Dreamy Tiramisu

SERVES: 8

CHILL TIME: 4 Hr

If you'd call yourself a coffee lover, then you need to treat your taste buds to something truly magical with our Dreamy Tiramisu. Not only does it taste like you ordered it from a fancy Italian restaurant, but it's so easy to make, you won't even break a sweat in the kitchen! This recipe is an absolute dream till the very last bite.

What You'll Need

1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese (see Note)
1 cup sugar
2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
2 (3-ounce) packages ladyfingers (you may have a few extra)
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa

What to Do

In a small bowl, combine water, coffee granules, liqueur, and vanilla; stir to dissolve the coffee, then set aside. In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese and sugar until smooth; set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold 1-1/2 cups of whipped cream into cheese mixture until thoroughly combined.
Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish with ladyfingers, slightly overlapping to fit. Drizzle half the coffee mixture evenly over ladyfingers. Spoon half the cheese mixture evenly over ladyfingers.
Layer with more ladyfingers and repeat with coffee mixture and cheese mixture. Spoon remaining whipped cream over the top and sprinkle with cocoa. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Mr. Food Test Kitchen Tip!

Mascarpone cheese is a fresh Italian double cream cheese that is buttery smooth in texture and can often be found in supermarket deli departments. If it's not available, it's fine to substitute cream cheese beaten with a little milk, until creamy and smooth.
Want more Italian dessert recipes? Try our Italian Cream Cake, or Nonna's Cannoli Poke Cake.
Looking for something more tropical? Check out the great cruise-inspired recipes we shared as we sailed the Caribbean!

Up Next:

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PamElla

Apr 09, 2020

I found biscotti lady fingers, are these what is needed? Just wondering being that they are hard.

Emilia Rosa

Nov 30, 2024

Look for Italian lady fingers. They are hard and longer than their American counterpart.

marallen32 9294641

Dec 17, 2019

I live in the Dallas, Tx. area and I found Ladyfingers at World Market.

gcbarn 3199982

Apr 03, 2016

it's fantastic, In reply to the person who can't find heavy cream you will find it in the dairy section of the food store. all major stores carry it .

tulal

Feb 06, 2016

easy to make.thank you

littlekauai 614871 7

Dec 09, 2015

where does one find Heavy Cream. None of the stores here have it. I could make it with milk and butter. just wondering if a major store would have it. Thanks for your help.

Test Kitchen Team

Dec 10, 2015

Hi there! We do not recommend making heavy cream with milk and butter, as the consistency is unmatched. Heavy cream is readily available in the dairy section at most US and Canadian grocery stores/chains such as Walmart. If you are located in the UK, whipping cream is an equivalent substitution, and double cream if you cannot find that. If you are in Australia, you can substitute pure cream for heavy cream. If you are in another country or have any other questions, let us know. :) We're here to help. Enjoy!

bfleishman3 880321 1

Mar 20, 2015

Can you use low fat cool whip in place of heavy cream?

Test Kitchen Team

Mar 23, 2015

Yes, you can use a low fat whipped topping in place of heavy cream. Enjoy!

kenndonh 5187693

Feb 21, 2015

Very good and easy to make. Hardest part was to find the lady fingers while on vacation in Yuma AZ

zivers6982 0491536

Mar 29, 2014

can you use ricotta cheese instead of mascarpone cheese?

Test Kitchen Team

Mar 31, 2014

Yes, you can use ricotta cheese instead of mascarpone cheese, or cream cheese with a little milk.

codcut

Oct 04, 2014

Ricotta cheese is not a good idea. If this is how you want to do it, use your immersible blender and get rid of those chunks. Ricotta is no where near marscarpone cheese. You want the velvety consistency that ricotta just doesn't allow. I've made this 1000 times but not this way. You can also soak your lady fingers in coffee for a few seconds, it produces the same affect.

cdwbellfounte

Mar 29, 2014

can you make it with out the coffee liqueur?

Test Kitchen Team

Mar 31, 2014

Yes, you can certainly leave out the coffee liqueur.

Moppel

Sep 20, 2014

I have always made my Tiramisu with Amaretto, but now that I have kids I use Almond extract instead. Works just as well.

aahead 7425503

Aug 04, 2017

How much almond extract, if your not using the liqueur?

Test Kitchen Team

Aug 04, 2017

While we have not tested this recipe using almond liquor or extract as a substitute, 1/2 - 3/4 of a teaspoon of almond extract should be a good substitute. (The amount varies depending on how strong of an almond flavor youd like to have.) However, you would need to replace the missing liquid volume as its absorbed by the ladyfingers. Without it, the ladyfingers may not be soft enough. If using extract instead of liquor, we recommend increasing your coffee mixture to 3/4 cup water and 3 teaspoons instant coffee granules to keep the same moisture level. Hope this helps and wed love to know how it turns out if you make it!

karene 1877431

Mar 16, 2014

I am not fond of ladyfingers, so I use a sponge cake made in a jellyroll pan. Works well in Tiramisu and makes it taste even better.

Moppel

Sep 20, 2014

That's exactly what I do, and have been doing for decades. I find the sponge cake holds up better too.

Pem717 7943126

Mar 16, 2014

Super easy to prepare and super delicious. Made this for a dinner at the neighbors house. Everyone commented on how yummy it was. I didn't have the coffee liquor so I subbed with a bit of Kahlua instead. Tastes even better the next day.

maryanna1 9507713

Mar 15, 2014

I don't like coffee so can I use green tea instead?

Test Kitchen Team

Mar 17, 2014

Hi Maryanna, The Test Kitchen hasn't tried this recipe with green tea, so while we cannot vouch for the flavor, we can't see why it wouldn't work. However, if you don't like coffee flavor, you can substitute the coffee liqueur for chocolate liqueur.

Callies mom

Mar 15, 2014

Saved this to my recipe box , but cannot save to a folder. How do I do this on the "new" website? Never had trouble before the changes.

Test Kitchen Team

Mar 17, 2014

We're sorry for the inconvenience. We're currently working on getting this resolved. Thank you for your patience.

lgbarker 2041034

Mar 14, 2014

What can you substitute for the coffee liqueur?

Bellerophon

Mar 15, 2014

Is it the alcohol you want to avoid? There are many recipes for "non-alcoholic Tiramisu" on the web. Just do a search for the above. Here's one: http://dozenflours.com/2008/11/vinnys-non-alc == oholic-tiramisu.html

Test Kitchen Team

Mar 17, 2014

You can substitute the coffee liqueur for chocolate liqueur or any other liqueur of your choice. If you don't want the liquor, you can use coffee with a flavored creamer.

Moppel

Sep 20, 2014

I always use almond extract.

shrlbarr 6348500

Mar 14, 2014

Where do you purchase ladyfingers?

NewMexJags

Mar 15, 2014

Go to an Italian Deli or order them online. You want the crisp ones. I like Balocco Savoiardi brand. They're not expensive. I use leftover strong coffee, as I don't buy instant. I have made many tiramasus and this recipe looks good!

Bellerophon

Mar 15, 2014

Look in your local supermarket first -- They might have them. Mine does.