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This tiramisu is next level. Surprisingly easy to make and the various layers of flavor are decadent but not overly rich. Delish!
Kellie
Watch How To Make This Tiramisu
This Is My New Favorite Dessert.
There’s nothing that currently tops it. It’s the creamy dulce de leche layer + the espresso-soaked ladyfingers all hugging each other in one creamy, delightful slice. It has my whole heart.
My all-time favorite desserts list:
- chocolate chip cookies
- peach cobbler
- the chocolate patticake from Yum! Bakery
- and now, this tiramisu.
In the last two years, I’ve bought an embarrassing number of little individual tiramisu cups from our local “fancy” grocery store (shoutout to Kowalski’s). They have a specific variety in their bakery case that is called Dulce De Leche Tiramisu, and it is my all-time favorite.
So, basically what I did is I made it myself. Here’s a picture of me side-by-side testing it…
And determining that THIS HOMEMADE TIRAMISU IS EVEN BETTER! *wipes a tear*
I made this recipe in classic whole-pan form, which works so beautifully for an ooh-ahh show-stopping dessert at a dinner party or a holiday meal. I fully plan to make this for Christmas dessert every year from here on out.
And here’s the kicker: it’s shockingly easy to make, and actually needs to be made ahead! THE CONVENIENCE!
Since this version doesn’t include alcohol, the key to next-level success is using truly rich, dark espresso for soaking the ladyfingers. Technically you can use any strong coffee, or homemade espresso from a powder. But if you want to really knock your own socks off, go to Starbucks and order 5-6 espresso shots (decaf, in my case) to use for soaking. Or use an espresso maker if you have one at home.
You will die of joy. The richness! The depth! Contrasted with that sweet, creamy layer that tastes just subtly of dulce de leche – it’s SO incredible.
How To Make This Recipe
1
Mix Up Bowl 1!
Egg yolks and sugar, then mascarpone cheese.
2
Mix Up Bowl 2.
The heavy whipping cream and dulce de leche! I use a can of dulce de leche (not the whole thing – just a dollop).
3
Combine Bowl 1 and Bowl 2.
This is where it becomes MAGICAL. The fluffy, heavy-but-light, silky consistency of this is unreal.
4
Soak Ladyfingers and Layer.
Use strong espresso! Use strong espresso! Use strong espresso! We want a layer of ladyfingers, then cream, then ladyfingers, then cream.
5
Finish!
I’d recommend popping this in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, but ideally more like 12-24 hours for the best consistency to serve. It’ll set and get easier to cut and serve in clean slices as it chills in the fridge – plus, those ladyfingers will absorb some moisture and the whole thing is just so divine.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making Tiramisu
The egg yolks are a traditional ingredient in tiramisu and and it’s what makes the filling so luscious and creamy. I tried it without the egg yolks, and the texture just wasn’t the same.
If you’re concerned, use pasteurized eggs and/or heat the egg yolk mixture over a double boiler at 140 degrees F for 3-5 minutes.
If you’re pregnant or immunocompromised, just skip the yolks, the recipe will still work without them. However I would replace them with an extra 1/2 cup of mascarpone.
I tried it and the consistency works, but it tastes too tangy so I wouldn’t recommend.
Locally in the Twin Cities, I buy them at Kowalskis. But you can also find them on Amazon! (affiliate link)
Most grocery stores carry it – it’s usually by the fancy cheeses, or by the cream cheese.
Locally in the Twin Cities, Cub foods has it. But it’s also available at Target as well! (affiliate link)
Yes – you’ll just need to soak them a little bit more. You should do 4-6 seconds / 4-6 turns in the espresso instead of the 3 for the soft ones.
Yep! Here’s a recipe.
This should be eaten within 2-3 days.
The ideal time is about 24 hours because it will absorb moisture and hold together nicely. It’s still delicious after a shorter rest time but might not hold together quite as well.
Dulce De Leche Tiramisu
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
Description
Creamy dulce de leche layered with espresso-soaked ladyfingers in one delightful slice! This Dulce De Leche Tiramisu is my new favorite dessert.
Ingredients
Bowl 1:
- 6 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups mascarpone (see notes)
Bowl 2:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons dulce de leche (I use this canned dulce de leche, which I buy at Target or Cub Foods)
- pinch of salt to taste
Layering:
- two 4.4-ounce boxes of soft ladyfingers (I am very loyal to St. Michel soft ladyfingers – absolutely perfect with a little sugar crunch on top)
- 2 cups strong coffee or espresso (can be decaf but highly recommend that it is rich, dark, and strong)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- chocolate bar for shaving / topping
*This section contains affiliate links.
Instructions
- Mix Bowl 1: Mix egg yolks and sugar with electric mixer until smooth. The mixture should “ribbon” off the end of the beaters in a silky, steady stream. Make it look smooth and creamy, basically. Add the mascarpone cheese and beat again until combined.
- Mix Bowl 2: Beat the heavy whipping cream on high for 1-2 minutes until you get whipped cream. Add dulce de leche, mix again, and add a pinch of salt to taste.
- Combine Bowls: Fold whipped cream into the egg and mascarpone mixture. WARNING: IT WILL BE DIVINE.
- Pan Prep: Grab an 11×7 pan (a 9×13 will work, as will honestly any shape or size of pan, but 11×7 is my favorite). Use a fine mesh strainer to dust the bottom of your pan with cocoa powder. This helps absorb excess moisture from the espresso so it doesn’t get too wet.
- Layer: Dip ladyfingers very briefly in the espresso; turn to coat (I give a slow count of 3 while flipping each one – back side, front side, back side again and remove). You don’t want these in the espresso for a very long time or the whole thing will fall apart. Ladyfingers should cover the bottom of the pan. Layer half the creamy mixture on top of the ladyfingers; repeat ladyfingers layer, then finish with the rest of the creamy layer. Finish with a dusting of cocoa powder again, and/or shaved chocolate.
- Fridge: Cover with plastic and transfer to the fride. Let it set for 4 hours minimum, but ideally 12-24 hours.
- You’re Done! Yum! Cut and serve straight out of the fridge. Finish slices with more cocoa powder or chocolate shavings on top if you want. Absolutely incredible.
Notes
Mascarpone Amount: If you only want to buy and use one container of mascarpone, which is 8 ounces, you can do that – it still works. 🙂 I wrote the recipe with 1 1/2 cups of mascarpone (one and a half containers, basically) because I prefer the consistency of that creamy layer with a little more mascarpone in there!
Layering: In a 9×13 pan, we got 15-16 to fit in each layer, so 30-32 ladyfingers total for the pan.
Tip For Filling: To get the texture just right, be careful to not overwhip the whipped cream. I would suggest following the video / photos in terms of the look if it – you want soft peaks, just enough so it will set up in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: tiramisu recipe, dulce de leche tiramisu, dessert recipe, Italian dessert
Hi. When keeping lady fingers in the espresso, it soaked up a lot, which in turns meant that I went through more than 2 cups for my 9×13 pan. Is there a thing of having to “wet” afterwards? Would that ruin the whole dish?
For people concerned or immunocompromised, you can buy pasteurized eggs 🙂
I made this Dulce De Leche Tiramisu for Thanksgiving and it was divine like Lindsey said. It is easy to make and takes little of time. It is definitely one of my new favorite dessert. Thank you for sharing delicious recipe.
An easy recipe to follow and the results are amazing! I even found gluten free lady fingers to make this recipe work for some friends!
This was my first time making Tiramisu. I bought espresso shots from starbucks. Tiramisu came out SO SO good. Thank you for the recipe.
So glad you liked it!
I’m planning on making this for my boyfriend‘s birthday since tiramisu is his favorite. I’ve never made tiramisu before so this should be interesting. Lol might be a dumb question, but does the espresso need to be cooled to room temperature before dunking the ladyfingers?
Not a dumb question – yes, it should be cooled to room temp!
Amazing! I will try this on weekend.
One of my teammates said Tiramisu was his favorite dessert so I made this version and two people ate the whole pan in a day! Clearly it was delicious!!!
This recipe is a keeper! It’s perfectly sweet and rich and it will quickly transport you to your favorite Italian restaurant. Love that it’s make ahead too. We ended up doing three layers of ladyfingers after making it in a tall bread pan. Used Alessi Lady Fingers and they worked great.
Let me start by saying: if you make this recipe with the expectation that it will yield 12 servings as states, you will have a massacre on your hands.
I save this recipe in my inbox the moment it came out and finally got around to making it for Valentine’s Day . WOWEEEEEEE. This was one of the tastiest tiramisu I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a LOT of tiramisu. I got Argentinian dulce de leche at our local Italian grocer, along with dry ladyfingers and freshly brewed dark coffee that they use for their in-house tiramisu. I made the day before and by the time we ate it everything was perfectly sat. Everyone in our house is super happy with this dessert. I saw how much filling I had made and decided to make in a 9×13 pan with extra ladyfingers and to me that worked really well. Still, serves 8 tiramisu lovers max. <3
I was asked by a coworker to make something for a staff meeting at work and I wanted to make something that did not require me to be in kitchen all day because it was the day of the Super Bowl. This recipe came into my inbox at just the right time. This was easy to make and it got rave reviews, even from my husband who does not have a sweet tooth. Would gladly make again!
This looks really good! I’m in rural Canada and can’t easily get mascarpone, would the consistency of homemade work in this recipe?
That’s a great question. We haven’t ever worked with homemade mascarpone so it’s hard to say, but we think it’s worth a try!
This was a very easy recipe to follow and everything tasted so good! I let mine sit for 24 hours and unfortunately the mixture back very soupy. It was nice and firm when I made it. Any ideas why or how to prevent? Thinking I must’ve over mixed somehow but didn’t think I did.
Hi Rebecca! The lady fingers may have been too saturated with coffee. Just a quick dip is all you need!
Made for NYE dessert- sooo good! I don’t have an espresso machine so I used an Aeropress. Such a keeper!
This was wonderful! For thos who can’t find a can of Dulce de lecche, google homemade. You literally cook a can of sweetened condensed milk in the can, in boiling water then simmer (label off) for a few hours, I suggest 4. It’s the same. I also did 1/3 the recipe, put it in a 6×7 ish glass Pyrex- used the hard ladyfingers from Italy w/ the toasted sugar, used 3 K cup Starbucks espresso on strong brew, let it cool to just warm before dipping. Cocoa dusted under and on top, chef’s kiss.
All was perfect!
When using crunchy lady fingers, I found 4-6 seconds of coffee dip as recommended to be too much, and they cookies would be completely disintegrating. When I made again I did easy quick dip in the coffee and the texture was much improved!!
Still have to send my picture in; there is only one slice left!!!! But this was so amazingly good. Tasted the best on day 3 (we forgot to eat it the first day but I tried some and the lady fingers were still firm after 12 hours – day 2 and 3 everything was soft and creamy ) will 100% make this again – and nobody could believe I made a tiramisu 🤭
This was truly excellent and easy. Thank you so much.
This looks so good!
I made this and we all loved it! I made some changes due to mistakes on my part, but the base recipe still got me through. I couldn’t find the recommended lady fingers and instead used the Alessi Biscotti Savoiardi Lady Fingers, made it 36 hours ahead and it was just perfect. I bought 4 shots of espresso and quickly ran out, so then made some strong instant coffee that I had on hand and everyone at the party I brought it to still enjoyed it even without the strong espresso flavor.
HOLY COW this is so so so good. Thank you Lindsay for this amazing recipe!! I made it for my mama’s birthday yesterday and can confirm that this is absolutely delicious, full of flavor, creamy, heavenly, pure delight in dessert form!! Chef’s kiss* ps. I used the crunchy type of lady fingers and it still only needed a 3 second dunk, otherwise it would fall apart.
Hi POY peeps, this sounds delicious and I want to make for dessert for a Christmas gathering. Is there by chance a substitute for dulce de leche?? I’m having trouble finding it in the Netherlands …
I saw this recipe and knew I had to make it for my husband. It’s his two favorite desserts in one: dulce de Leche and tiramisu… He loved it and so did I! The rich, sweet dulce de Leche is balanced out with the coffee and it’s just deeply satisfying.
Really good! I could only find hard lady fingers and I also used instant espresso and it was still great!
What a delicious dessert! I totally rushed it and had to try it before it was truly set up and it was still amazing! Absolutely a keeper!