This recipe for no-bake Mini Tiramisu Cups makes individual tiramisu desserts with layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone filling, chopped chocolate, and a dusting of cocoa powder. They make the perfect make-ahead dessert for dinner parties, date nights, and Valentine's Day.
If you love individual desserts, don't skip trying these Banoffee Verrines and these Baileys Panna Cottas!
Why This Recipe for Mini Tiramisu Cups Works
- Recipe name: Mini Tiramisu Cups
- Ready in: 40 minutes (plus 3 hours setting time)
- Serves: 4 individual desserts
- Main ingredients: Mascarpone, whipping cream, ladyfingers, coffee, chocolate, egg yolks, and Marsala wine.
- Perfect for: An after-dinner dessert or romantic Valentine's Day dessert. Read this post for more Easy Valentine's Day Desserts for Two.
- Why I love it: Tiramisu is one of my favourite desserts, and the chocolate chunks add a real surprise to this version.
- Calories: 832kcal
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
You might have spotted the Ferrero Rochers atop these mini tiramisu cups, and if you're a fan of these hazelnut chocolate truffles, you have to try this Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Cake and these Hazelnut Chocolate Coffee Biscuits.
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
- Strong brewed coffee - I used ground espresso beans made in a French press. If you have a coffee machine, you can make espresso shots, or you can use instant espresso powder. The coffee's flavour is very important in this recipe, so ensure it is strong.
- Marsala - I used Marsala; you can use Kahlua coffee liqueur, Sherry, Amaretto Liqueur, or Martini. You can also choose to leave out the alcohol if you prefer.
- Ladyfinger biscuits - You need lady fingers or savoiardi biscuits for this recipe. I used Bakers Boudoir biscuits. You are looking for an airy biscuit that can soak up the coffee-and-alcohol mixture.
- Heavy cream - The cream must be cold before whipping for the best results.
- Mascarpone - It's best to take the cheese out of the fridge only about 10 minutes before using it.
- Chocolate - Chocolate chunks are added during layering, and a Ferrero Rocher chocolate is used to top off the dessert. You can choose to leave out the chocolate if you would prefer.
- Egg yolks - This recipe uses only the yolks. If you are wondering what to do with the whites, try making these Mini Meringues or these Mini Mango Pavlovas.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
You can get creative with the types of chocolate you use for layering, as well as any extra add-ins. Roasted nuts and fruit, such as cherries or raspberries, would be delicious in the layers. If you'd like to try a different version of this dessert, then have a look at this recipe for a Pistachio Tiramisu.
And if you love no-bake desserts, you have to try these Banoffee Verrines or this Peppermint Crisp Tart.
How to Make Mini Tiramisu Cups
- Step 1: Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl set over a double boiler over simmering water. Whisk the eggs and sugar over medium heat until light in colour and creamy. The mixture must be at the ribbon stage; it is ready when it holds a figure 8 for a few seconds.
- Step 2: Add the mascarpone to the egg yolk mixture, gently mixing with a rubber spatula, then a hand whisk to ensure there are no lumps.
- Step 3: Add the cream and vanilla extract to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, and beat at a low speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg and mascarpone mixture using a rubber spatula. Fill a piping bag with the cream mixture.
- Step 4: Pour the coffee and alcohol into a shallow dish, soak the finger biscuits one at a time in the liquid, and lay them in the bottom of the dessert cups, creating a layer of soaked biscuits at the bottom of each cup. Then pipe a layer of the mascarpone mixture onto this. Sprinkle a layer of chocolate chunks onto the cream mixture, then continue layering until each cup is filled. Dust this with cocoa powder, then add a halved Ferrero Rocher to each cup. Place the cups in the fridge to set for about 3 hours before serving. Enjoy!
How to Avoid a Lumpy, Grainy Tiramisu Cream
Do not overwork the mascarpone cheese; otherwise, the mixture can curdle. This can happen very easily, so be careful.
Storage
This no-bake dessert must be stored in the fridge until serving. Any leftover tiramisu can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be sure to wrap each dessert tightly in plastic wrap or transfer the leftovers to an airtight container so the desserts don't absorb any unwanted odours from the fridge. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
Expert Tips
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar over a water bath to avoid raw eggs in this recipe.
- When whisking the egg yolks and sugar together, make sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water.
- Add the mascarpone by hand; do not use a mixer, as you can easily overwork the cheese and cause the mixture to curdle.
- The cream must be cold before whipping. Whip the cream slowly, gradually increasing the speed.
- Don't rush the setting process; ideally, let the tiramisu set in the fridge overnight.
Tiramisu Cups FAQs
This probably happened when adding the mascarpone, as explained, the cheese needs to be added gently. Do not overwork the cheese with a whisk before adding it. Also, the cheese must be between cold and room temperature; removing it from the fridge 10 to 15 minutes before needing it is ideal.
If you have left it in the fridge long enough and it is still a little liquid, then you probably did not whisk the eggs and sugar until the ribbon stage, or whisk the cream for long enough.
Be careful not to oversoak the biscuits; these biscuits soak up liquid very easily, so a quick turn in the coffee mixture is enough for this recipe.
This dessert can be made in a larger tray instead of mini cups, just leave it in the fridge to set for longer, about 4 hours.
Yes, you can leave out the alcohol entirely and simply use strong brewed coffee. The tiramisu cups will still have plenty of flavour and set perfectly.
More Easy Dessert Recipes with Chocolate
These easy tiramisu cups are the perfect low-fuss dessert recipe to make ahead of time for a dinner party! If you love boozey coffee and chocolate desserts, you have to try this Chocolate Espresso Martini Cake and this Espresso Panna Cotta.
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
Please leave a star rating and comment below if you tried this recipe! And if you're wondering what to try next, have a look at these Condensed Milk Chocolate Truffles!
📖 Recipe
Mini Tiramisu Cups
Equipment
- 4x individual desserts glasses
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 110 g castor sugar
- 250 ml mascarpone cheese
- 125 ml heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 125 ml strong coffee
- 50 ml marsala wine
- 150 g ladyfingers
- 100 g milk chocolate chopped
- 4 Ferrero Rocher chocolates halved
- cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
- Place the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl of a double boiler set over simmering water. Whisk the eggs and sugar over medium heat until light in color and creamy. The mixture must be at the ribbon stage, it is ready when it holds a figure 8 for a few seconds.
- Add the mascarpone to the egg yolk mixture and gently mix the two together with a rubber spatula and then a hand whisk to make sure there are no lumps.
- Add the cream and vanilla extract to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, and beat at a low speed until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg and mascarpone mixture using a rubber spatula. Fill a piping bag with the cream mixture.
- Pour the coffee and alcohol into a shallow dish, soak the finger biscuits one at a time in the liquid, and lay them into the bottom of the dessert cups - creating a layer of soaked biscuits at the bottom of the cup. Then pipe a layer of the mascarpone mixture onto this. Sprinkle a layer of chocolate chunks onto the cream mixture, and continue layering in this way until each cup is filled.
- End the layering with the cream mixture and dust this with cocoa powder before adding a halved Ferrero Rocher onto each cup. Place the cups in the fridge to set for about 3 hours before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Do not overwork the mascarpone cheese; otherwise, the mixture can curdle. This can happen very easily, so be careful.
- You can leave out the chocolate and alcohol if you prefer.
Jen says
Made this for a dinner party, and it was delicious! Also loved that I could make it ahead of time