This delightful Irish Cream Tiramisu features smooth and rich mascarpone custard layered with ladyfinger biscuits soaked in Bailey's coffee.
While this tiramisu is not exactly traditional, I (and my friends and family who have sampled it) think my version is pretty amazing! The Bailey's mixed with coffee adds another layer of richness and level of flavor. Speaking of richness, have you tried my Triple Chocolate Cheesecake or these incredible Billionaire's Shortbread Bars?
This tiramisu recipe does not contain raw eggs. I made a simple cooked custard with whipping cream, sugar, and egg yolks for a creamy texture and unparalleled richness. And, best of all, no raw eggs here! A little bit of salt and vanilla extract are added to enhance the flavor.
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Flavor - Rich vanilla mascarpone custard pairs wonderfully with the lady fingers soaked in the Irish cream coffee mixture and the dusting of cocoa powder on top finishes off the flavors beautifully!
- Texture - The soft Bailey's coffee-infused lady finger cookies are enveloped in a smooth and creamy custard mixture.
- Serving - In these photos, I served the tiramisu with some edible gold leaf on top. This is completely optional, of course, but it gives a super pretty elevated look!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make this rich and creamy homemade tiramisu with Bailey's Irish Cream.
Ingredient Notes
- Egg Yolks - Just the yolks are needed for this recipe but save the egg whites to make my Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova or Dulce de Leche Meringues!
- Mascarpone Cheese - Different than ricotta, cream cheese, and cottage cheese, mascarpone has a smoother texture and a very creamy, rich flavor.
- Coffee - You could use espresso for a very strong coffee flavor but I typically just use a dark roast coffee brewed twice as strong. Make sure the coffee is cooled down completely. Try my Coffee Nanaimo Bars next if you love coffee!
- Bailey's Irish Cream - If you don't have Bailey's or don't do alcohol at all, the Irish cream can simply be replaced with ¼ cup of extra coffee or milk.
- Lady Fingers - My favorite I've found so far are Italissima lady fingers. They don't soak up too much coffee mixture. You can also try making homemade lady fingers!
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together 1 ¼ cups of heavy cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to just under boiling and remove from the heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.
Step 2: Temper the egg yolks by slowly adding 1 cup of the scalding cream mixture while whisking briskly.
Step 3: Add the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat while whisking constantly just until the mixture comes to heat and begins to bubble. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Transfer the custard to a heat-safe bowl and let it cool to room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator until fully cooled and set.
Step 4: Once the custard has chilled, cream together the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar until smooth using an electric handheld mixer.
Step 5: Add the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream and whip at high speed until stiff peaks form.
Step 6: Gently fold the fully chilled and thickened custard mixture into the mascarpone cream.
Step 7: Stir together the cold coffee and Irish Cream in a shallow dish wide enough to fit the lady fingers.
Step 8: Assemble the tiramisu with a layer of lady fingers dipped quickly into the coffee mixture before arranging to cover the bottom of the pan, followed by a layer of half of the mascarpone custard spread gently on top.
Step 9: Add a second layer of coffee-dipped lady fingers followed by the rest of the mascarpone cream.
Step 10: Top the assembled tiramisu with a dusting of cocoa powder through a fine mesh sieve.
Chill the assembled tiramisu in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before slicing to serve.
✨ More Fancy Dessert Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Bailey's Tiramisu or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Irish Cream Tiramisu
Equipment
- 9X9-inch or similar sized pan
- measuring cups & spoons
- medium-sized saucepan
- whisk
- mixing bowls
- electric handheld mixer
- Spatula
- sifter or sieve
Ingredients
For the Custard:
- 2 ¼ cups whipping cream, divided
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup Mascarpone cheese
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
To Assemble:
- 200 grams lady finger biscuits
- 1 cup cold strong coffee
- ¼ cup Bailey's Irish Cream *
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to dust over the top
Instructions
To make the Mascarpone Custard:
- Whisk together 1 ¼ cups of the whipping cream, the granulated sugar, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Heat at medium until just under boiling and then remove from the heat. In another small bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Temper the egg yolks by slowly adding about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture while whisking well. Then, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and heat again over medium heat while whisking constantly just until boiling and the mixture bubbles throughout and is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and stir to combine. Pour into a heat-safe bowl and let cool for a bit before refrigerating until chilled and set up more, at least 2 hours.
- Once the custard has chilled, combine the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar in another bowl. Beat with a handheld mixer on high speed until incorporated. Add the remaining 1 cup of whipping cream and beat on high speed until fluffy. Fold in the chilled custard until fully incorporated. Assemble the tiramisu immediately or refrigerate until ready to assemble.
To Assemble the Tiramisu:
- Whisk together the cold coffee and Bailey's Irish Cream in a shallow bowl. Quickly dip the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture (don't soak them) and immediately place them in the bottom of a 9X9-inch pan (or similar-sized pan) in one layer. Top with half of the mascarpone custard and gently spread around with a spatula. Next, add another layer of coffee-dipped ladyfingers and the last of the mascarpone custard. Smooth out the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Right before serving, dust the top with powdered sugar. Slice or scoop and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you don't have Bailey's or don't do alcohol at all, the Irish cream can simply be replaced with ¼ cup of extra coffee or milk.
Noah Gerber
Wow!!!
What a fantastic tiramisu recipe! The instructions were easy to follow, and exactly what I (as a less experienced baker) needed!
The Baileys in it added a tremendous boost in flavour and made this probably the best tiramisu I have ever had the pleasure of eating!
Thank you so much for the recipe. And keep up the good work! I look forward to more of your recipes in the future.
🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Naomi Andres
Thanks, Noah! I appreciate this positive review!
Naomi