Tiramisu with Homemade Savoiardi
Classic tiramisu made completely from scratch with homemade savoiardi biscuits, coffee soak and a light mascarpone cream. Best made the day before serving so the biscuits soften and the layers fully set overnight.
Tiramisu with Homemade Savoiardi
Classic tiramisu made completely from scratch with homemade savoiardi biscuits, coffee soak and a light mascarpone cream. Best made the day before serving so the biscuits soften and the layers fully set overnight.
Equipment
- 1 20cm square baking dish
- 2 large baking trays
- 1 Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Baking paper
- Piping bag
- Heatproof mixing bowl
- saucepan
- fine-mesh sieve
Ingredients
Savoiardi biscuits
- 4 large eggs separated and room temperature
- 100 g caster sugar divided
- 80 g plain flour sifted
- 20 g cornflour sifted
- 2 pinches salt
- 30 g icing sugar for dusting
Coffee soak
- 350 ml strong espresso or coffee freshly brewed
- 30 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mascarpone cream
- 6 egg yolks room temperature
- 120 g caster sugar
- 500 g mascarpone cold
- 4 egg whites room temperature
- 1 pinch salt
Assembly
- cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
Savoiardi biscuits
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
- Whisk the 4 egg yolks with 50g caster sugar until very pale, thick and ribboning.
- In a clean bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites with the salt to soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 50g caster sugar and whisk to firm, glossy peaks.
- Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture in 2 additions.
- Fold through the plain flour and cornflour until just combined, taking care not to knock out the air.
- Transfer to a piping bag and pipe 9-10cm lengths, leaving space between each biscuit.
- Dust generously with icing sugar. Leave for 1 minute, then dust a second time.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until risen, dry on the surface and lightly golden around the edges. The biscuits should feel set rather than soft when lightly touched.
- Cool completely on the trays before removing from the baking paper.
Coffee soak
- Combine the hot coffee and caster sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Stir through the vanilla extract and cool completely.
Mascarpone cream
- Place the egg yolks and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water.
- Whisk continuously for 5-7 minutes, until pale, thick and ribboning.
- Remove from the heat and whisk for another 1-2 minutes. Leave until cooled to approximately room temperature.
- Gently loosen the mascarpone until smooth. Add it to the cooled egg yolk mixture in 3 additions, mixing gently until smooth after each addition.
- In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt to firm peaks.
- Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture in 3 additions until evenly incorporated.
Assembly
- Briefly dip each savoiardi in the cooled coffee, turning once so the outside absorbs coffee without allowing the biscuit to become saturated or collapse.
- Arrange a tightly packed layer of soaked savoiardi across the base of a 20cm square dish.
- Spread over half of the mascarpone cream and level the surface.
- Add a second layer of coffee-soaked savoiardi.
- Spread over the remaining mascarpone cream and level the surface.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Dust generously with cocoa powder immediately before serving.
Notes
Notes
- Homemade savoiardi absorb coffee quickly, so dip them briefly rather than leaving them submerged.
- Cool the coffee and savoiardi completely before assembling the tiramisu.
- Allow the cooked egg yolk mixture to cool before adding the mascarpone. Adding mascarpone while the mixture is warm can make the cream loose.
- Avoid overmixing the mascarpone, which can cause it to become grainy or runny.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Overnight gives the best texture.
- Dust with cocoa immediately before serving so it stays dry and evenly coloured.
