Tiramisu with Irish Cream Liqueur

Published September 23, 2020

Y’all know I love desserts. It wasn’t until I tried tiramisu on my last day in Italy that I began to notice how restaurants make their own versions of this classic dish.

So this week, I decided to make a homemade version of tiramisu with Irish cream liqueur.

Tiramisu with Irish Cream Liqueur Ingredients

As I researched tiramisu recipes, I saw food blogger communities debating whether a recipe was truly a classic. Some noted the use of egg yolks to make a custard-based filling, while other recipes used whipped cream filling.

For my recipe, I decided to make a homemade whipped cream and fold in mascarpone. In the future, I will try the custard-base, as I’m sure this adds richness to the dessert. Feel free to do whichever speaks best to you.

I went to the store to purchase the Ladyfinger cookies, cream, and mascarpone. Though tiramisu traditionally uses espresso for dipping the cookies, I used strong coffee and it worked well.

I replaced the rum in tiramisu recipes with Duggan’s Irish Cream Liqueur. You can use any brand of Irish cream liqueur that you want.

How to Make Tiramisu with Irish Cream Liqueur

Tools for the Dish

• Large bowl and electric mixer (or stand mixer) for the cream filling

• Freshly made, and cooled, coffee or espresso

  • A medium glass bowl

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Large spoon and sifter

• Serving dish

Cooking Notes

Making the Filling

I used my electric hand mixer for this recipe. If you’re starting with heavy/whipping cream for the filling, it will take 5-7 minutes (or longer) to become a fluffy filling. I knew my cream filling was done when the beaters pulled away to create soft peaks.

Dipping the Ladyfinger Cookies

I used one packet of Stella D'oro Ladyfinger cookies for my tiramisu. I left a little space between each cookie when placing my layers in the serving dish. Buy two packets of Ladyfinger cookies if you’re going to make rows without any space between each cookie.

When dipping the cookie, it’s important not to leave it so long in the coffee-liqueur that it dissolves before you can place it in your serving dish.

Portions and Serving

Since I layered my tiramisu in a round CorningWare dish, I wasn’t sure if my slices would cut cleanly in squares. So when serving, I used a giant spoon and scooped out a layer of the filling and placed it in bowls.

It wasn’t the most beautiful plating I ever did, and in reality, I probably could’ve cut the tiramisu into nice-looking squares. But, in any event, it was delicious. Here is a shot of what the layers look like after I took the first scoop from the pan.

This dish is rich and filling, so I served it as dessert over the course of a few days. I would say that this dish can serve 5-7 generous portions for adults.

The Final Product

For my first time making tiramisu, I’m happy with how the final tiramisu turned out! I let my tiramisu sit in the fridge overnight before serving. This allowed the cookies to gel together with the cream filling. I sprinkled the cocoa powder right before serving.

The final product was creamy, not overly sweet, and had subtle hints of the Irish cream and coffee.

Recipe Score

I would give this tiramisu with Irish cream liqueur a 9/10 for the following:

• Recipe Level

  • Easy: The key part of the recipe is to ensure that you whip the cream and mascarpone long enough that it becomes fluffy like whipped cream. Otherwise it’ll be too thin to cut slices when serving the tiramisu.

• Ingredients

  • You can find these ingredients at your local grocery store. For the liqueur, you can use your favorite Irish cream, or try using rum, as traditional tiramisu recipes call for. I had Irish cream, so that’s what I decided to use.

• Prep

  • Make sure you perk/make your coffee or espresso in advance so it cools before you have to dip your cookies.

• Flavor

  • 9/10: I love that tiramisu is not overly sweet. My tiramisu had subtle coffee and Irish cream flavors. I would consider adding a touch more of the dipping-liquid to the cookie layers before adding the cream and setting in the fridge. Otherwise, this is a tasty tiramisu recipe!

K. Martinelli Makes Tiramisu with Irish Cream Liqueur

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