an at home espresso & dessert experience
presented by la marzocco

Tiramisù comes from “tirami su”, meaning lift me up or cheer me up. Between espresso, sugar, and eggs, it’s a crave-worthy dessert!

Espresso has a way of bringing people together. It highlights an interaction, invites curiosity, and turns simple ingredients into something worth lingering over. And things only get better when we pair espresso with other great ingredients in the kitchen.

Tiramisu is a dessert built from the ground up around espresso. The coffee isn’t an accent in this sweet dish, it’s the foundation, just like in a cappuccino. The grind, the dose, and the extraction all shape how the final dessert tastes.

Milk plays its role too. Understanding texture, temperature, and sweetness helps create contrast and softness, whether it’s folded into mascarpone or steamed for a drink. Small details, like how warm the milk is, how smooth the texture feels will make a noticeable difference.

To us, one of the great joys of using espresso in food is how hands-on it becomes. Pulling a shot, tasting it on its own, then layering it into a dessert pulls us in and we can’t get enough of these layers. Start tasting, adjust, and make it your own. No two tiramisus are exactly alike, just like no two espresso shots are ever truly the same.

Whether enjoyed in a cup or layered into a dessert, espresso remains what it has always been: a craft meant to be shared.

ingredients

Egg Yolks: 5
Granulated Sugar: 100g (1/2 cup)
Salt: 3g (1/2 tsp)
Mascarpone Cheese: 454g (16oz)
Sweet Marsala Wine: 60g (1/4 cup)
Heavy Whipping Cream: 450g (1 pint)
Confectioners’ Sugar: 60g (1/2 cup)
Cocoa Powder: 5–10g (for dusting)
Espresso: 30g per serving
Italian Savoiardi (ladyfingers): 1 package

the cream

In a metal mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks and granulated sugar. Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water to create a double boiler, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Using a whisk or hand mixer, beat the mixture continuously for about 3–5 minutes until it becomes pale, smooth, and slightly thick. When lifted, the mixture should fall from the whisk in a ribbon-like texture. Be sure to whisk constantly during this step to prevent the eggs from curdling.

Remove the bowl from the heat and add the mascarpone cheese, Marsala wine, and salt. Mix until everything is smooth and well combined. Pour in the heavy whipping cream and continue mixing until soft peaks begin to form. Finally, gently fold in the confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, and plan to use the mixture within 4–5 days.

the espresso

Espresso is a craft that requires the human touch—bringing together coffee, water, and time under pressure to create something both concentrated and complex. It’s defined not by rigid rules, but by balance, intention, and consistency. Above all, espresso is a shared experience, made by hand and best enjoyed with others.

When brewing espresso for tiramisu, look for coffees with the following characteristics.

Origin: Blends or single origins roasted medium to dark
Process: Washed
Tasting Notes: Dark chocolate, nuts, red fruit, caramel
Caffeine: Don’t be afraid to go with a decaf or halfcaf for your after dinner treat

Dose: 19 grams
Time: 25–30 seconds
Yield: 28–30g
Temperature: 200 F
Pressure: 9 bar

now layer it

It’s a lot of fun to make individual tiramisu servings, but this recipe works just as well layered into one larger dish. We tend to go a little heavy on the espresso, so feel free to adjust to taste.

For individual tiramisu cups, place the ladyfingers into the cup and pull a fresh espresso shot directly over them. Lightly dust the espresso-soaked ladyfingers with cocoa powder to create a rich base layer. We like letting the hot espresso mix with the next layer, which creates a pleasant contrast between the warm espresso base and the cool cream topping. Spoon or pipe the tiramisu cream over the base, filling the cup to the top. Finish with a generous dusting of cocoa powder just before serving.