Enjoy this recipe for a lightened up traditional tiramisu from Alina. Alina talks about university life and baking on her blog The UniCook.
I don´t drink coffee, but the one coffee-flavoured thing I cannot get enough of is this lightened up traditional tiramisu!
This classic Italian dessert originates from Venice and I was inspired to try and make my own after a recent trip there whilst I was working as an Au Pair (read about my experience here https://theunicook.com/au-pair-in-italy-my-experience/).
Venice is an absolutely breath-taking place and obviously I also had to try their tiramisu when I was there! It was pretty good, but I have to admit that I found it a bit too creamy and quite heavy. I prefer my tiramisu to be a little lighter, so I decided to try and make some homemade tiramisu.
In Italy, traditional tiramisu is only made with egg yolks and mascarpone, whereas this recipe here also uses some of the egg whites. Stiff egg whites are folded into the mascarpone mix, resulting in a much lighter texture – plus extra servings! Win-win I would say! I also kept down the amount of sugar in this recipe, to avoid a sickly-sweet tiramisu.
Homemade lightened traditional tiramisu is much easier to make than you´d think! Coffee, Eggs, Sugar, Mascarpone, Sponge (Lady) Fingers and some cocoa powder are all you need – that´s only 6 ingredients!
Give yourself about 10-15 minutes to make the mascarpone filling, plus an additional 10 to assemble the tiramisu. Then you will need to leave it to chill in the fridge for a good few hours or even better over-night. This will allow all the flavour from the coffee and cream to be absorbed by the sponge fingers, creating the perfect homemade tiramisu!
This homemade tiramisu will feed a crowd of about 6-8 people. It´s best if you prepare it the night before or in the morning before you want to eat it!
My stay in Italy also inspired me to get creative with some other Italian specialities, so why not try my twist on a classic rosemary focaccia: A Tomato and Mozzarella Focaccia Bread (https://theunicook.com/tomato-and-mozzarella-focaccia-bread/)?
Lightened Up Traditional Tiramisu Recipe
Grab the recipe for a lightened up, yet creamy tiramisu reminiscent of time spent in Italy.
If you enjoyed this lightened up traditional tiramisu recipe let me know with a 5-star rating!
Lightened Up Traditional Tiramisu
Grab the recipe for a lightened up, yet creamy tiramisu reminiscent of time spent in Italy.
Ingredients
- 3 cups strong coffee, cooled
- 4 medium egg yolks
- 50g sugar
- 500g mascarpone
- 2 egg whites
- 200g sponge fingers
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder, to serve
Instructions
Brew the coffee and pour into a large shallow dish. This will help cool the coffee faster and make it easier to dip the sponge fingers later.
Separate the egg whites from the yolk, putting 4 yolks into a large mixing bowl and 2 of the egg whites into a smaller one. The other 2 egg whites can be discarded or used in a different recipe.
Beat the egg yolks and the sugar with an electric beater for about 5 minutes until very pale and frothy.
Next, whisk in the mascarpone.
In a separate bowl, using a clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Mix in about one tablespoon of the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture, then gently fold in the rest using a spatula or large metal spoon.
To assemble the tiramisu, start by dipping half of the ladyfingers into the coffee and lay them at the bottom of a 1-litre pudding dish. Only dip the biscuits briefly, as they absorb liquid quickly and will become very soggy if left too long.
Next, spoon half of the mascarpone mixture on top of the biscuit layer and spread out evenly.
Dip the second half of the ladyfingers in the coffee and assemble on top. Finally, spread over the remaining mascarpone mix and level the surface.
Cover the dish with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or even better overnight.
Sieve some cocoa powder on top just before serving. Enjoy!
Find out more about Alina, the author and creator of this lightened up traditional tiramisu recipe.
I am a third-year Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology) student at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
In my free time, I play badminton, meet my friends or spend hours in the kitchen, either cooking or baking! I also enjoy sharing my university experience and advice on my blog, as well as healthy, budget- and student-friendly cooking and baking recipes!
For more information and recipes, visit my website at https://theunicook.com or follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/theunicook/ ) or Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.co.uk/theunicook101/).
