When in doubt about which dessert to prepare, go with tiramisu: You’ll be sure to make an impression, everyone likes it (even children), and it’s easy, fast and inexpensive.
The right biscuits
In Italy there are two types of biscuits for tiramisù: pavesini and savoiardi (the latter known in the English-speaking world as ladyfingers). The choice is yours, even though connoisseurs of this dessert will always tell you to choose savoiardi. In fact, the result is completely different if you use these biscuits, which are tall and spongy and absorb less coffee. As a result, the consistency will be less creamy and slightly more compact.
Whichever biscuits you choose, make sure not to soak them too much, otherwise the excess coffee will make the mascarpone cream runny.
Once they are soaked, line them up in the oven pan with the sugared side facing upward.
Adding sugar
The sugar should be dosed according to the rule of half and half—meaning one half will be whipped with the yolks and the other with whites. This way the cream will be soft and compact at the same time, and the sugar won’t be perceptible.
You can also use the sugar melted, boiling hot and lightly caramelized if you want to pasteurize the eggs.
Mascarpone cream and Savoiardi
Whipped cream, yes or no?
Whipped cream does not appear in the classic recipe, but some like to use it instead of the whipped egg whites. If you decide to use it to give more body and flavor to the cream, that’s fine—but if it’s just to remove some eggs because you don’t like the aftertaste, we suggest you adopt other tricks, like adding some marsala to the yolks while you whip them with the sugar.
Everyone has their secrets when it comes to preparing a great tiramisù, but few mistakes may happen. Browse the Photo Gallery for the 10 common mistakes.