Tiramisu-Torte (tiramisu cake)
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Torte
- 24 ladyfinger biscuits rounded
- 300 ml strong coffee, cooled to room temperature rounded
- 30 ml coffee liqueur or dark rum (optional) rounded
- 5 egg yolks rounded
- 100 g sugar rounded
- 30 ml water rounded
- 500 g mascarpone, room temperature rounded
- 300 ml cream, cold, whipped to soft peaks rounded
- 20 g cocoa powder, for dusting, at the very end rounded
Method
Method
- Line the base of a 22 cm springform ring with baking paper. Stand the ladyfingers upright around the inside edge, sugared side out, packed close together.
- Combine the coffee and liqueur, if using, in a shallow dish.
- Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and water together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, not touching the water. Whisk constantly for about 5 minutes, until pale, thickened and ribboning off the whisk. Remove from the heat and whisk for 1 more minute to cool slightly.
- Beat the mascarpone until smooth, then fold in the cooled egg mixture until fully combined.
- Fold in the whipped cream in two additions, gently, keeping as much air as possible.
- Dip enough ladyfingers briefly in the coffee mixture, a second or two per side, to line the base of the ring, breaking to fit if needed.
- Spread half the mascarpone cream over the soaked ladyfingers. Repeat with another layer of dipped ladyfingers and the remaining cream. Smooth the top.
- Chill at least 5 hours, ideally overnight.
- Dust generously with cocoa powder just before serving, not before the chill; cocoa dusted early goes damp and pasty by the time it is served. Release the ring and slice with a knife run under hot water between cuts.
Notes
- Cooking the egg and sugar base makes this a genuinely safe dessert, unlike a classic bowl tiramisu made with raw yolks; do not skip this step to save time.
- Dip the ladyfingers briefly, not long. A second or two per side is usually enough; soaked too long, they turn to paste and the layers collapse into each other.
- Cocoa goes on at the very end, right before serving. Dusted before the long chill, it absorbs moisture from the cream underneath and turns from powdery to pasty.
- It keeps for 3 days in the fridge, covered, though the ladyfinger layers soften further each day; it is at its best within the first 24 hours.
Ingredient substitutions
- Coffee liqueur or rum can be left out entirely for a version suitable for children, using coffee alone for the dip.
- Mascarpone has no real substitute for the texture; a mix of cream cheese and extra whipped cream comes closer than most alternatives but is noticeably less rich.
- Decaffeinated coffee works exactly the same way if caffeine is a concern.
- A layer of grated dark chocolate between the ladyfinger layers, in addition to the cocoa on top, is a good, common variation.