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.
Hi hetal and anuja,
I would like to make the whipped cream at home.
So for this preparation can i use half and half milk (instead of heavy cream) for making the whipped cream that can be used for tiramisu.
Hi P,
Half and half doesn’t have enough fat content to make it whip like heavy cream. You may get some air bubbles, but it probably will not hold up for an extended time.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I want to try tiramisu.So instead of using store brought cake can i use the regular sponge cake(Made of flour,eggs and vanilla) that we make at home???
And also i have brought Mascaprone tiramisu cheese.So should i have to follow all the steps as you have shown or do i need to omit any steps.
Hi P,
We have made tiramisu with regular white cake but not with sponge cake. The texture of sponge cake is slightly different and may not stand up to the coffee soaking. Again, we have not tried it so this is just a guess.
How long should we cook the egg on a double boiler and when do we know it’s done? Also, if it’s not cooked all the way, will that cause any kind of stomach problems?
Pinal
Hi Pinal,
You will notice a definite color change when the egg is done. It changes from a deep yellow to a light fresh lemony yellow.
I have tried this recipe and found delicious.. thanks a lot!!!!
Dear Hetal and Anuja
How are you ????
Your girls just rock ! I have tried quite many recipes from your website and they were all big hits, the super hits being Tiramisu, Jalebis and Biriyani. May I ask you to post the recipes with video for Parota (roti with flaky layers – kerala style) and the dessert – Friands from scratch? My daughter loves friands, they have really buttery and soft texture, very different to usual muffins/cakes. I would love to watch you girls make these two items. Last but not the least, thank-you so much for drawing up this website and the videos – you have no idea how very helpful they are to many starters like me. I am a big fan of yours and am looking forward to seeing many more recipes from you. May God bless you with good health and happiness. I wish you advanced Happy Diwali !
Kind regards
SRM
Thanks so much for the feedback SRM! Glad you are finding SMTC useful :).
your show is the best thing that ever happened to online cooking shows
thank you Hetal for quick replay… :)..
and i reccomend everyone to try making this cake.. it is so delicious.. just like the store brought.. even better than that.. 🙂
thank you Hetal and Anuja for this wonderful cake recipe.. i made this cake for my bf’s bday.. he loved the cake.. n was so happy that i made this cake for him… i just dont know how to thank you guys… you both ladies are awesome… God bless!…
so for the coffee… do we make just regular black coffee?
Hi Pari,
You need strong black coffee. If you are using instant coffee, just add more powder than recommended for 1 cup.
Hi Hetal & Anuja
My boyfriend and I live in 2 different countries and he comes to meet me twice or thrice a year. He is a total foodie so I make it a point to make him something special each time he comes.He simply loves Tiramisu so this October I would like to treat him with one and of all the recipes in the internet yours sounds and looks amazing and easy. However in my part of the world there is just one Gourmet shop and they do not stock lady fingers or short bread either. Is basic sponge cake a good alternative?
Can’t wait to try this out.
Thanks
Archana
Hi Archana,
We have not tried the recipe with basic sponge cake but regular white cake works really well. Split the cake into half (horizontally) and layer the entire bottom of the pan with one half of the cake. Follow the recipe with the coffee and filling and layer the second half of the cake and proceed. Good luck!
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
I love your website.I tried the Tiramisu for my hubby’s b’day it came out pretty good for the first try! My concern is the cream mixture wasn’t very stiff at the end even though the whipped cream looked very stiff before mixing it with the cream cheese & egg mixture! How do I get it to be stiff till the end(the whole mixture)?
Also,I had to substitute the Lady fingers with Biscoti from a local store bcos none of the grocery stores had those!!!
Rgds,
narmi
Hi Narmi,
Tiramisu needs to rest preferably overnight for it to set. The cream cheese, though softened when we make the cake, stiffens up again in the fridge over time.
hi i am the same person who send a comment(the previous one). the tiramisu which we made didnot set. what is the reason?????
can u reply fst.<3
If the tiramisu does not set, it could be that the fingers were dipped for too long in the coffee. Also, the whipped cream (if you are not using ready made whipped cream) needs to be stiff before mixing it in with the other ingredients.
thanx
we made it the second time,the came proper
thank u 4 ur rply
regards
i wouls like to share with u a recipe. where can i send the recipe to u?
Hetal@34.233.61.50 or Anuja@34.233.61.50
Thanks!
hi. i am a 8th grade student .i live in dubai . i love u both cuz u both r jst awesome. on 8th july 2011 there was a party at my house. i made tiramisu . there were 3 deserts. two of them my mom made. i made tiramisu. it went gr8. everyone loved it. thnk u 4 d wndrfull recipe. do more and more recipes lke this. pls reply soon. <3
Thank you so much for writing! We’re so happy and proud of you for your interest in cooking. Keep up the good work!
can we use broas? it’s like another kind of lady fingers and umm can we use like an original coffee? like the one you make cause we do not have a coffee maker and
I really love your website keep up
Hi Justine,
We are not familiar with broas but if they are similar to lady fingers, then they should work. You can use any kind of coffee (brewed or instant).
thank you hetal
hi again hetal and anuja I’am actually 12yrs old and I was just gonna ask, what can a twelve yr old girl can cook quite easy cause when I grow up I wanna be a chef
Hi Justine,
That’s great! If you are able to use the stove properly (always with your parents permission), then you can cook anything. Read the recipe and watch the video to see if it looks like something you want to attempt. Good luck!
sori HETAL i spelt yur name wrong
heeeeeeeeeeey helat and anuja, im nagging my mum 2 to makke dis it looks sooooooooooooooo nice im cant find lady fingers ani were do yu know something i can replace with?????/
Hi Madhuri,
If you read some of the other comments, other viewers have shared different substitutes you may try out. Thanks for watching our show!
heyy i love your show on youtube LOL
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I am a great fan of your website 🙂
I have been tried almost all your recipes.
Tiramisu is just awesome. It is my favorite dessert and i prepared recently for my friend from Italy.
She just loved it 🙂
Kudos to you guys 🙂
Keep going and all the very best !!!
Tried this recipe on my husband’s birthday and it came out pretty good. Thanks for sharing the recipe. My husband and my daughter loved it.
I made this recipe on someone’s birthday and it turned out excellent. I got the lady fingers from Henry’s.
Thanks so much for all the lovely recipes.
Made this recipe over the weekend for some guests,Everybody loved it:-)
I just substituted mascarpone for cream cheese and also added some espresso in the coffee.
Thanks so much for such an amazing recipe.
hi Hetal and Anuja,
I’m a big fan of your cooking, good job!
I tried your tiramisu and everybody loved it 😉
Today i made sabhudana khichdi for the first time and it came out sticky but very very delicious…!
thanx you guys XXX
Hi Hetal n Anuja
I have a couple of questions:
– How many people will this recipe serve ?.
-Can we replace cocoa powder with anything else ?
I think it might aprox. serve abt 6 people u can use grated chocolate instead of cocoa powder
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Finally I got lady’s finger from Publix (in the bread aisle). Now i think I will try this recipe. I just want to ask you if lady’s finger is not available then can I use the european coffee biscuit Biscoff instead.
Hi Sangita,
We totally understand your excitement 🙂
We know that you can use cake and some folks have used biscuits as well.
Can you please do the indo/chinese chili chicken.
Hi There,
We do have that on our list 🙂
Hii.. Hetal & Anuja,
I really appreciate your work very much.
Can you please share eggless- Tiramisu recipe before this valentine?
Hello Ladies,
Thanks to you guys for make me a good baker. I tried your quite a few recipe, all of them came out to be really good. Thanks again
Hi Sani,
You’re welcome! Thanks for the feedback. We’re so glad to hear that our recipes are working out for you.
Thank you so much for your prompt reply.
I start my day by opening ‘show me the curry’ web site.
Can I use pound cake instead of lady fingers? I have sara lee pound cake sitting in the refrigerator.
Hi Mehek,
You can definitely use up your pound cake. The taste and texture will be a little different but it will still taste delicious. Since pound cake is denser than the fingers, you will probably need extra coffee. Just layer the cake at the bottom of the pan and use a pastry brush to sponge on the coffee.
Hi hetal and anuja,
I am planning to try tiramisu for Christmas. I have one question regarding the cool whip cream.
As i am planning to buy cool whip from store:- Does the cool whip used is sweetened or unsweetened?
Thanks
Aditi
Hi Aditi,
Sorry for the late reply. The Cool Whip is sweetened.
hii anuja & hetal….i left a comment on 30/11/10.
My Tiramisu turned out yummy.however i cudnt cut it like a mousse cake lke u guys did.it was a little liquidy.however we enjoyed it thoroughly.im plannig to make it again for our house warming party which is on 04/12/10.Do u have any suggestion on how to make it perfect this time? we r on a posting to mauritius.everyone loves indian food so most of them will be yr recipes.:) thanks again.
Hii hetal& anuja…if u have a system which registers every visitor on yr website then i will be the winner!
im an electronic engineer by profession,married to a naval officer.u can just imagine the amount of parties that needs to be hosted.i was never into cooking and when i really had to do it it was always following recipe’s by the word.most of them were my mom’s recipe’s.since the day i checked out your site i have been visiting this site practically everyday.Today i made Tiramisu :).my mom is shocked that i made one.thanks hetal.thanks anuja.u make me look like a great cook!love u 2.
I have just made the Tiramisu.The consistancy of the cream cheese was not as thick as shown in the video.mine was a little liquidy.i followed yr recipe exactly the way u said.wat cud be the reason.i’l let u know tomorrow how it turned out.its in the refrigerator and im so excited!:)Thanx again
Hi Liji,
Usually, the cream cheese hardens back up when you put it in the fridge overnight. Maybe your whipped cream was not whipped enough?
As I make my Tiramisu cake – thanks to your wonderful website. Have a wonderful thanksgiving day with your families.
Shazia
Thanks so much Shazia! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well.
great recipe… tiramisu turned out just awesome… 🙂
just one suggestion… instead of putting hot egg yolks into cheese (which is not hot), the hot egg yolks should be immediately cooled down in a cold water bath and then added to cheese… it will prevent the curdling of cheese…
Dear Hetal n Anuja
I tried making Tiramisu.. encountered a few problems, still turned out yummy n frds complimented… however would like to make it perfect next time, n so ur answers to the queries below would be appreciated…
1. I bought Mascoparne cheese, I din have whisker so used hand blender to mix cheese and sugar which was fine.
2. had bought double cream as could not find cool whip, n used blender n got got the right consistency, but as soon as I added this to cheese, it curdled. still used blender there was distinct layer of liquid and cheese.
3. everything else was fine, din use egg, but since the cheese mixture had water, the bottom layer of biscuit was very brittle and I did not get the perfect layered tiramisu from bottom..
hope I can get some tips… thanks
Hi Shalini,
Mascarpone cheese has a tendency to curdle so we suggest using cream cheese next time. It works perfectly.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
With no baking experience, I tried making Tiramisu. I mean I worked on the eggs for the first time and used short bread.
And it was a delicious outcome.Perfect texture! Taste at its peak!
I expected a wreck,but was glad to see distinct layers of shortbread-cheese-cocoa.
Every bite is a celebration of taste!I thank you for the wonderful recipe.
A cake ecstasy!
Lots of Luv & Best wishes!
Mahima
Ladies,
Thanks a million for posting this delicious recipe! My mom and I made it the other night and we were amazed at how tasty it was. My father who is not so much of a coffee lover said “I’m in heaven”. Thank you so much, just another recipe to add in our collection.
Marina
Hi Marina,
Thanks for the feedback…glad you and your mom enjoyed the tiramisu!
hey,
Can i use icing sugar instead of normal sugar.. pls let me know. Thanks.
Hi Preethi,
Icing sugar has corn starch in it so it may alter the texture.
Hello Hetal & Anuja, today is my best day .. I tired 2 new dish and both turned out really good and one of them is Tiramisu. This time I used cream cheese and I am very happy the way it came out and my 3yr old totally approved by finishing one piece of Tiramisu, he even said Deliciaso mummy( in spanish very yummy ). Thank you so much for this wonderful receipe. You are for sure ” adding ..not a pinch spice but a whole lot of spice into people’s life ” .. keep up the good work. tons of love and best wishes, from my family
Hi Mary,
We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed the tiramisu. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Thanks for this wonderful recipe .. I love this dessert. Today is my husbands birthday and I wanted to make Tiramisu but like some people even my Mascarpone curdled when I added egg yolk. Well, it was big disappointment but I am not going to give up I will try with cream cheese but before that if there is any tip that you would like to let me know .. that would be great!! Thanks for this wonderful website which inspires people like me who is least interested in cooking to cook. Keep it going … Good luck !! Thanks again.
hi, what are the measurements of the dish that you used? and also how long does this take to make?
thank you
I have no words to explain you how much I enjoyed the tiramisu. U guys are wonderful 🙂 keep the good work up :)thanks a ton!!!!!
THANK YOU so much for the recipe!! This is my fav. dessert and I always it would take forever to make it. But you guys made my life so simple hehe. I ended up making this and it turned out fantastic! Thanks again!
Thankyou so much Anuja & Hetal.
Wow I just couldn’t believe that I’ve made Tiramisu…
I prepared exactly the same recipe of yours and it came wonderful.
Me and my husband liked it so much and today I’ve made them for the second time but I served them in a dessert bowl instead of a baking pan & it turned into a great presentation too.
I’ve been keep telling about your marvellous website to my friends and relatives.
Once again many thanks.
Hi Pauline,
SMTC grows only by word of mouth…so THANK YOU 🙂
http://www.vahrehvah.com/popvideo.php?recipe_id=6808 & Tiramisu desi style
This was the best tiramisu ever.. taste ,texture everything was just perfect .. Thanks a tonnnn for the recipe & God bless you guys !!
hi hetal anuja,
I searched in kroger and could not find the ladyfingers. Could you tell me which aisle i need to search them on?
thanks!
Hi Metpa,
We found them in Kroger during the holidays so they may not carry them during the rest of the year. You could try Central Market or Whole Foods.
Hi …Just one suggestion .. I am planning to make this tomorrow for my tea party for around 15 ladies … But I am confused how much ingridents I should purchase as serving size is missing in your recipe … so my request is to put apprx serving size with ingridents …this will help a lot …
Hi … Just one suggestion … please write apprx serving size .. that can help viewers like me to plan the recipe….
Hi Anuja & Hetal! I’m 25 and I’m writing from Sicily…. I like your web-site and the way you teach recipes..you are very nice =) about Tiramisu, I love it; I usually use Mascarpone cheese but I think that I’ll try Philadelphia as you explain in your video!! Kisses from Italy! ^____^
Hi Daniela,
We would love to use mascarpone cheese too, but it is so expensive here 🙁
Thanks for all the compliments 🙂
hi hetal and anuja
i like ur site to watch and its really interesting.i will try ur recipe soon and let u know.