This easy Italian tiramisu recipe will awaken all your senses!

Tiramisu Origin

A legend states that the tiramisu was invented at the end of the 17th century in Siena. Back then, some pastry chefs in the region decided to prepare a delicacy made of simple ingredients to celebrate the arrival of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo de Medici.

At the time, this dessert was called “La Zuppa del Duca” or “Soup of the Duke” in honor of Cosimo, who was conquered by the taste of this delicacy. As soon as he tried it, he decided to take the tiramisu recipe with him to Florence. It didn’t take long for this dessert to spread throughout the rest of Italy and become the favorite sweet treat of the nobles of the time.

Tiramisu Meaning

The word tiramisu, in Italian tiramisù, comes from the Veneto dialect tiramesù and means “bring me up” or “cheer me up”. Hence, there is another more recent version that claims the original tiramisu was invented in the 1950s in a restaurant called Toulà, in Treviso. This restaurant was located near brothels, where this dessert was very successful among customers due to its aphrodisiac connotations.

At that time, the authentic italian tiramisu recipe was made only with five simple ingredients: eggs, sugar, Savoiardi lady fingers, black coffee and cocoa powder. The mascarpone was added later to the recipe.

It was in 1968, after the banning of brothels, that Alfredo Beltrame, master of Venetian gastronomy and founder of the Toulà restaurants, included this treat on his restaurants menu to the delight of all his diners and the whole world.

How to Make Tiramisu

Do you want to learn how to make this authentic Italian tiramisu recipe? Get on board!

The origin of tiramisu is uncertain, but what is certain is that this classic tiramisu recipe is from Andrea, an Italian who has been living in Spain for a long time and has been very kind to share his easy tiramisu recipe with us.

You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make this tiramisu! That’s how incredible it is, you just need to follow the steps of this recipe. As a result, your guests will enjoy a spoonful of creaminess with aromas of coffee and cocoa melting in their mouth.

Easy Italian Tiramisu Recipe: Step by Step

1. Prepare two cups of long black coffee. Set aside and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Cream

2. Separate 4 egg yolks from 4 egg whites in two different bowls. It is preferable that the eggs are at room temperature. If you want to give more consistency to the tiramisu and less creaminess you can use less egg whites.

3. Beat the egg yolks with an electric hand mixer and add 6 tablespoons of icing sugar. Keep beating until pale yellow and the sugar has dissolved.

4. Clean the beaters. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; you´ll know they are stiff when you turn the bowl upside down and meringue doesn´t fall out. Then, add in 6 tablespoons of icing sugar little by little to the meringue and keep whisking until it has dissolved.

In one bowl you have the beaten egg yolks and in another bowl you have the meringue.

5. Add 500 grams of mascarpone cheese into the egg yolk mixture. Mascarpone must be at room temperature. Whisk with the hand held mixer on low speed until well integrated, and mascarpone lumps have disappeared.

6. In batches, fold the meringue into the mascarpone cream mixture with a spatula. Mix both mixtures with slow folding movements, a bottom-to-top and top-to-bottom motion, until combined. Then, pour in a tablespoon of rum and keep making folding movements from bottom to top until integrated.

Lady Fingers Base

7. Now dip the lady fingers in the cold coffee for about 4/5 seconds each. If your Savoiardi biscuits are not sweetened, I recommend you adding a spoonful of sugar beforehand in the coffee. Once the biscuits are soaked in coffee, place them in a 8×12 pan or Pyrex dish. It´s ok if you cut some biscuits to fill the gaps of the base.

Tiramisu Assembly

8. Once you have created the base, it´s time to pour the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers base and spread it evenly with the spatula. 

9. Store the tiramisu in the fridge covered with cling film and leave it overnight.

10. Sift cocoa powder on top of the tiramisu before serving. Add a heaping tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to the strainer, and gently tap the side repeatedly until all of the cocoa powder has passed through the strainer. Et voilà.. you have a delicious tiramisu ready to conquer palates!

If you like Italian desserts, you can also try making salted caramel panna cotta or panna cotta with chia seeds and raspberries.