Easy Eggless Tiramisu with Homemade Ladyfingers

Don't blame me if you get addicted to this Eggless Tiramisu recipe. That coffee soaked soft homemade ladyfingers and melt in your mouth velvety cream will surely make you fall in love with it!!

Why this recipe works?

Tiramisu is a popular Italian dessert; composed of delicate coffee soaked ladyfingers , then layered with a velvety mascarpone cream, and dusted with cocoa powder for a finishing touch.

Usually it also has an addition of coffee liquor to it making it unsuitable for some of us to consume.

And that is exactly why this recipe works!!!

• Eggless: You heard it right. If you are not comfortable using raw eggs in your classic tiramisu recipe or simply do not consume eggs at all then this tiramisu recipe without eggs is the one for you.
• From Scratch: Since all the elements in the recipe are made from scratch you can be rest assured that it is totally an Egg-Free recipe and I promise it would taste so much better than the store bought ones as the secret ingredient is always LOVE.
• Alcohol Free: I have made an alcohol free version here. However if you would like to make it with a kick of coffee liquor then find the details for the same in the notes section.
• Learning from my mistake: Of course, I failed in my first attempt at making eggless ladyfingers so this is your best bet at learning from my mistake so that you don't have to go through it.

Homemade Ladyfingers - My failed attempt

The first time I tried this recipe, my ladyfingers literally flattened out.

You need to know that eggless ladyfingers won't be as fluffy and light as the egg based authentic recipe but it still needs to:

1. Hold its shape while baking.
2. Should not spread too much.
3. Needs to have a structure.

So from the image you can see that it did not stand up to any of the above points. It was totally flat with a crispy texture and no structure at all.

Here are my mistakes and how I rectified it:

1. Too much air: One reason for the cookie to spread is the air in the batter. Beating the butter for long is the culprit so to rectify that in my second attempt I timed myself so that I do not over beat the butter.
2. Not enough structure: The sugar in the batter was not enough to give the cookie a proper structure. So I tweaked the recipe and increased the sugar and flour a bit to achieve the perfection.

How to make Tiramisu - Step by Step

Step 1: Homemade Ladyfingers

Start by beating room temperature softened butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat for about 3 to 5 mins until the mixture looks creamy and mixed through (pic 1-2).

Do not mix for long.

Add vanilla and mix that through (pic 3).

Sieve together the flour, baking powder and salt on top of the bowl. Make sure to add only half of it (pic 4).

Mix it and then add half of the weighed out milk (pic 5). Mix that as well and finally incorporate the rest of the dry ingredients followed by the remaining half of the milk and combine to form a batter (pic 6).

The batter won't be solid as a cookie dough and also won't be flowy like a cake batter. It would be in a pipeable consistency.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag and cut off the tip about 2 cms away from the tip.

On a baking tray lined with a parchment paper, pipe fingers of about 3.5 inches and leave about 1 inch gap between two fingers (image 7).

You can place a template beneath the parchment paper for accuracy.

BAKER's tip: If you feel that the dough is out of shape, wet your fingers and using wet fingers try to give them a proper shape.

Dust generously with icing sugar (pic 8).

Bake in a preheated oven of 180°C for 8 to 12 mins or until slightly crisp on the sides and soft in the centre with pale colour (pic 9).

Let it cool in the pan itself for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 2 - Coffee Syrup

In a mixing bowl, add the sugar and coffee powder. (Pic 10-11)

Pour hot boiling water on top and stir together to dissolve the sugar and coffee in it (pic 12-13).

Cool completely before using.

If you have an espresso machine please feel free to use it.

This is also the time to incorporate coffee liquor if you wish to make it with a kick.

Step 3 - Whipped Mascarpone Cream

Whip together heavy whipping cream and sugar in a mixing bowl until almost stiff peaks form (pic 14).

In a separate mixing bowl, add the mascarpone cheese (pic 15).

Fold the prepared whipped cream in batches into the mascarpone cheese until combined (pic 16).

Step 4 - Assembly

Take a dish or a cake pan. I am using 7x7 inches pan.

Dip the ladyfinger in the coffee syrup for about 1 to 2 seconds and remove immediately (pic 17).

Cover the base of the dish or ramekin with the ladyfingers soaked in coffee (pic 18).

Layer half of the prepared whipped mascarpone cream and repeat the steps (pic 19-21).

Cover with the cling wrap and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.

Generously dust with cocoa powder right before serving (pic 22).

Baker's Tips:

1. Creaming: Do not cream the butter and sugar for long. Just beat them for about 3 to 5 mins or so until they are combined and looks creamy.
2. Precision: Make use of a template to be precise while piping. Find out how to make the template by watching the video shared in the recipe card or click here.
3. Shaping: Wet your fingers while shaping the finger dough right before baking so that the dough doesn't stick to your hands.
4. Baking: You do not want a crispy cookie. Rather it should be soft in the centre and crisp around the edges hence take care of the baking time.
5. Beating the Heavy Cream: There is a very fine line between stiff peaks and overbeating the cream. I would say beat the cream to a stage where it is still not reached the stiff peaks stage as you would be mixing the whipped cream to the mascarpone in later stages which would mean there are chances of over-whipping the cream accidentally.
6. Lightly dip the ladyfingers in the coffee syrup or else it would become soggy, soft and eventually fall apart.
7. Layering the tiramisu is the key to make visually pleasing dessert. If layered properly you could see each layer individually once the tiramisu is sliced.
8. Me Time: Yes the tiramisu needs some "Me Time" in the refrigerator to give away the most flavour and also to firm up a bit so that it is easier for you to slice and serve.

Storage (Make ahead) Instructions:

Tiramisu is often made with stale ladyfingers. So you can definitely make it ahead of time and store the ladyfingers in an air tight container for upto 2 weeks.

The assembled tiramisu can be stored in the fridge for upto 5 days. Just make sure to cling wrap it.

Can I freeze Tiramisu?

Yes, you can freeze them for upto 3 months. Just make sure to cling wrap it well.

Recipe FAQ's

Related Recipes:

1. Eggless Lemon Blueberry Trifle
2. Rasmalai Trifle
3. Chocolate Yogurt Mousse Tart

Wish to Join US for the love of BAKING? Subscribe to our newsletter and Youtube channel. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for all the latest updates!

Do you love Baking and learning science of baking?

I would be conducting a live workshop on making the perfect crinkly top Eggless Brownies using pantry staple ingredients at a very minimal rate.

Consider joining the waitlist by signing up below and receive a special discount coupon code exclusively available to only YOU.