Perfect & Easy Tiramisu

Tiramisu fans will fall in love with this simply perfect recipe! A few easy swaps makes it more approachable and easy to make any time of year with products that are easy to find.

I am a tiramisu NUT.

I really don’t know where this obsession started, because I have only recently hopped on the bandwagon. I certainly never had it growing up, but once I tried it, I was hooked. It’s easily one of top 3 favorite desserts and I order it whenever I see it on the menu.

But for some reason, I am not a huge mascarpone cheese fan. I tried to like it but it’s just not my jam, so in this recipe, I switched things up by using cream cheese. Cream cheese is an easy swap-out for mascarpone without sacrificing the hint of tang, the creaminess, or the amazing fluffy texture.

Usually for tiramisu, I like using Twinkies instead of ladyfingers because they’re easier to find and so similar, anyway, but I wanted this to be more authentic.

Plus, once I realized Whole Foods carries ladyfingers for cheap (on the cookie and cracker aisle!), the rest was history. Authentic tiramisu whenever I want, YES!

This recipe starts out like most tiramisu recipes but with little twists along the way. First, dunk your ladyfingers into a mixture of cooled, brewed coffee and a splash of Kahlua. Some people use brandy or Marsala wine, but I had Kahlua on hand and I liked that it played up the coffee flavor. Once your ladyfingers are dunked, line them up in the pan like little soldiers and top them with the cream cheese mixture.

The cream cheese mixture is just cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and whipped cream mixed together to form one heavenly cloud of luscious deliciousness. Spread that over the soaked ladyfingers, then repeat the layers.

Finish with a heavy dusting of cocoa powder on top and – this is the hard part – let it set in the fridge for a few hours. You’ll be glad you did, because it really allows the flavors to merry together. (Is it ‘merry’ or ‘marry’? Who knows/cares because I have tiramisu).

Anyway, get your forks out because I guarantee once you make this bad boy, you won’t want to share!

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Perfect & Easy Tiramisu

This Perfectly Easy Tiramisu is life-changing! A few simple swaps and easily accessible ingredients make it a real winner without sacrificing flavor or texture.

Prep Time4 hrs 10 mins

Total Time4 hrs 10 mins

Course: Dessert, No-Bake

Cuisine: American, Dessert, Italian

Servings: 9

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients

• 24-28 ladyfinger cookies I found mine at Whole Foods!
• 2/3 cup brewed & cooled black coffee
• 1/4 cup Kahlua or coffee liqueur
• 8 ounces (One 8-ounce tub) whipped cream cheese
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2-4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups whipped cream freshly made with 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped until stiff peaks form OR one tub (8 oz Cool Whip, thawed)
• Cocoa powder for dusting

Instructions

• Line a square 8x8" or 9x9" pan with foil, extending the sides of the foil over the edges of the pan. Mist lightly with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, combine the brewed coffee and Kahlua. Dunk each ladyfinger, one at a time, into the coffee mixture and line the cookies up in the bottom of the pan - you should have 2 rows of ladyfingers with about 6 ladyfingers in each row. Break up any ladyfingers to fit if needed.
• Meanwhile, beat the whipped cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla together with an electric mixer until fluffy and combined, about 1 minute. Fold in the whipped cream or Cool Whip gently. Spread half of this mixture over the ladyfingers.
• Repeat with dunking the remaining ladyfingers, lining them up, and spreading the remaining whipped cream mixture over top. Dust liberally with cocoa powder. Cover loosely and refrigerate until set, about 2-4 hours.

This tiramisu is so flavorful, chocolaty and luscious with a fluffy whipped cream cheese filling and Kahlua-soaked ladyfinger cookies.

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley