Tiramisu Cups
These Tiramisu Cups are based on a traditional Venetian Tiramisu recipe my husband brought back with him after his time studying in Venice.
Why This Recipe Works
- 6 Simple steps
- 6 ingredients
- Best made ahead, making it perfect for a dinner party
Ingredients you will need
My Tiramisu Cups call for 6 ingredients you can easily get from your Local Countdown Supermarket. Eggs, Caster Sugar, Marscarpone, Coffee, Savoiardi (Lady Finger Biscuits), and Cocoa.
What no cream I hear you say, yes this Tiramisu recipe is made with no cream, as per the original recipe my husband dutifully brought back from Venice, you make this creamy rich dessert with egg yolks and Marscarpone as a base and no cream what so ever.
Ingredient Substitutes
- Caster Sugar: This can be substituted for regular granulated white sugar or a granulated sugar alternative such as stevia.
- Coffee: If you wish to use decaffeinated coffee that is absolutely fine.
- Savoiardi: Also known as ladyfingers. As this is the traditional Italian cookie used to make Tiramisu, I recommend finding them in your local supermarket rather than substituting them for something else. You can find gluten-free Savoiardi in specialty stores.
- Cocoa: This is only used to dust the top of the Tiramisu, traditionally Tiramisu has quite a heavy dusting of cocoa, but you could use shaved chocolate if you prefer.
- Mascarpone: As this is a traditional Italian cream cheese used to make Tiramisu, I recommend finding it in your local supermarket.
Wine Match
I have matched my Tiramisu Cups with Lindauer Special Reserve Cuvée Riche. I must confess this is a new wine to me!
But Countdown Wine Week is the perfect to time to test out some new wines! I tried 3 wines alongside my Tiramisu dessert, but it was the Lindauer Special Reserve Cuvée Riche that really made the flavours in the Tiramisu sing. Its full of honey and berry flavours, which paired well with the coffee, chocolate and richness of the Tiramisu. and it's beautiful golden colour looks so pretty on the table.
This post was made possible by Countdown Supermarkets,
Countdown has a great range of wines at a great price/value
If you’re keen to try a new wine, Countdown has a wine-themed week with loads of options on sale, take the Lindauer Special Reserve Cuvée Riche I have recently fallen in love with, at 2 bottles for $25 it is absolutely perfect to share with friends alongside a delicious meal.
Step by Step Instructions
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my Tiramisu, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below. Or Check out the quick recipe video if you would prefer to watch rather than read.
One | Whisk: Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until they become pale, thick and creamy. I do this with my electric cake mixer, but you can achieve the same result with a little elbow grease, a bowl and a whisk.
Two | Fold: Fold through the mascarpone, I do this in my cake mixer but on a low speed.
Spoon or pipe a small layer of the mascarpone custard cream you have just made into the bottom of 6-8 glasses.
Three | Soak: Prepare 250 ml of coffee. I do this by making a double espresso shot and bringing it up to 250ml with extra water. You can also use your regular coffee, ie French Press, or instant coffee. Dip ladyfinger biscuits into the cooled coffee and create a layer of biscuits on top of the mascarpone cream.
Four | Layer: Spoon or pipe a layer of the mascarpone custard cream onto the biscuits, add another layer of soaked biscuits and then finish with a layer of the marscapone cream
Five | Chill: Cover with cling film and chill. Tiramisu is best chilled overnight and served the following day, but will be ok after 3hrs of chilling.
Six | Dust: Dust with cocoa. I use a sieve to do this.
Raw Egg Tiramisu
This traditional Tiramisu recipe calls for the use of raw egg yolks. Due to the risk of salmonella in raw eggs, I flip-flopped many times about sharing a recipe based on raw egg yolks. What I, therefore, decided to do, was share the original recipe my husband learnt while living in Venice, But to also share two adaptions that can be easily made.
Use Pasteurised Whole Eggs: In New Zealand, it is rare to find Pasteurised whole eggs for sale. I believe this is because the incidence of Salmonella in New Zealand Eggs is low. In other countries pasteurised whole eggs in their shell are more common place. If pasteurised whole eggs are available where you live, then using these when making Tiramisu will eliminate the risk of salmonella.
Double Boiler Method: The second option is to add one more step to the start of my Tiramisu recipe. Instead of popping the uncooked egg yolks and sugar straight into your cake mixer, you will cook the egg yolks by whisking them with the sugar over a double boiler.
To create a double boiler, bring a pot of water to the boil, in a bowl that fits snugly in the top of the pot whisk the egg yolks and sugar.
Using the double boiler, whisk the egg yolks and sugar, this will allow the eggs to heat, and cook slowly without scrambling. Continue whisking and cooking the eggs in the double boiler until the custard becomes thick, foamy, and has doubled in volume.
Once your eggs and sugar have reached this stage, pop them into your cake mixer, and continue on with my recipe whisking them until thick and then folding in the Tiramisu.
Top Tips
Here is how you can make this Tiramisu Cup Recipe perfectly every time!
- When making Tiramisu, use room temperature eggs and mascarpone.
- Whipping the egg yolks and sugar, keep going until very very pale in colour and quite thick. Sometimes I find I can still feel slight graininess from the sugar, however after refrigerating for a few hours this mouthfeel disappears.
- If you want to see nice clear layers of mascarpone custard and coffee soaked Savoiardi in your glasses, you may need to cut your Savoiardi to size. For this post I used a glass to cut the biscuits for each layer into a circular shape. I don't go to this trouble every time I make this dish though, as it tastes perfectly fine even if the layers aren't perfect.
- If you want to see nice clear layers of mascarpone custard and coffee-soaked Savoiardi in your glasses, you may wish to pipe your mascarpone custard into the glasses rather than spooning it. I actually used my kids' squeezy snacker (a reusable yoghurt pouch) which was just perfect for the task. Again I don't go to this trouble every time I make this dish as it tastes perfectly just the same if you scoop the custard with a spoon.
Tiramisu Cups
RATE THIS RECIPE
Ingredients
- 6 egg yolks
- 200 g caster sugar This is just less than 1 cup, approximately 9 tenths of a cup.
- 400 g mascarpone
- 30 Savoiardi Lady Finger Biscuits
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa for dusting
Instructions
Traditional Raw Egg Method
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until they become pale, thick and creamy. I do this with my electric cake mixer, but you can achieve the same result with a little elbow grease, a bowl and a whisk.
Alternative Instructions- no raw eggs
- Create a double boiler, bring a pot of water to the boil, in a bowl that fits snugly in the top of the pot place the egg yolks and sugar.
- Continuously whisk the egg yolks and sugar above the boiling water. This will allow the eggs to heat, and cook slowly without scrambling. Continue whisking and cooking the eggs in the double boiler until the custard becomes thick, foamy, and has doubled in volume.
- Once your eggs and sugar have reached this stage, pop them into your cake mixer, and continue on with my recipe whisking them until thick and then folding in the mascarpone.
Main Instructions
- Fold through the mascarpone, I do this in my cake mixer but on a low speed.
- Spoon or pipe a small layer of the mascarpone custard cream you have just made into the bottom of 6-8 glasses.
- Prepare 250 ml of coffee. I do this by making a double espresso shot and bringing it up to 250ml with extra water. You can also use your regular coffee, ie French Press, or instant coffee. Dip ladyfinger biscuits into the cooled coffee and create a layer of biscuits on top of the mascarpone cream.
- Repeat: Spoon or pipe a layer of the mascarpone custard cream onto the biscuits, add another layer of soaked biscuits and then finish with a layer of the marscapone cream
- Cover with cling film and chill. Tiramisu is best chilled overnight and served the following day, but will be ok after 3hrs of chilling.
- Dust with cocoa. I use a sieve to do this.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutes
- Caster Sugar: This can be substituted for regular granulated white sugar or a granulated sugar alternative such as stevia.
- Coffee: If you wish to use decaffeinated coffee that is absolutely fine.
- Savoiardi: Also known as ladyfingers. As this is the traditional Italian cookie used to make Tiramisu, I recommend finding them in your local supermarket rather than substituting them for something else. You can find gluten-free Savoiardi in specialty stores.
- Cocoa: This is only used to dust the top of the Tiramisu, traditionally Tiramisu has quite a heavy dusting of cocoa, but you could use shaved chocolate if you prefer.
- Mascarpone: As this is a traditional Italian cream cheese used to make Tiramisu, I recommend finding it in your local supermarket.
- When making Tiramisu, use room-temperature eggs and mascarpone.
- Whipping the egg yolks and sugar, keep going until very very pale in colour and quite thick. Sometimes I find I can still feel slight graininess from the sugar, however after refrigerating for a few hours this mouthfeel disappears.
- If you want to see nice clear layers of mascarpone custard and coffee soaked Savoiardi in your glasses, you may need to cut your Savoiardi to size. For this post I used a glass to cut the biscuits for each layer into a circular shape. I don't go to this trouble every time I make this dish though, as it tastes perfectly fine even if the layers aren't perfect.
- If you want to see nice clear layers of mascarpone custard and coffee-soaked Savoiardi in your glasses, you may wish to pipe your mascarpone custard into the glasses rather than spooning it. I actually used my kids' squeezy snacker (a reusable yoghurt pouch) which was just perfect for the task. Again I don't go to this trouble every time I make this dish as it tastes perfectly just the same if you scoop the custard with a spoon.
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