Tiramisu with homemade ladyfingers
This light and airy tiramisu is made with homemade ladyfingers, layers of mascarpone mousse, and a delicious espresso syrup. It's the perfect 100% from scratch tiramisu recipe, and a great make-ahead dessert!
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- 9 inch baking dish
- Large piping or ziptop bag
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Food thermometer
Ingredients
Ladyfingers (makes 20 - 22)
- 1 cup (120g) all purpose flour
- 4 eggs, separated
- 2/3 cup (120g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (50g) powdered sugar
Coffee syrup
- 1/3 cup (75g) warm espresso (about 3 shots)
- 3 tbsp (36g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp dark rum
Mascarpone mousse
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp (60g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp (25g) water
- 5 oz (150g) mascarpone
- 1 cup (230ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 gelatin sheets (or 1 1/2 tsp of powdered gelatin)
Topping
- 3 tbsp (25g) cocoa powder
Instructions
Make the ladyfingers
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until bubbles form and they hold a soft peak
- Gradually add the granulated sugar while the mixer is running. Continue whipping until the egg whites are firm and glossy and hold a stiff peak. Add the egg yolks and whip on high speed until smooth, about 5 seconds
- Sift in the flour in 3 batches, gently folding in each batch with a spatula
- Transfer the batter into a large piping bag and pipe 20 - 22 5 inch long ladyfingers on the baking sheets. Space them at least 1 inch apart. Sift powdered sugar on the tops
- Bake one sheet at a time for 8 - 10 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool
Make the coffee syrup
- In a bowl or baking dish, mix together the warm espresso, sugar, and rum. Make sure the bowl is wide enough for you to tip the ladyfingers in face down
Make the mascarpone mousse
- Combine the sugar and water in small pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and heat until a food thermometer registers 239F. Make sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan
- While the sugar is heating, beat the egg yolks with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on low speed
- When the syrup is ready, pour it down the side of the bowl into the yolks and beat at high speed until the mixture cools to room temperature, about 10 minutes. When pouring the syrup, the mixer should still be running
- In a medium bowl, whip the cream until it reaches stiff peaks
- Place the sheet gelatin in a bowl of cold water and let soak for 5 - 10 minutes. If you're using powdered gelatin, mix with 1 tbsp of cold water
- Whisk the mascarpone in a large bowl until smooth. Add a third of the egg yolk mixture and beat until well incorporated. Add the remaining egg yolk mixture and beat until smooth
- If using sheet gelatin, squeeze out the excess water and place the gelatin in a bowl. Microwave the gelatin for a few seconds until melted. Add a little bit of the mascarpone to the melted gelatin and stir until smooth. Add this mixture to the remaining mascarpone and beat until well incorporated
- Fold a third of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream
Assemble the tiramisu
- Dip each side of the ladyfinger in the coffee syrup, about 1 - 2 seconds for each side. Lay them down in an even layer in the baking dish
- Spread half of the mascarpone mousse on top of the ladyfingers
- Add a second layer of ladyfingers dipped in coffee syrup on top of the mousse
- Spread the remaining mousse on top and smooth with a spatula. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hour, ideally overnight
- Before serving, sift cocoa powder on top
Notes
- When separating the eggs for the ladyfingers, be careful not to mix any of the yolk into the whites. Even a bit of yolk can prevent the whites from whipping up into stiff peaks
- The ladyfinger recipe makes 20 - 22 ladyfingers, and you will need around 16 for the tiramisu