with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Alternative Method Using Boxed White Cake Mix:
1. Bake cake per package directions. Only 1/2 box is necessary for this recipe.
2. After cake has cooled, flip baking pan over on a flat dish or work surface.
3. Using a long bread knife, cut the cake in half horizontally, creating two thin layers of cake.
4. Carefully place the top layer back into the baking pan.
5. Using a pastry brush, dab coffee onto the cake. More coffee may be required to soak the cake.
6. Spread 1/2 of the cream cheese filling onto the cake and dust with cocoa powder.
7. Carefully place the second layer of cake on top of the filling.
8. Dab more coffee onto the cake.
9. Spread remaining filling evenly and dust with cocoa creating an even layer.
10. Cover and chill overnight.
another question how many lady fingers are there in a pck?
Sorry, Ami, never counted and don’t have a packet with us. 🙁
Hey Girls,
Quick question on Tiramisu. The consistency of the final cream cheese mixture was not smooth at all and even after chilling overnight there was some liquid like consistency (cream cheese) although it did taste great!!! what wrong did I do?
Hi Ami,
It is very important to use a good brand of cream cheese.
Hi Anuja & Hetal,
Thanks for the delicious recipe. I made it twice & my guests & I loved it. It was as good as the tiramisu I get from the famous cake shop in Montreal (Premiere Moisson)
Best regards,
Musarrat
Hi Musarrat,
That’s awesome! Glad you all enjoyed it as much as we do :).
hey
I was wondering if someone tried using Parle-G biscuits as a substitue for ladyfiners.
Hi Anuja /Hetal
I tried your tiramisu. it came out so yummy ..just like the the ones at the cheesecake factory..but I did try with some variations instead of Lady’s finger i used plain white bread slices slightly toasted so that it becomes somewhat firm… and didnt use the egg yolks.
thanks for a great and easy yummy recipe.Looking forward for more recipes like this from you guys.
Is the coffee that u dip the fingers in, sweetened? or is it plain black coffee.. U have not mentioned sugar for the coffee in the recipe, still wanted to clarify it.
Hi Jaya,
No, the coffee is just plain black coffee. The fingers are lightly sweetened so they don’t require any more sugar.
Hi Anuja & Hetal,
I tried Tiramasu using mascrapone cheese. Everything went well but after I added the egg yolk and mixed it with the cheese-sugar mixture in sometime it kind of curdled, like lumpy types. Then i added the whipped cream to it but still the overall mixture was not as creamy as shown on your video. i went ahead made the cake though it tasted fab the texture of the cheese layer was slightly lumpy. Is it coz of the cheese or something else?
Thanks
Sanchitha
Hi Sanchita,
Hmmmm….we’ve never had a problem with the cheese curdling. The you cooked the egg yolks, they were not lumpy, right?
HI Hetal,
No while cooking the egg yolk they were not lumpy. I used brown eggs so the yolks were brighter yellow than normal eggs. Hence doing the double boiler process they did not turn lime yellow but turns lighter yellow. could this be coz of the brown eggs? The cheese did not curdle immediately it happened in some time.
Hi Sanchitha,
The only thing I can think of is that your egg mixture was too hot and the cheese was too cold. The variance in the temperatures caused the curdling. When we use cream cheese, we make sure it is room temperature. When we mix the sugar in, it further warms the cheese. This way, adding the hot egg mixture does not curdle it.
Hello Ladies,
I would agree with Sanchita, as I have tried both versions of Tiramisu with your recipe – with cream cheese, and Mascarpone cheese.
When I used Philadelphia cream cheese, it was probably the best dessert I ever made – everything was perfect – the taste, texture, etc.
On my 2nd trial, I used Mascarpone. And I made it sure that the cheese was at room temperature. But it curdled after a while upon adding the egg yolk.
I have tried googling this issue a lot, but a lot of the other recipes do not call for cooking egg yolks – they simple add it to the cheese.
Wonder what else could cause the cheese to curdle?
Thanks for your help!
By the way,
I just came across this page, which gives a perfect explanation as to what went wronge with the cheese and egg mixture:
http://www.baking911.com/howto/emulsify.htm
Can’t wait to give this recipe another shot!
Wow i tried it this weekend and it was awesome….thanks a lot Hetal n Anuja.
If I am using mascarpone cheese, what adjustments do I make to the recipes?
Hi Ritu,
No adjustment needed. Just replace the cream cheese with the mascarpone.
Thanks a lot. Will try it out this weekend.
can we replace cream cheese by something elz???
Hi Shadou,
You can try hung yogurt. Yogurt that is mild, not too sour will work the best.
Thanks dear!!
I tried this recipe yesterday, it was a big hit!!! I was never able to get the authentic Tiramisu taste from any of the bakeries here.. for the first time after 2 yrs of coming back from Australia did I taste one gud tiramisu 😀
Thanks a tons!
i’ve never had tiramisu with cream cheese, gotta use the mascarpone, worth the extra effort in getting it if you’re going to take all the effort to make this dessert.
hi hetal and anuja,
i tried making this cake using short breads and cream cheessee.. but i felt the cream chessemixture and the shortbread didnot harden though i chillied for 8 hrs and also the shortbread was not sufficinetly soaked i feell.. can u pls tell me how to correct it… as crean chesses was too loose and not your consistency….
thanks
vani.
Hi Vani,
We have never tried using shortbread so I’m not sure exactly how they react in the coffee. Maybe you can dunk them in the coffee for longer before layer them. Was you whipped cream very liquidy. That could cause it to be runny.
hi hetal
i tried ur rcp and it came out yummylicious but wud want to know how the cream cheese actually tastes…mine was a bit salty..is that the right one??..
Hi Lakshmi,
Cream cheese by itself may taste a little salty, but when you mix the sugar in it, it is fine.
Hi Hetal
Is there any other way to do the eggs as i dont have a double boiler … ???
thanks
Hi Kanika,
You don’t need a professional double boiler. You can use any pot you have to boil the water and just put another bowl over the top. Even we have done the same.
cool !! thanks 🙂
Hi Hetal
I tried this recipe .. the only thing I noticed after trying was that the taste of cream cheese was very strong and watching your video seems like when layering up the on the lady finger, my batter was more liquid compared to the thickness i see in the video .. was i missing something or did I beat the batter too much ?? i followed all the ingredients in exact amounts.
Please let me know so i can make it better next time … even though I didn’t make it the best, I still enjoyed it 🙂
Kanika,
Overbeating the cream does make it separate at times…that may be the case. Even if it is soft when you layer it, the filling usually hardens as you chill the cake. Cream cheese is a good substitute, but if you really don’t prefer it, you can try it with mascarpone cheese next time.
Hi, can you please specify the brand and size of the Ladyfinger package?
That way I will know how many to use.
Thanks,
Chandana
csdsdsds
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Thanks for the Tiramisu recipe, its my favourite.
Could you please tell me where can I find ladyfinger biscuits, that you used for your reciepe, I looked everywhere in my grocery stories, walmart, trader joes but could not find it.
Happy Belated Valentines!
Hi Sneha,
We found our’s at Kroger and have seen them at Sprouts. If you absolutely cannot find the fingers, some of our other viewers have said that shortbread biscuits also work well (and so does the white cake).
Hi,
actually which instant coffee should i use coz there r so many brands n flavors …which work best for tiramisu?
Hi Rani,
Any instant coffee will work. We have tried it with Nescafe and Folger’s…both work well.
I tried the cake with white cake and some brandy in the coffee..
its heaven!!:)
Thanks for posting one of my favorite dessert, i need not rush to the store anymore to buy it …:)
Hi Anuja and Hetal ji,
Thank you for all the lovely recipes that you guys post. I don’t even give a second thought when it comes to your recipes. Whatever I make, it comes out perfect.
I always make Tiramisu with Mascarpone cheese. I tried your version with cream cheese and without eggs and it came out great. The taste was little different but it was as yummy as the one i make with Mascarpone cheese. Good job.
hi ladies..
always wanted to learn Tiramisu..
thanks for such an easy recipe..
just want to ask u’ll if i can use hung curd instead of cream cheese, can i also skip the egg part n make tis desert.. as i live in india n v dont find cream cheese easily here.. i knw m askin for to many changes n options.. but jst wanna make tis possible.. i also checked out sanjay thumma’s recipe, tht looks gr8 too, but dont like d idea of using custard pwd,.. wld also love to try out ur version..
thanks so much..
love,
deepal.. 🙂
Hi Deepal,
We’ve never tried using hung curd…it was the first time we’d seen it being used in VahChef’s video. But, even though we cannot comment on the taste, the texture of hung curd is pretty similar to cream cheese. Regarding the eggs, you can just skip that part. Some of our other viewers have tried this recipe without eggs and it still comes out delicious.
there is a recipe for homemade Mascarpone cheese on Passionate About Baking (deeba)’s blog , for those who live where its not available.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Have been following ur recepie for a while.
I looked on internet for the boondi ladoos (also called motichoor ladoos).
But I cld not find anything that is easy. I am sure u guys will have some better way of making boondi.
Will appreciate if u can post the easy way of making motichoor ladoo.
Sorry for posting here but I didnt know where to post the general quuestions?
Thank you,….
Hi Hetal and Anuja
I made this delicious Tiramisu for Valentine’s Day and it came out Yummmmm ….. I got all the ingredients you mentioned for an original Tiramisu …. Mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers and of course the “Marsala Wine” for that authentic distinct flavour. It was just fab. Thanks a lot to both of you for the recipe. Am waiting greedily for some more such awesome recipes. Thanks again.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I made this dish, and all I just want to say is “WOW”! The best dessert ever. Thank you.
hi hetal and anuja,
i had a question here regarding the lady fingers??????? the lady fingers have eggs in it so i cannot use them.. is there anything else i can use other than a white cake… even i checked biscotti,,,,that also has eggs… so can u pls tell me what else to use in place of fingers….thanks in advance and happy valentines day to you ..
Hi Vani,
Another viewer above suggested using shortbread biscuits. I don’t have any on hand so I don’t know if they have eggs or not but it’s worth a try. If you can’t find anything else, maybe you can try Parle-G biscuits.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
I love Tiramisu. Thanks for the lovely recipe. Can you tell me from which store did you buy lady fingers? Thank you.
We found the fingers at Kroger but have seen them at Sprouts as well. If you can’t find them there, some of the specialty food stores like Whole Foods may carry them. You can always call the store and find out if they have them before making a trip out there.
Hi,
How are you? I like to know is there a facility where can I download your all recipes in text instead of downloading for each recipe.
Hi Sankar,
Unfortunately, we do not have such a facility at this time.
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe. This is my fav. Just one quick question. In your video demo u mentioned that u have to chill it overnight or for 8 hours. So do I need to keep it in the refrigerator or do i need to chill it in the freezer overnight?
Thanks for the wonderful recipe
Jayashree
Hi Jayashree,
Just keep it in the refrigerator, not the freezer.
Mine did not set until i kept it in the freezer
and i chilled it for a full day too before i decided to freeze it
But it became too hard
Hi Anuj,
Really, the filling is what needs to set. The cream cheese is soft at room temperature but firms up once it goes back in the fridge.
Hi Girls,
Though I do not have a sweet tooth, yet this “Tiramisu dessert” video inspired me to try this out…one more thing I heard about this dessert for the first time from you only…!!!
As I wish to treat my Hubby with a surprise candle-light dinner with Tiramisu as the new dessert, hence I went to the super-store for the first time on my own. You all might laugh and say no big deal…but honestly for me it was a huge effort.
Fortunately, I got all the tradional ingredients used in it easily here in the UK including the Italian Mascarpone cheese and sponge fingers.
Now I will make it tomorrow so that it can sit in the fridge overnight. Too excited to wait 🙂
A very happy Valentine’s Day to you both and all the viewers.
Aawww! So sweet! Hope you and your hubby have a wonderful Valentines Day!
hi
short bread works great if you were not able to find out the ladys fingers,,,,,, i made it today with shortbread and its came came out excellent…… it tasted like the store bought tiramisu…. me and my hubby licked the plate lol!!
You guys rock!Awesome recipe,also, both of you look very pretty!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
one quick question ? Instant strong coffee? what measure do you need to use ? i mean do we need to boil the water to get it strong ? plz explain if u can.
Hi Sukhi,
We used about 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee per 1 cup of water. We made it stronger by adding a little extra powder. You can heat the water in the microwave and dissolve the coffee powder in it. Be sure to let it cool down.
Till date I used to think they use Indian ladyfingers (okra) in tiramisu. Going through this recipe inspired me to research that and it turns out this is a different ladyfinger 🙂 What a relief! I am definitely going to make this soon. Thanks for another wonderful recipe and happy Valentine’s day to you all!
oops! sorry, i meant hand mixer used in this recipe. already have a hand blender.
hey girls,
what a lovely recipe! looks qite easy with ur directions. Just need to know which hand blender do you use/recommend? wanting to buy one asap.
thanks
Hi Raina,
Hand mixers are really inexpensive (sometimes $4-$5 at Walmart). They work great if you are not planning to mix really hard things. The more expensive ones will have a stronger motor.
Great recipe !!! Will definitely give it a try. Your website is awesome.
i really like the concept of tiramisu, but i don’t like coffee. does anyone have any suggestions for a substitue flavor?
u can use bournvita instead of coffee
very funny. can’t stop laughing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Interesting question….
It should work. Maybe you can dissolve the bournvita in hot water instead of milk. If you try it, we’d love to hear your feedback. It would be a great option for those who can’t have or don’t like coffee.
Hi Woman,
Another viewer had a suggestion of using Bournvita instead of coffee. It sounds like it may work.
Try Lipton Taaza tea, you can call it tearaimisu
Lol! Good one!
I have made it using chocolate milk for a more kid friendly version
Hi Christa,
That’s a great substitution idea…esp for the kids. Thanks for sharing.
hi hetal and anuja,
thanks a lot for the recepi,, well i was waiting for the punch ….. words adding a pinch of ….:) well, i guess u omitted becoz this was a dessert…….in other words u can come out with an other punch words.. as adding a pinch of sweet to your life……..:) for the sweets and desserts…hopefully u like it:) i will defenetly try it out and let u know…
thanks
vani.
Hi hetal and anuja
Can we use the bon bon biscuits – chocolate flavored sugar coated biscuits as layers?
vidya.
Hi Vidya,
We have not seen bon bon biscuits but any biscuit capable of absorbing liquid but not falling apart immediately should work.
hi
can u plz show me how to make baklawa sweet.thanx in advance
This is our favourite dessert and it comes at a perfect time. Its my wedding anniversary today and my birthday tomorrow ! Thanks a lot, I will definitely try it out. Happy Valentines Day to you, Hetal and Anuja.
Hi Smita,
Wow…celebrations all around! We wish you a very happy anniversary, birthday and Valentines Day!
hi hetal and anuja,
thankyou so much for the wonderful recepi….. i am going to make it for my hubby on the feb 14th …. and i want to mention one thing that i am strict vegan and i do use egg replacer for the recepies with egg… so for ppl who donot use egg or egg yolk… here is the product that i have found out…. it is available in whole food market…. the name is called ENERG- “EGG REPLACER”. in the side of the box it tells you how to substitute for eggs and also it tells you how to substitute for egg yolk. pls see the instructions fot furthuer information.
hopefully for Bela, this information may be useful
thanks and happy valentines day
thanks
vani.
Hi Vani,
Thanks so much for taking the time to tell everyone about the egg replacer. I’m sure it will help out a lot of our viewers. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your hubby!
Hi Vani,
Thats a great suggestion. Thanks so much. I sure can use it in baking cakes, but the Lady Fingers used is this recipe already has egg. So how can I replace that?
Hi Archana,
Another viewer said she tried this recipe with shortbread biscuits and it worked very well.
i used short bread biscuits and did it… it came out really wellll !!!!!!!!!!!!thanks for the recepi
I am also a strict veg, my faith can sometime restrict cooking – but heres the best way use shortbread fingers, found in every WAL MART!!, or you can use Butter Puff biscuits, which give a great effect, it can be a little tricky slicing the biscuits but its perfect for us strict veg’s!
Hope you enjoy it, like I did!
Yatin 😀 xx
Hi Vani,
Thank You for the information. Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
Hi Vani,
Thank You!!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
Bela
Nice one! I was waiting for the punch line…..Adding a pinch of ………………….But it was not there! 🙂 You gals were busy munching..lol
I am embarrassed to admit that I have never had tiramisu and yours look absolutely divine. I have one question, if we don’t have rum, can we substitute it with another alcohol? And, because this does have alcohol in it, will it be harmful for pregnant women?
Thanks and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hi you can subsitute the rum for any other alcohol, i use Baileys, which we love, or if your worried about pregnancy then just omit the alcohol, it will still taste yummy, and just wait till baby pops out then make the alcoholic version xxx
Hi Pinal,
You can use rum, Kahlua, Marsala wine or brandy. It really is just a tablespoon or two, just for a bit of flavor but you are uncomfortable with it, just leave the alcohol out. It still tastes fabulous!
Thanks Hetal and Parul for the quick response.
Beautiful !!! One question…was the cocoa powder used sweetened or the unsweetened one …I am guessing sweetened 🙂
Hi Meena,
The cocoa powder is unsweetened.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
I always wanted to make tiramisu thank you so much, but i have one question what can i substitued for egg yolks?
Can i substitued with flex seeds? or does it give after test? If you can reply soon i want to make for valentine day please.
You both look great!!! happy valentine day !!!
Bela
Hi Bela,
You can skip the egg yolks part. The texture will not be as rich, but it will still be delicious. You may need to adjust the amount of sugar in the cream cheese mixture (to your taste).
Hi Hetal & Bela,
Just a suggestion……instant vanilla pudding can be used instead of the egg yolks part.
Bela try out Sanjay Tumba’s recipe on http://www.vahrevah.com, he has made pure veg version without liquor version of tiramisu.
Lady Fingers are known in Europe & Italy as Pisccoti 🙂
Sanjay is cool!! I watch his videos since june last year!
Hi in england they’re called boudoir biscuits or just plain sponge fingers, and the cream cheese used here is usually italian Mascarpone cheese xxxx
Hi Parul,
Yes, Mascarpone cheese is traditionally used for tiramisu. In the US, cream cheese is considerably cheaper and easily accessible so it makes a wonderful substitute.
Hi Hetal and Anuja
Thanks a million for this recipe. Was waiting for this …
God Bless and have a Happy Valentine’s Day ….
wow tiramisu,,,,,,,, i love it,,,,,, thanks a ton for this recipe, i’ll be preparing this on feb 15th, taht is ma wedding anniversary,,:-)
Hi Amulya,
Enjoy the tiramisu! Wish you and your hubby a very happy anniversary!