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Eggless Tiramisu with Cream and Mascarpone
Instructions
Mix the Marsala wine with the espresso coffee in a wide shallow bowl. The bowl should be large enough to comfortably dip a Savoyardi cookie horizontally without bending or breaking it. The wine adds elegant adult notes but you can omit it entirely if children will be eating the dessert.
Place the 500 grams of mascarpone cheese into a convenient mixing container. The mascarpone should be at cool room temperature rather than straight from the refrigerator, since cold mascarpone tends to clump and resist mixing smoothly with the powdered sugar in the next step of the recipe.
Add three tablespoons of powdered sugar to the mascarpone in the container. Powdered sugar is preferable to granulated here, since it dissolves into the cheese instantly without producing the gritty texture that granulated sugar would leave in the finished cream filling of the dessert.
Using a spoon or spatula, mix the powdered sugar gently into the mascarpone until completely smooth and homogeneous. Avoid using an electric mixer for this step, since the mascarpone splits and turns grainy when whipped too vigorously, which spoils the texture of the finished cream layer.
In any convenient mixing container, pour in the chilled 33% cream straight from the refrigerator. Both the cream and the whisk attachments should be properly chilled before whipping, since cold cream and cold equipment whip up faster, lighter and more stably than room-temperature alternatives ever do.
Whip the cream with chilled whisks for a few minutes until stable peaks form. The exact whipping time depends entirely on the power of your mixer. During the whipping process, gradually add the remaining one tablespoon of powdered sugar to the cream. To check if the cream is whipped enough, carefully turn the container upside down. Properly whipped cream will stay firmly in the container without falling out at all.
Gradually transfer the whipped cream in small portions to the mascarpone mixture and gently fold from the bottom upward in a circular motion. Folding rather than stirring keeps the air bubbles intact in the cream, which gives the finished tiramisu cream its characteristic delicate airy texture in the dessert.
Begin assembling the tiramisu. Take one Savoyardi cookie and dip it into the coffee-wine mixture for one second, maximum two seconds. The cookie should absorb just enough liquid to soften slightly without going completely soggy and falling apart in your fingers as you transfer it to the dish.
Lay the dipped Savoyardi out as the bottom layer of a deep convenient container. Continue dipping cookies one at a time and arranging them snugly side by side until the entire bottom of the container is fully covered with a single even layer of soaked cookies.
Spread a generous thick layer of the mascarpone cream evenly over the layer of soaked Savoyardi cookies. The cream layer should be at least as thick as the cookie layer underneath, since the contrast between the bittersweet coffee cookies and the rich cream defines the whole character of tiramisu.
Add a second layer of dipped Savoyardi cookies on top of the cream. Dip and arrange the cookies one at a time exactly as before, building up the second cookie layer to match the first one in coverage and thickness for a properly balanced final dessert.
Cover the second cookie layer generously with the remaining mascarpone cream, smoothing the surface flat with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula. From the recipe quantities given, you should produce one full standard-sized container of tiramisu. Send the dessert to the refrigerator for five to eight hours.
When the tiramisu has set fully in the refrigerator, take it out and dust the top generously with cocoa powder pushed through a fine sieve. The fine sieve produces an even snowy layer of cocoa, while a small flick of the wrist creates a more decorative dusted effect on the surface of the dessert.
Cut the dessert into clean portions with a sharp knife dipped briefly in hot water and wiped dry between each cut for the cleanest professional-looking slices. Make tiramisu without eggs with cream and mascarpone according to our recipe and bring it proudly to the table. Bon appétit!
Tips
- 1
Always chill both the cream and the whisks for at least thirty minutes in the refrigerator before whipping, since cold equipment dramatically improves the speed and stability of the whipped cream. Warm cream takes far longer to whip and tends to split easily into a granular mess that cannot be saved. Cold cream forms stable peaks within just a few minutes and stays whipped beautifully throughout the assembly process.
- 2
Use proper Italian Savoyardi cookies rather than ordinary sponge fingers, since the firmer Savoyardi structure absorbs the coffee mixture without falling apart completely. To pair this elegant Italian dessert with another beautiful chocolate-and-coconut homemade cake, try our richly indulgent Bounty cake with coconut flakes for a special celebration spread.
- 3
Dip each Savoyardi cookie quickly rather than holding it in the coffee for a long time. One to two seconds is plenty of time for the firm cookie to absorb just enough liquid to soften slightly without going soggy and falling apart in your fingers. Over-dipped cookies turn the bottom layer of the assembled dessert into an unpleasant mush rather than a pleasing soft bite at the table.
- 4
Dust the cocoa powder over the surface of the tiramisu only just before serving, since cocoa absorbs moisture from the cream layer and can turn into an unattractive dark paste during long storage. For another quick Italian classic to serve before this dessert at a celebration meal, try our beautifully fresh classic Caprese salad as a perfect light starter.
FAQ
Can I make tiramisu without alcohol? +
Absolutely. Simply omit the Marsala wine or cognac and use plain espresso coffee for the dipping liquid. The dessert will still taste wonderful and is the safer choice for serving to children, pregnant women or anyone else avoiding alcohol. You can also replace the alcohol with a splash of vanilla extract, almond essence or amaretto syrup for a different flavour note that still keeps the recipe completely alcohol-free for any audience.
How long does this tiramisu keep? +
Store the assembled dessert covered tightly with cling film in the refrigerator for up to three full days for best results. The flavours actually improve significantly on the second day as the coffee continues to soak into the cream and the cookies. Avoid freezing the assembled tiramisu, since the delicate cream texture suffers badly during defrosting and the whole carefully constructed dessert turns into an unappetising soupy mess in the container.
Why did my mascarpone cream turn out grainy? +
Grainy mascarpone usually means the cheese was either too cold or whipped too vigorously during mixing. Always let mascarpone come to cool room temperature before mixing and use a spoon or spatula by hand rather than an electric mixer, which incorporates too much air and can split the delicate cheese into a granular mess. If grainy cream still results, gently warm the bowl over a pan of warm water and stir until smooth.
Can I use a different cheese instead of mascarpone? +
Mascarpone is genuinely irreplaceable for proper tiramisu, since its uniquely rich tangy character defines the entire dessert. That said, a clever workaround uses a half-and-half mixture of full-fat cream cheese and heavy whipped cream, which approximates the mascarpone flavour and texture reasonably well. The result will not be quite as authentic as the real thing but stays delicious in its own right and saves money on the more expensive mascarpone cheese.
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