ESPRESSO PATRONUM! I am such a Potter nerd. But let’s face it, this is probably one of the only times I could have used that one and just barely gotten away with it. Can you blame me for jumping at the opportunity? Eggless Tiramisu is what we’re making today. Ladyfingers or savoiardi biscuits soaked in freshly brewed espresso and layered in between whipped swoops of mascarpone and finished with a generous dusting of cocoa powder. Now, that is my idea of a fantastic, no-bake dessert. There’s no denying that all of my favorite desserts usually contain some sort of espresso. Take my Starbucks copycat espresso brownies for example. In college, whenever my stress meter was about to explode, one of those brownies would be the answer to it all. Today’s eggless tiramisu recipe is a little different than what comes to mind when you think ‘tiramisu.’ For starters, as the title suggests, my tiramisu recipe is completely eggless. So if you’re uncomfortable with the thought of raw egg yolks in your dessert, this eggless tiramisu recipe goes out to you! Keep in mind though that if it’s an egg allergy that you’re dealing with, you’ll want to check the ingredients in your ladyfingers or savoiardi biscuits as well. Those often contain eggs unless specifically marked. Another ingredient this eggless tiramisu doesn’t contain – alcohol. So it’s suitable for everyone.
What is tiramisu?
Literally translated the word ‘tiramisu’ means ‘pick me up.’ I assume it’s the espresso that they’re referring to as I’m sure the flavor would jolt anyone back to life (note factual.) It is an extremely popular Italian dessert which contains sponge cakes in the shape of fingers that have been soaked in espresso and layered in between whipped mascarpone cheese and dusted with cocoa powder. Often, recipes call for the use of liqueur and brandy, I’ve opted to leave the alcohol out of this recipe entirely.
What do you need to make eggless tiramisu?
cold heavy creampowdered sugarvanilla extractmascarpone cheesestrong brewed coffee or espressoladyfingers (or savoiardi)granulated sugarcocoa powder, for dusting
Where can I find ladyfingers?
I’ve checked a ton of grocery stores and what I’ve come up with is that they are usually in 1 of 2 aisles… and sometimes in both! The first place I suggest looking is in the cookie aisle. They are usually all the way at the top or at the bottom and rarely located at eye level as they aren’t often bought for anything but tiramisu. The second place you might find them is in the international aisle located where all of the other Italian specialty items can be found.
Do I have to use mascarpone cheese in this recipe?
I have tried this recipe with cream cheese as well to see if that would be an option for those that can’t find mascarpone cheese readily or if it’s sold at an unreasonable price, which a lot of the times, it is. I found that a brick of cream cheese (8 ounces) to replace the mascarpone cheese will work. However, if you use 7 ounces of cream cheese and 1 ounce of sour cream, the flavor is very similar to what you’d get when you use store-bought mascarpone. So use what you like best!
How to make the easiest eggless tiramisu:
The best tip for making eggless tiramisu:
Make sure both the whipped cream and the mascarpone are cold from the refrigerator. I made the mistake of letting the mascarpone sit at room temperature for an hour before making this the second time, and guess what? It belly-flopped. My whipped cream and mascarpone mixture turned to butter! I didn’t even know you could turn mascarpone into butter, but I managed to do it!
See post for mascarpone substitutesI usually purchase instant espresso powder and just add it to room temperature water! It dissolves quickly, and works really well here! Start with about 2-3 tablespoons powder, and adjust with additional to taste!For a less sweet tiramisu, feel free to omit the granulated sugar from the recipe! I find that the addition of the sugar makes it the perfect level of sweet for us.
