The vanilla guide
Vanilla tiramisu
Coffee, mascarpone, ladyfingers and cocoa, with a real vanilla bean in the cream. A dessert we hope to make one day with a Bangkok kitchen.
Tiramisu is an Italian layered dessert of ladyfingers dipped in coffee and a cream of egg yolks, sugar and mascarpone, dusted with cocoa. This version cooks the yolks with the sugar over simmering water to 71 °C (160 °F), so there are no raw eggs, and uses vanilla and whipped cream instead of raw egg whites. Assemble it in layers and chill it for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
On this page
What tiramisu is
Tiramisu means “pick me up” in Italian, for the coffee and the sugar. It comes from the Veneto region in north-eastern Italy and became famous around the world in the 1980s. The classic recipe has no vanilla; a bean in the mascarpone cream rounds out the coffee and makes the cream taste of more than sugar.
It is also on our own list. Once our beans are harvested and cured, we want to make a limited tiramisu in Bangkok with a French patisserie or an Italian kitchen.
How to make vanilla tiramisu
Vanilla tiramisu
You need
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) strong espresso or coffee, cooled
- 4 egg yolks
- 100 g (½ cup) sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 500 g mascarpone, cold
- 240 ml (1 cup) cold heavy cream
- About 24 ladyfingers (savoiardi, 200 g)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
Nutrition (estimate): 540 calories, 43 g fat (27 g saturated), 24 g sugar and 8 g protein per 1 slice (⅛ of the dish). The recipe makes about 8 servings.
Method
Make the coffee
Brew the espresso or strong coffee, pour it into a shallow dish and let it cool.
Cook the yolks
Whisk the yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Keep whisking until thick, pale and 71 °C (160 °F), about 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and whisk until cool.
Make the vanilla cream
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mascarpone and stir in the cooled yolks until smooth. Whip the cream to soft peaks in another bowl and fold it in.
Dip the ladyfingers
Dip each ladyfinger in the coffee for a second on each side, no longer, and lay them side by side in the dish.
Layer
Spread half the cream over the ladyfingers. Add a second layer of dipped ladyfingers and finish with the rest of the cream, smoothed flat.
Chill and dust
Cover and chill for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. Just before serving, dust the top with cocoa through a sieve.
Tips
- Dip fast. Ladyfingers soak up coffee quickly, and a long dip turns the bottom layer to mush.
- Keep the mascarpone cold and fold gently. Overbeaten, it can turn grainy.
- For grown-ups, add 2 tablespoons of Marsala, dark rum or coffee liqueur to the coffee.
- Tiramisu keeps for 2 days in the fridge and is often better on the second day.
Questions
Is tiramisu made with raw eggs?
The traditional recipe uses raw yolks, and often raw whites. This one cooks the yolks to 71 °C (160 °F) and uses whipped cream instead of the whites. It still contains coffee, so it is not one for small children.
Can I make tiramisu without mascarpone?
Mascarpone gives tiramisu its taste and texture. If you cannot find it, beat full-fat cream cheese with a little cream until smooth; the result is a little tangier.
How long should tiramisu chill?
At least 6 hours, so the ladyfingers soften and the cream sets. Overnight is better.
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