The very first time I had Tiramisu, I was smitten with it. I was in high school and my family had a little birthday celebration for me at Buca di Beppo. Instead of birthday cake, they served tiramisu in a giant bowl complete with candles. And right then and there, it immediately became one of my very favorite desserts. I actually love tiramisu so much that I have made a few different tiramisu-inspired desserts before. Tiramisu Brownies, this Tiramisu Martini, and White Chocolate Tiramisu Pudding Cups are all inspired by the flavors of the Italian classic. But I realized something recently. I have never shared my classic tiramisu recipe here before! Obviously I had to fix that immediately.
Ingredients:
6 large egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup whole milk
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
16 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
¾ cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
2 ½ tablespoons Kahlua
1 (7-ounce) package ladyfingers (see note)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Chocolate curls, optional
How to make Tiramisu:
1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Mixture will appear slightly curdled – this is totally okay. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Once the egg yolk mixture has chilled, prepare the whipped cream.
3. In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
4. Whisk or beat together the chilled egg yolk mixture with the mascarpone until smooth. Set aside.
5. In a medium bowl, combine coffee and Kahlua. Roll each ladyfinger in the coffee mixture once or twice. Take care not to oversaturate the ladyfingers.
6. Arrange half of soaked ladyfingers in the bottom of a 7×11 inch dish. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then half of whipped cream over that. Repeat layers and lightly dust with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.