Tiramisu (Homemade Ladyfinger Recipe)
This tiramisu was just about my undoing, and not for the reason I thought it would be. Using egg whites as leavening has never been my strong suit. (Hence why there are no macaron recipes on this site.) So I figured that the ladyfingers would take at least a few tries to get right.
Actually, it took 4 attempts to make the zabaglione (egg/sugar custard) properly. And that definitely threw me, since I make custards and ice cream all the time. I think I started making the ladyfingers as a way to convince myself that I wasn’t totally losing it, lol!
Stories aside, detailed instructions for both the ladyfingers AND filling are below. Make sure to scroll through for some important tips that’ll keep the whole process smooth.
Ladyfingers
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before you separate them. Cold eggs don’t form peaks as easily, and have a higher risk of deflating more quickly when you fold them into the batter.
Make sure that the bowl for the egg whites is big enough to hold the entire batch of finished batter. I used a 4 quart size. The bowl and beaters should be as clean as possible. Use a splash of white vinegar and wipe it around the entire inside of the bowl until it evaporates.
Take extra care to not get any yolk into the whites. Even a little bit of yolk will prevent them from peaking properly. Keep the yolks in a smaller bowl for later.
Use caster/ultrafine sugar. This one isn’t as important/non negotiable as the other tips, but it definitely helps. The smaller granules dissolve more easily in the egg whites, keeping things extra smooth. If you do use plain granulated sugar, use the same measurement listed in the recipe.
When folding the batter together, be gentle and use a steady “swipe underneath the ingredients and around the bowl” motion. The egg whites are the only form of leavening in the cookies, so it’s extra important not to deflate them too much. Some air will escape with folding, and that’s okay.
The finished ladyfinger batter will have air holes and a few stray egg white streaks. If you pay closer attention, you’ll be able to hear the batter “crackle” as you fold it.
Use a 1 inch piping tip and a large pastry bag to pipe the batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet. For a 9 x 13 tiramisu, make the ladyfingers about 3-3 1/2 inches long. You don’t need to leave more than an inch between the cookies, since they rise rather than spread.
You’ll need at least two baking sheets. After you pipe one sheet full of cookies, dust them with powdered sugar immediately before baking. This helps the ladyfingers to rise much better while baking. Don’t dust the second tray with powdered sugar until you are ready to load it into the oven.
After the ladyfingers have cooled for 15-20 minutes on the baking sheet, remove them to a cooling rack and let them sit out overnight. The ladyfingers need to be completely dry before using in the tiramisu. They will absorb more of the coffee/liquor and will be softer!
Zabaglione/Filling
So I’m still mad about how many times it took me to get this custard right. I was overthinking it, which I tend to do a lot. Thankfully, it really is a simple thing to master. Here’s a few more tips:
Don’t take the mascarpone out of the fridge until just before you start making the zabaglione. It only needs about 20 minutes to soften. If you let it sit out for a few hours, it has a higher chance of curdling or breaking when you work with it.
Use a double boiler, either dedicated or makeshift. I always use my 3 quart saucepan with a 1 1/2 quart glass Pyrex bowl. As long as the bowl is heatproof and doesn’t touch the simmering water, you’ll be good.
Don’t add the sugar to the egg yolks until you’re ready to starting cooking the custard. Dumping the sugar on top of the eggs and just leaving them can “burn” the eggs, causing chunks of egg yolks to clump and not blend in with the finished custard.
Just like with the ladyfingers, use ultrafine/caster sugar. The goal with the zabaglione is to both completely dissolve the sugar and gently cook the eggs into a custard at the same time. Using the finer sugar makes that easier. That being said, if there’s still a touch of graininess when the custard has thickened, don’t get upset. It’ll finish smoothing out when you mix it with the mascarpone.
Assembling the Tiramisu
Once the ladyfingers are completely dry and the filling has been mixed together, it’s time to start assembling! Make sure to put this together the day before you plan on serving it. The ladyfingers need at least 8 hours to fully soak up the coffee/liquor goodness and become soft.
For the coffee/liquor soak, a lot of people use a dark or golden rum or coffee liquor. Both of those are solid choices, but if you can find it, this Tiramisu liqueur is fantastic! It’s basically a marsala wine that’s “infused with coffee, cocoa and vanilla.”
Stir the coffee together with whichever liquor you’re using, and make sure it’s in a wide enough dish to accommodate the ladyfingers. When dunking the cookies, don’t let them soak for more than a few seconds per side. The end goal is to have a soft, cake like texture, not a soggy mess.
After lining the dish with half of the soaked ladyfingers, spread half of the filling over top of them. Repeat with the remaining cookies and the other half of the filling.
Storage
Tiramisu gets better with age, hitting it’s peak flavor after 2 more days in the fridge. It will last about a week before it starts to lose it’s shape and get weepy.
Tiramisu (Homemade Ladyfinger Recipe)
- Prep Time: 1 hour + 30 minutes
- Chilling + Assembly: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour + 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 day + 3 hours
- Yield: One 9 x 13 pan, 15 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This classic Italian dessert tastes better from scratch!
Ingredients
For the ladyfinger cookies:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 TB cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 6 large eggs, room temperature and separated into yolks and whites
- 1 cup ultrafine/caster sugar, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
For the filling:
- 16 oz mascarpone cheese
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup ultrafine/caster sugar
- 1/4 cup dark or golden rum/coffee liquor
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
For the coffee soak & to assemble:
- 1 1/2 cups cold brew coffee
- 1/2 cup dark or golden rum/coffee liquor
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
Instructions
To make the ladyfinger cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a large (16-18 inch) pastry bag with a large round tip (I use an Ateco #808) and set aside.
- Sift the flour and cornstarch together into a small bowl and stir in the espresso powder. Set aside.
- Add the 6 room temperature egg whites to a large, clean mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks to a smaller bowl and set aside.
- Measure out half (1/2 cup) of the caster/superfine sugar and place it near the bowl of egg whites so that you can easily grab it.
- Using a hand mixer with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium high speed until very soft peaks form. When you stop the mixer and pull the beaters up, the peaks should sink down a little and not hold up well.
- Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and gradually add the 1/2 cup of caster sugar in small additions. Mix each one in completely before adding another. I like to add a tablespoon at a time and mix for about 5 seconds before adding more.
- After all the sugar has been added, increase the mixer back to medium high and beat the egg whites until they form stiff, glossy peaks. When you raise the beaters up, the peaks should not move much, if at all. Set the egg whites aside, and leave the beaters in the hand mixer without cleaning them.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup of caster sugar to the egg yolks, along with the salt and teaspoon of vanilla extract. Use the hand mixer to beat the yolk mixture on high speed until it becomes thicker and pale, about 2-3 minutes.
- Drizzle the egg yolk mixture over the egg whites and add the flour mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold the batter together. It will start out dry and chunky, but be patient and don’t get rough! Keep the folding motion gentle and rotate the bowl with each fold. The batter will come together in a few minutes, and have a lot of air holes. It won’t look like a smooth cake batter, which is fine! If you have a few stray egg white streaks, that’s okay.
- Carefully transfer the batter to the prepared piping bag, and pipe the cookies into 3 inch long logs on the prepared baking sheets. You only need to leave about an inch between the cookies, since they rise rather than spread.
- After you’ve piped out all the cookies, dust them generously with the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar right before going into the oven. This gives the ladyfingers a much better rise! Don’t add the powdered sugar until immediately before you bake them.
- Bake the cookies for 18 minutes, or until light golden brown on the top and sides. They may crackle a bit on the top, which is normal.
- Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about a half hour before transferring to a cooling rack. Leave them out on the cooling rack overnight to dry out before using in the tiramisu.
To make the filling:
- Before you start making the zabaglione, take the mascarpone out of the fridge and scoop it into a large mixing bowl. It will soften enough while you make the custard.
- Add water to a 3 quart saucepan until it’s a few inches deep. Set the pan over medium heat until it reaches a simmer. Don’t allow the water to boil.
- In a small, heatproof bowl that fits onto the saucepan, add the egg yolks and whisk in the caster sugar until the mixture is smooth. (Alternatively, use a dedicated double boiler to make the custard.)
- Set the bowl on top of the saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the eggs have thickened into a pale yellow custard. This took me about 7 minutes, but it can take anywhere from 6-8 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Use a hand mixer to beat the mascarpone on low speed for about 30 seconds, just to loosen it up a bit. Add the 1/4 cup of rum/coffee liquor and beat on low speed for another 30 seconds until smooth. Add the custard and mix on low again until it is fully incorporated into the mascarpone. Don’t use anything higher than low speed, since mascarpone can separate and curdle easily.
- Set the bowl into the fridge while you whip the cream.
- Add the heavy cream to a chilled metal bowl. (if you set a bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes before continuing, that’s totally fine. Gives the custard/mascarpone more time to chill.)
- Whip the cream on medium speed until slightly thickened (think shampoo) and then increase the speed to high. Whip until very firm peaks form.
- Fold the whipped cream into the custard/mascarpone mixture until well blended and smooth. Refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the tiramisu.
To assemble the tiramisu:
- Stir the cold brew coffee and liquor together in a wider, shallow bowl. Soak each ladyfinger cookie for a few seconds per side, and line the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with soaked cookies.
- Spread half of the filling over the ladyfingers and smooth it out into an even layer. Soak the remaining ladyfingers and arrange them on top of the filling. Add the remaining filling to the top of the second layer of cookies and smooth it out.
- Dust the tiramisu with the cocoa powder, cover the dish, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. Finish up any leftovers within a week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 484
- Sugar: 23 g
- Sodium: 211.4 mg
- Fat: 23.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 12.7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 53.7 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 8.5 g
- Cholesterol: 204.7 mg
