The ultimate tiramisu
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
The ultimate tiramisu
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Sarah Randell
Our former Food Director, and previously food editor to Delia Smith, Sarah has written more than 1000 recipes for the magazine. She is also author of Family Baking and Marmalade; A Bittersweet Cookbook among others.
Sarah Randell
Our former Food Director, and previously food editor to Delia Smith, Sarah has written more than 1000 recipes for the magazine. She is also author of Family Baking and Marmalade; A Bittersweet Cookbook among others.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 150g caster sugar
- 500g mascarpone, at room temperature
- 100ml brandy
- 550ml strong espresso coffee, cooled
- 350g sponge fingers
- 100g dark chocolate, broken into squares
- a tsp of cocoa, for dusting
Step by step
Make the tiramisu the day before. Top with chocolate curls and cocoa just before serving. You can also freeze the tiramisu in a freezer-proof dish or dishes. Defrost at room temperature for 4-5 hours, then chill if not serving straightaway. Note: this recipe contains raw eggs.
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Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and pale – this should take about 10 minutes. Add the mascarpone and whisk again until combined.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to the soft peak stage. Mix a heaped tablespoon of the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture, then gently fold in the rest.
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Stir the brandy into the coffee in a shallow dish. Soak one-third of the biscuits in the coffee mixture for about 10 seconds, then put a layer into each of eight tumblers or small dishes, halving the sponge fingers if you need to. Top with a layer of the mascarpone mixture, then repeat the process twice. Chill well. It’s fine to make the tiramisu the day before you want to serve it.
TipThe dusting of cocoa is traditional; the chocolate curls are not essential but they do look pretty. If you want both and are short of time, grate the chocolate over the top instead.
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Melt the chocolate and spread it out on a baking tray. Chill, then run a kitchen knife across the hard chocolate to make curls. Top each serving of tiramisu with chocolate curls and dust with cocoa.
Meaning ‘pick me up’, tiramisu is a deliciously simple pud. Brandy is the traditional alcohol to use but if you want to try a variation another time, Vin Santo or sweet Marsala make good alternatives. Make sure your coffee is strong as it’s the bitterness that works well with the sweet mascarpone mixture. Individual glasses look good, but if you’d rather make one big tiramisu, use a shallow-sided rectangular dish
