tiramisu cake with two spoons

Espresso your sweet side: Death Wish Coffee Tiramisu Recipe

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Looking for more ways to multi-task? How about caffeinating while you eat dessert?  

Enter: tiramisu. Composed of espresso-soaked cookies layered with rich cream, this is a crowd-pleasing, easy dessert to make again and again. The luscious, layered, caffeinated treat requires no baking at all and can be made ahead to set in the fridge—ideal for entertaining a group for dinner or brunch. Or, you can be smart and save the whole dish for yourself while you Netflix and chill—it’s called therapy.  

Aptly named, tiramisu translates to “pick-me-up” or “cheer me up” in Italian. Legend has it that a version of the dish dates back to 1800 in the city of Treviso, when an Italian Signora served the caffeinated, egg yolk-laden treat as an aphrodisiac dessert to gentlemen callers. Flash forward to the 1960s when a modern-day Treviso restaurant, Le Beccherie, officially (and finally) put this local’s favorite dessert on a menu. Now, you’ll find tiramisu in bakeries the world over.  

While we can’t personally attest to an aphrodisiac effect, we can confirm this highly caffeinated concoction is delicious.  

person cutting tiramisu in baking pan

[Photo credit: Victoria Alexandrova via Unsplash]

We took a classic version of this cult-classic dessert and made a few tweaks. We cut the sugar a bit, added extra chocolate and swapped the traditional rum for almond-flavored liquor. (Nothing says Italian desserts like amaretto—anyone who loves rainbow cookies can tell you that.) Espresso-soaked savioardi, aka “ladyfingers,” are cozily lined up along the bottom of the pan, then spread with a thick layer of mascarpone cream and dusted with cocoa powder. Repeat that and top the whole thing off with shaved dark chocolate. Delizioso! 

Deathspresso Tiramisu Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 6 egg yolks 
  • 2 tablespoons sugar 
  • 1 pound mascarpone cheese 
  • 1 1/2 cups Death Wish Espresso Roast coffee, cooled 
  • 3-4 tablespoons amaretto, to taste 
  • 24 packaged ladyfingers 
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder 
  • 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish

Directions: 

  1. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer with whisk attachment to beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of espresso and mix until thoroughly combined. 
  2. In a shallow dish, add remaining espresso and amaretto. Dip each ladyfinger into espresso for only 5 seconds. Letting the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart. Place the soaked ladyfinger on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, breaking them in half if necessary to fit the bottom. 
  3. Spread evenly 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Sprinkle cocoa powder over the top. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers and top with the remaining mascarpone mixture. Sprinkle a layer of cocoa powder on top. Finish with a light dusting of chocolate shavings. 
  4. Cover tiramisu and refrigerate for at least 2 hours—up to 8 hours before serving. 

Serve with Death Wish Espresso Roast Coffee or your favorite Death Wish Coffee blend and smile big—your pick-me-up is here.