Get the Best Espresso for Top Tier Tiramisu

Best Espresso for Tiramisu: Tips and Tricks for an Outstanding Coffee Dessert

Looking for the secret to amazing tiramisu? We can help! After all, we are in the business of great coffee, and a strong, high-quality espresso or strongly brewed coffee is one of the best things you can add to an exceptional tiramisu. Below, we will discuss how to achieve a truly great tiramisu and what you'll need! 

What is the best espresso for tiramisu?  

• Espresso Italia
• Amaretto Flavored Coffee Grounds
• Frangelica Cream Flavored Black Coffee

How to Make Amazing Tiramisu 

For truly awesome tiramisu, you're going to need a few things. You will need high-quality ingredients, a good understanding of how to master and fold the cream and egg whites in your dessert, well-made ladyfingers, and amazing espresso or strong coffee. Let's break it down one thing at a time! 

High-quality Ingredients 

For awesome tiramisu, you need awesome ingredients. This includes high-quality mascarpone, lady fingers, coffee, and cocoa powder. 

Cocoa Powder - You will need a generous dusting of quality unsweetened cocoa powder. This adds a crucial layer of flavor and balances the sweetness of your tiramisu! Some people like to use espresso powder instead of cocoa, which is fine as well. 

Coffee or Espresso - Strong, high-quality espresso or coffee brewed to extra strength will provide an amazing flavor profile for your tiramisu. Instant espresso is not recommended for tiramisu. Instead, choose a high-quality arabica coffee espresso blend like this. 

Ladyfingers - These light, crisp biscuits are perfect for absorbing the extra coffee and giving a textural element to your tiramisu. Try to find traditional Italian lady fingers with a crisp, sugary top. Stale ladyfingers are absolutely fine as they tend to hold excess coffee a little bit better (and technically, traditional). However, fresh is fine as well. Just make sure that you are getting the real deal! 

Mascarpone - Last but certainly not least, you need high-quality, full-fat mascarpone. This will be the heart of your tiramisu dessert! It's where much of the texture, flavor, and quality come from. 

Mastering Creaminess is The Trick to Great Tiramisu 

The trick to amazing tiramisu involves properly preparing your eggs, egg whites, and mascarpone. Many traditional recipes call for raw eggs, which is totally fine, as long as you wash the shells with soap and water before cracking the eggs. 

Salmonella, which is the bacteria responsible for causing illness from raw eggs, tends to live on the exterior of the shell. However, the inside of the egg is naturally sterilized, so according to UIHC.org, as long as you wash your egg shells well with soap and water, you CAN actually use raw eggs. 

Properly prepare the egg yolks without overmixing them. The mascarpone cream components will be sensitive to overmixing, and if you mix too much, you can end up with a grainy tiramisu. You will also need to fold your whipped cream and egg whites together gently by hand until stiff peaks are formed. 

Then, and only then, can you carefully fold in the mascarpone mixture. This will help keep your dessert light, airy, yet still stiff. 

Be Careful with the Ladyfingers

With your ladyfingers, you want to make sure to quickly dip, but not soak them. The ladyfingers only need to touch the coffee mixture for a second or two on each side. If you over-soak your ladyfingers, the dessert will be unstable, soggy, and crumbly in a bad way. If the delicate cookies seem to be a little bit too breakable and you don't want to risk dipping them, you can also use a brush to gently layer coffee on each side. Delallo ladyfingers can be great for tiramisu. 

Patience is Key 

You need to make sure that your tiramisu has plenty of time to set in the refrigerator so that the flavors can meld together. You should let your tiramisu set for at least 6 hours, but preferably, overnight for optimal flavors and textures. You may also want to add a layer of classic Italian yolk custard (Zabaglione) to elevate the flavor of the dessert! Not only is it delicious, but it helps things set together nicely as well. 

Some people also like to add a little Grand Marnier or Kahlua to their tiramisu. If this is something you're interested in, you should also check out this White Knight liqueur flavored coffee!

Does tiramisu have caffeine? 

Yes, generally tiramisu contains caffeine because it has coffee or espresso soaked into the lady fingers, or if it has a cake element, soaked into the cake. The primary source of caffeine in tiramisu comes from espresso or coffee. Tiramisu can contain anywhere from 30 to 60 mg of caffeine in a piece. So, about half as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, but still significantly more than what is in decaf.