Tiramisu – there is no ‘authentic’ recipe

Tiramisu is not a dessert I make often. I can actually count on my fingers and tell you how many times I made tiramisu in the last decade. However, each time, the recipe was different. And not that it was bad, or the recipe didn’t work that I changed the recipe. It worked every time. There are a few keynotes for a good tiramisu and everything else can be adjusted as per your taste or want actually. 

 

The must-have ingredients for a good tiramisu

• Mascarpone cheese – You cannot make tiramisu with any other cheese. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t taste the same. Cream cheese is too sour and salty. Feta cheese is crumbly and ricotta is a bit grainy. Although there are several recipes that will give you the combination of cream cheese and double cream or even ricotta, the taste is never a complete substitute 
• Good quality espresso- It is after all a coffee-based dessert. So you cannot think of making tiramisu without espresso. Of course, you can skip the alcohol in the espresso if you like. 
• Ladyfingers- These are Italian savoirdi or sponge fingers. These are sponge biscuits that are dipped in the espresso and then layered in the tiramisu. It’s actually not very difficult to make them at home. There are plenty of recipes online. You can also buy ladyfingers online from amazon. Although it won’t taste the same, you can use regular sponge cake instead of ladyfingers. Sponge cake becomes too soggy unless you bake it extra and make it a bit crispy before adding to the tiramisu 

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Before making the tiramisu for this post, I spoke to Silvia, my friend from Tuscany. I asked her for the best recipe for tiramisu. She came back to me saying that every family has its own recipe. Some use whole eggs, some use only the yolk. Some cook the yolk and some mix it raw. There are some, who use egg whites and cream, some use only egg whites. It really doesn’t matter as long as you have the basics right. Most often, Italians make their tiramisu in a deep dish with a fluted top. And they don’t really care about the perfect squares that you see in photos. The squares are mostly American. Italians like to dig into the bowl. 

I was watching a tiramisu video of Chef Antonio Carluccio, where he says ‘brutti ma buoni’. It means- ugly but good. The name of the dessert comes from the Italian word meaning ‘lift me up’. I reckon, they mean about the taste of the dessert and the texture, which is incredibly light. So, don’t fret if you don’t get a perfect square as you see in the photographs. As long as taste prevails, nothing else matters. 

Key points to remember

• Bring mascarpone cheese to room temperature before making.
• Don’t over whisk mascarpone. Then it breaks down and starts to leave the water. In fact, the best way to whisk mascarpone is by using a regular hand whisk and not an electric one. 
• If you stay in a warm climate, it is best to cook your egg yolks. If you can get hold of fresh eggs, then go ahead as whisk it without cooking. But in India, I wouldn’t risk salmonella poisoning from eggs. 
• While cooking the eggs with sugar, do it over a bain-marie. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Cook on medium heat to get a smooth custard. Be patient, it takes about 8 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the yolks. 
• If you want a low-calorie tiramisu, don’t use whipped cream. Whip the egg whites till there is no water left at the bottom and use that to fold in the custard 
• Marsala is the best alcohol for espresso. However, you can also use any other coffee liquor of your choice. Kahlua is a good choice. Some use brandy or dark rum too. I have used a local coffee liquor that I had procured from Goa. 
• Make sure that your espresso is at room temperature before you start dipping the sponge biscuits
• Don’t keep the sponge biscuits in the espresso for longer than 2 to 4 seconds. It soaks up liquid very fast and then will become soggy. 
• Use a good quality cocoa powder with no added sugar to top the tiramisu. You could make it lush by mixing a bit of grated chocolate with cocoa too. 
• Leave tiramisu in the refrigerator to set for over 8 hours, preferably overnight. Dust cocoa before serving

Storing tiramisu

Tiramisu can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days if you have made it with eggs. Eggless ones will stay for a couple of more days I reckon. However, it becomes soggier as days go by. The best is to eat in a couple of days. 

P.S. – Sadly it was in 2021 that father of Tiramisu – Ado Campeol passed away at the age of 93. Campeol was the owner of Le Beccherie, a restaurant in Treviso in northern Italy where the famous dessert was concocted by his wife and a chef. You can read in details about him here. 

Here’s another delicious Italian must-try dessert- Raspberry semifreddo. Don’t go by the poorly taken photographs. It is one delicious dessert– Raspberry semifreddo

Do try this recipe and share your feedback. You can reach out to us at our social media handles Instagram, Facebook or any of our personal Facebook (Madhushree and Anindya) and Twitter profiles. Post a picture and tag us.

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