Classic Tiramisu
Italy's most loved dessert: coffee-soaked savoiardi biscuits layered with a cloud-light mascarpone cream and finished with a dusting of bitter cocoa. No oven needed — just a few hours in the fridge to set.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the coffee bath
Brew the espresso and let it cool completely, then stir in the Marsala or rum if using. Pour it into a shallow dish wide enough to dip the biscuits. Hot coffee would turn the biscuits to mush, so make sure it's cold.
Whisk yolks and sugar
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar for about 4 minutes until pale, thick and ribbony. Add the mascarpone and whisk briefly until just smooth — overmixing can make mascarpone split.
Whip the whites
In a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to firm, glossy peaks. Fold them into the mascarpone mixture in three additions with a spatula, keeping as much air in as possible. This is what makes the cream light.
Dip and layer
Dip each biscuit into the coffee for just 1–2 seconds per side and lay it in a 20×30cm dish. Spread half the cream over the first layer of biscuits, then repeat with a second layer of dipped biscuits and the rest of the cream. Smooth the top.
Chill to set
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. During this time the biscuits soften to a cake-like texture and the flavours meld.
Dust and serve
Just before serving, sift the cocoa powder generously over the top. Cut into squares with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and serve cold.
Make the coffee bath
Brew the espresso and let it cool completely, then stir in the Marsala or rum if using. Pour it into a shallow dish wide enough to dip the biscuits. Hot coffee would turn the biscuits to mush, so make sure it's cold.
Whisk yolks and sugar
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar for about 4 minutes until pale, thick and ribbony. Add the mascarpone and whisk briefly until just smooth — overmixing can make mascarpone split.
Whip the whites
In a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to firm, glossy peaks. Fold them into the mascarpone mixture in three additions with a spatula, keeping as much air in as possible. This is what makes the cream light.
Dip and layer
Dip each biscuit into the coffee for just 1–2 seconds per side and lay it in a 20×30cm dish. Spread half the cream over the first layer of biscuits, then repeat with a second layer of dipped biscuits and the rest of the cream. Smooth the top.
Chill to set
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. During this time the biscuits soften to a cake-like texture and the flavours meld.
Dust and serve
Just before serving, sift the cocoa powder generously over the top. Cut into squares with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and serve cold.
The Story Behind the Dish
For a dessert that feels timeless, tiramisu is remarkably young. Most accounts trace it to Treviso, in north-eastern Italy, where the restaurant Le Beccherie is widely credited with putting it on the menu in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Its roots lie in an older local habit: whipping egg yolks with sugar as a restorative treat, sometimes with a splash of coffee.
The name says it all — 'tirami sù' is Venetian dialect for 'pick me up', a nod to the coffee, sugar and cocoa.
From Veneto it spread through Italy in the 1980s and then around the world, becoming one of the most recognised Italian desserts anywhere.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Tiramisu needs no baking, can be made a day ahead and gets better as it rests — which is why it became a staple of Italian restaurants and home dinner parties everywhere.
💡 Fun Fact
The neighbouring region of Friuli Venezia Giulia also claims to have invented tiramisu. In 2017 Italy's agriculture ministry added it to Friuli's list of traditional food products, reigniting a lively rivalry with Veneto.
Treviso, Veneto, Italy
45.67°N, 12.24°E
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