Chef John's Tiramisu

Name: Chef John's Tiramisu
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 8 h 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: ½ cup brewed espresso; 3 tablespoons Marsala wine, divided; 2 eggs, separated; 2 tablespoons white sugar; 1 teaspoon white sugar; ¾ cup mascarpone cheese; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 pinch salt; 10 ladyfinger cookies, broken in half, or more as needed; 1 tablespoon cocoa powder; ½ ounce dark chocolate, grated

31 Ratings
18 Reviews
8 Photos

In addition to being an incredible-tasting dessert, tiramisu also offers the perfect segue when you're trying to steer the Valentine's dinner conversation towards spicier subjects. This heady, mood-elevating concoction is rich and deeply satisfying, yet remarkably light in texture. Yes, you can use regular cream cheese, but mascarpone is far superior.

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

cook:

5 mins

additional:

8 hrs

total:

8 hrs 35 mins

prep:

30 mins

Servings:

Yield:

2 servings

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Stir espresso and 2 tablespoons Marsala wine together in a shallow bowl.

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Step 2
Whisk egg yolks, 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon Marsala wine together in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, until thick, pale yellow, and creamy, 5 to 6 minutes.
Step 3
Whisk egg yolk mixture, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl until completely smooth.
Step 4
Beat egg whites in a glass or metal bowl until stiff peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the egg whites will form sharp peaks. Gently stir and fold 1/2 the egg whites into egg yolk mixture; fold in remaining 1/2 egg whites.
Step 5
Place 1 heaping spoonful mascarpone mixture into a single-serving cup or glass. Dip 2 ladyfinger cookie halves briefly in espresso mixture and turn 3 to 4 times to coat. Place cookie halves in the bottom of the glass on top of mascarpone.
Step 6
Fill the glass halfway with mascarpone mixture. Dip 5 ladyfinger halves in the espresso mixture and place vertically along the inside of the glass, dipping and placing more ladyfinger halves as necessary to fit the glass. Place 2 dipped ladyfinger halves horizontally on top of the mascarpone mixture. Fill glass to the top with mascarpone mixture. Repeat for the second serving glass.
Step 7
Wrap both glasses in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove plastic wrap and dust tops with cocoa powder and grated chocolate.

Editor's Note:

This recipe contains raw egg. We recommend that pregnant women, young children, the elderly, and the infirm do not consume raw egg. Learn more about egg safety from our article, How to Make Your Eggs Safe.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

774 calories; protein 19.2g; carbohydrates 56.8g; fat 51.7g; cholesterol 412.9mg; sodium 285mg. Full Nutrition

Love2Bake

11/09/2014

This recipe was very good, but the mascarpone mixture was bumpy, and had a gritty texture. I followed the instructions to the tee, but I don't know what I did wrong! Please tell me if you know, Thank you!

31 Ratings

5 star values: 25
4 star values: 6
3 star values: 0
2 star values: 0
1 star values: 0

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Love2Bake

11/09/2014

earthygirl

06/02/2014

Thank you, Chef John, from one Chef to another, for posting a PROPER Tiramisu recipe! I'm rather sick of all the "modern" frou-frou imposters with various liqueurs and such masquerading as the real thing! ;-)

Nanogene

05/03/2014

This turned out very good! I ended up making my own "espresso" with instant coffee and it still worked. Make sure not to dip the ladyfingers in the coffee mixture for more than a few seconds, as shown in the video. I will definitely make this again.

allets

06/19/2020

so creamy but is ther a sustutoot for the alcahal

Amy Lessout

03/05/2019

The cheese is pretty pricey, so you can’t make too much, but it’s worth it!

john

03/06/2017

Amazing!

Rebecca Gucker

05/27/2017

I have made other tiramisu recipes but this one is definitely the best! Followed the recipe exactly. So rich and decadent but light at the same time. This will be my go-to recipe.

Allrecipes Member

04/22/2022

Simple, elegant and delicious. Made individual ones for Easter and everyone loved them.

BeachMom65

03/24/2019

Thank you! This recipe is so easy! I have friends who cannot tolerate alcohol at all, even if cooked out, so I omitted the marsala. Yikers... They did not know the difference, of course, but I did. So I have a question; After the egg mixture is finished and ready to build the tiramisu with, can I add marsala, afterward? Will it curdle my cream mixure? I had some left over, and I would like to use it, but not as it is at the moment. Help! UPDATE: Well, I ended up making a second cream for the tiramisu, doubled the marsala in it and then slowly incorporated that cream to the first one that had marsala omitted. It came out wonderfully smooth! Thank you!

Milos Nikolic

09/07/2018

Spot on! Restaurant grade tiramisu. Cream is pretty strong with only mascarpone cheese (80% fat), next time I will use part mascarpone, part sour cream or something.

Rosa Almeida

07/01/2017

Hi, thank you, this recipe is perfect! I have been making Sophia Loren's recipe (available online) for many years, but this is way better. The only thing I do differently is to use an electric beater (oh the shame, lazy bones me...) and I whisk the mascarpone until creamy before adding it to the egg and sugar mixture. Oh, and I also use white Port Wine instead of the Marsala (I'm portuguese, Port is more convenient for me, Marsala is difficult to find here in Portugal). Best regards, Rosa

Dawn Albrecht

03/18/2015

Great stuff

Mochi

11/19/2017

Made it for tonight potluck. Big hit. Everyone loves it. Thanks chef John for a good recipe as always!!!

Gail

12/03/2016

yummy

Dani Lambe

11/22/2016

The custard was so yummy! This is probably a tiramisu sin, but we don't drink coffee in our home, so I dipped the ladyfingers in hot chocolate. It was so perfect, and the leftovers were still great the next day, too!

Tracy

12/30/2019

I have been making Johns recipe for about 4 years now and always a favorite looks great served in a Martini Glass

Buddha

12/13/2019

I layered it traditionally but it was easy, tasty and fun to make... luvin Chef Johns videos!

BakeryBlyss

08/06/2016

We have a great Italian place near our home and they made the best tirimasu, but when they changed the recipe we thought that we would never enjoy a better dessert. This recipe is even BETTER than their original! I did use Ameretto instead of the wine but that is just what my dad always made his with. I love this recipe!