A slice of tiramisu on a plate next to the baking pan of tiramisu. The layers of coffee soaked biscuits and custard are shown.

Rum and Coffee Tiramisu

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It’s really a coffee lover’s dream … layers of espresso-soaked cookies hidden beneath pillowy clouds of a luscious custard cream. Add in a strong, bitter coffee and dust with cocoa powder, and you’ve got the stuff of dreams.

Cliff Notes:
Whisk 4 egg yolks with 1/3 cup sugar, add 1/4 cup rum; sous vide at 167°f/75°c for 20 minutes; whisk in mascarpone cheese. Whip 1 cup heavy cream with 2 T sugar; fold into mascarpone custard; set aside. Make espresso syrup: 1 c espresso (or strong coffee), 2 T coffee liqueur, 2 T brown sugar. Dip ladyfingers in coffee syrup and arrange in layer on bottom of dish; cover with half of mascarpone custard; repeat layers. Dust with cocoa powder. Chill at least 4 hours.

Make It Your Way:
– Vary the flavors: Instead of coffee, use chocolate or a fruit syrup like strawberry, cherry, or lime; Instead of rum, use marsala wine (very traditional), amaretto, or bourbon.
– Add sliced strawberries or nuts in between the layers

It’s really a coffee lover’s dream … layers of espresso-soaked cookies hidden beneath pillowy clouds of a luscious custard cream. Add in a strong, bitter coffee and dust with cocoa powder, and you’ve got the stuff of dreams. The most difficult part of making tiramisu at home is the custard layer – the sabayon. The standard way of making it is by whisking egg yolks and sugar over a pot of simmering water until the mixture becomes light and airy. It’s not difficult to do, but does require constant whisking. I prefer to make mine with a sous-vide. It’s almost completely hands-off during the heating process, which allows me to multi-task. It also requires much less arm stamina!

Now, this recipe uses four egg yolks, which will leave you with four egg whites. There are several delicious options for how to use them, but some of our favorites are to make a classic whiskey sour with egg or to share it as a special treat for Harvey, our favorite doggo.


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