Traditional Italian Tiramisu (Authentic)

This Traditional Italian Tiramisu recipe is authentic, easy and you can make it at home with or without eggs, and alcohol. Tiramisu is a traditional Italian dessert that is incredibly easy to make at home. The original recipe requires few simple ingredients and it takes less than half an hour to make. If you travel to Italy you will find Tiramisu on most menus all over the country. Further, all the most famous chefs have covered this, including Gordon Ramsay, Giada, Jamie Oliver, Gennaro etc.

The Traditional Italian Tiramisu is super easy to make, and requires just 6 simple ingredients. In the Authentic Tiramisu recipe, you’ll need eggs, sugar, mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers, coffee, and cocoa powder. With this combination of ingredients, you’re sure to have an authentic version of Tiramisu to offer your guests, or eat on your own! Preparation time is about 20 minutes, and you’ll want to let the final product set in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

The origin of the original tiramisu recipe is unclear. According to legend, Tiramisu originated in the Veneto region of Italy in the 1960s. However, it might have been derived from an older recipe that was modified in the 1960s. Tiramisu, in Italian, means “pick-me-up”, and it might come from the fact that the dessert has coffee and sugar and as such, offers a good boost of energy.

The original tiramisu recipe has very few ingredients such as eggs, mascarpone cheese, coffee, and ladyfinger cookies. There are many variations that include some sort of liquor, flavoring, and nuts.

How to Make Tiramisu at Home

Making Tiramisu at home is an easy recipe that just about anyone can make at home. Here, you will find a simple, yet traditional Italian recipe for authentic tiramisu at home. It’s incredibly simple to make and it does not require any baking. Also, to be sure, the traditional Italian Tiramisu recipe is made without alcohol.

These Ingredients Create 4 Regular Portions

• 3 eggs (separate the yolks from the whites, and put them in 2 separate bowls)
• 250 gr of mascarpone cheese (Important: check the list of the ingredients in it. It should only have milk or cream and/or bacterial culture. Anything else, it won’t work well – so just keep looking!)
• 6 tbsp of sugar
• 6-7 ladyfinger cookies
• 1 cup of coffee
• 2 tbsp of dark cocoa powder (shaved or grated dark chocolate works fine too)

Easy Method to Prepare Our Authentic Tiramisu Recipe

Step 1: Soak the Ladyfingers

Soak the ladyfingers in coffee for 3 full seconds each, then place them on the bottom of a shallow dish. Once you make a nice layer of cookies set the dish aside.

Step 2: Separate the Egg Yolks from the Egg Whites

Separate the eggs into two different bowls. One bowl for the yolks, and one for the egg whites.

Step 3: Mix in Some Sugar with the Egg Yolks

Beat the 3 egg yolks and 3 tbsp of sugar in a bowl. To make it really easy, use a stand mixer and mix until they turn pale and fluffy. Mixing can take approximately 5 minutes). Once the mixture is fluffy, slowly incorporate the mascarpone cheese one spoon at the time, until it is all incorporated. It may take just a few minutes to complete this step, and once complete, set it aside.

Step 4: Mix in Some Sugar With the Egg Whites

Beat the egg whites on their own, with the mixer (on high) until they start to become foamy. Then, mix in the remaining sugar, slowly. Beat the mixture until you have stiff peaks (meaning when you lift the beater, the peak should stand up on its own and not fold into itself).

Step 5: Finishing up

Now you can gently fold the egg whites into the yolks and cheese mix. Be gentle! Fold with a motion from the bottom to the top. Once everything is nice and mixed gentily, pour the mixture in the dish on top of the ladyfinger. Sprinkle the cocoa powder on top and put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours before eating.

Traditional Italian Tiramisu Video

Variations to the Traditional Italian Tiramisu Recipe

The recipe above for Tiramisu is the most traditional Italian one. You might have noticed that it uses raw eggs. If you are afraid of using them you can either use pasteurized eggs or at the beginning when you beat the yolks and the sugar together you can do that in a double boiler and gently bring the eggs to cooking temperature.

Tiramisu Recipe Without Eggs?

Eggs are a key component of the traditional Italian recipe, however, some may want to make it without eggs. To be sure, removing the eggs means it will not be authentic. But yes, you can make Tiramisu without eggs. You will need to use 200 ml of heavy cream. Beat that on its own. Then, beat all the sugar into the cheese until it reaches stiff peaks. Then, incorporate the cream in the cheese sugar mixture the same as before. As you can see this variation is slightly heavier because it uses cream instead of egg whites.

Is there a Tiramisu Recipe Without Alcohol?

The original, authentic Tiramisu recipe does not contain alcohol. But, many say it does. Whether you want to use a little alcohol is up to you. Indeed, it’s quite common to add rum or brandy to the ladyfinger coffee mixture. Again this is not the traditional Italian tiramisu recipe, but it is really good. In the end, it is totally up to your taste.

Can I Add Nuts to the Traditional Italian Tiramisu Recipe?

Sure! It’s possible to add walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds in the cheese and egg mixture. In Italy these variations have different names but they are equally delicious. In fact one of the best variations, called Dolce Amore (Love Dessert) has amaretti cookies instead of ladyfingers and it is probably even better than the original recipe.

Single serving

Another common variation of the traditional Italian Tiramisu recipe is to make it in individual serving dishes, such as martini glasses or mason jars. Indeed, this is Gordon Ramsay’s favorite way to serve it. The recipe is identical, just place some ladyfingers at the bottom of the vessel you choose to serve it in, and pour the mascarpone cream cheese mixture on top.

We hope we inspired. you to try this incredibly easy recipe and enjoy a great Italian dessert at home. Let us know in the comments below how it turns out.

-Andrea