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
Make the espresso and let it cool completely. Stir in the Marsala or rum if you are using it. Pour it into a shallow dish wide enough to dip the biscuits. The coffee must be cold, or the biscuits will fall apart.
Beat the yolks and sugar
Beat the egg yolks and sugar for about 4 minutes until pale and thick. When you lift the whisk, the mix should fall back in a thick ribbon. Add the mascarpone and beat just until smooth. Don't beat too long, or it can go grainy.
Whip the egg whites
Use a very clean bowl. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are thick and shiny and hold a firm point when you lift the whisk. Add them to the mascarpone mix in three parts. Mix gently with a spatula, lifting from the bottom, so you keep the air in. This makes the cream light.
Dip and layer
Dip each biscuit in the coffee for only 1–2 seconds per side. Lay them in a 20×30 cm dish. Spread half the cream on top. Add another layer of dipped biscuits and then the rest of the cream. Smooth the top.
Chill
Cover and put in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or overnight. The biscuits go soft like cake.
Dust and serve
Just before serving, shake cocoa powder over the top through a small sieve. Cut into squares with a sharp knife dipped in hot water. Serve cold.
Make the coffee
Make the espresso and let it cool completely. Stir in the Marsala or rum if you are using it. Pour it into a shallow dish wide enough to dip the biscuits. The coffee must be cold, or the biscuits will fall apart.
Beat the yolks and sugar
Beat the egg yolks and sugar for about 4 minutes until pale and thick. When you lift the whisk, the mix should fall back in a thick ribbon. Add the mascarpone and beat just until smooth. Don't beat too long, or it can go grainy.
Whip the egg whites
Use a very clean bowl. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are thick and shiny and hold a firm point when you lift the whisk. Add them to the mascarpone mix in three parts. Mix gently with a spatula, lifting from the bottom, so you keep the air in. This makes the cream light.
Dip and layer
Dip each biscuit in the coffee for only 1–2 seconds per side. Lay them in a 20×30 cm dish. Spread half the cream on top. Add another layer of dipped biscuits and then the rest of the cream. Smooth the top.
Chill
Cover and put in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or overnight. The biscuits go soft like cake.
Dust and serve
Just before serving, shake cocoa powder over the top through a small sieve. Cut into squares with a sharp knife dipped in hot water. 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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