Easy Eggless Tiramisu Cups

Indulge in these rich and creamy individual Tiramisu Cups for a quick and easy Italian dessert.  Unlike traditional tiramisu, our eggless tiramisu recipe does not require any cooking or fear of raw eggs. It’s guaranteed to satisfy your chocolate and coffee cravings in just 15 minutes flat!

These mini trifles are layered with espresso coffee and hazelnut liqueur dipped ladyfinger biscuits for a lightly sweet and nutty flavor. Topped with billowy clouds of espresso infused mascarpone cream and a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder for 3 layers of pure decadence – all without using any eggs.

Served in a cup, jar or decorative glass, these mini no-bake desserts are perfect for your next dinner party or special event. They can be made in advance and taste even better the next day.

Jump to:

• Fun Tip
• Ingredients
• Step By Step
• Expert Tips
• Dairy and Egg Free Substitutions
• Espresso Substitutions
• Ladyfinger (Savoiardi) Substitutions
• How to garnish Tiramisu Cups?
• Storage
• Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)
• Dessert Recipes Served in Individual Cups
• Easy Eggless Tiramisu Cups

Fun Tip

Do you know what Tiramisù means in Italian? It loosely translates to “Pull me Up” or “Cheer me Up”. How could you be sad with one of these cute little coffee-soaked trifles in your hand? Right!

If you are a coffee addict, dark chocolate lover, or can easily knock out 6 chocolate espresso truffles on your afternoon break, you are going to love these tiramisu parfaits.

Are you ready to get started? Here is what you need to make tiramisu in a cup.

Ingredients

• Espresso or instant espresso coffee. We also used instant espresso coffee granules in the whipped mascarpone mixture.
• Frangelico is a sweet and nutty hazelnut digestive liqueur made in Italy. Traditionally, tiramisu is made with a sweet masala wine, but Frangelico takes this tiramisu cup recipe over the top.  This is an optional ingredient but if you can – try it!
• Heavy whipping cream replaces the eggs to give these tiramisu cups an extra creamy texture. Do you feel confident eating raw eggs? We don’t! In addition, the last thing we want to be doing is fussing with temper the eggs or trying to find pasteurized eggs. It is not worth the time, worry or potential salmonella issues. Let’s use heavy whipping cream instead and make eggless tiramisu.
• Powdered sugar – also known as confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar. We also used granulated sugar to sweeten the espresso. You can also use a sugar alternative of choice.
• Mascarpone cheese is a fresh Italian mild creamy cheese that is very similar to cream cheese. However, because mascarpone uses whole cream instead of milk it is richer. It has the perfect combination of sweetness and tang from the lemon.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or unsweetened cacao powder, like we used in our Mexican chocolate smoothie and Mocha Banana Ice Cream.
• Savoiardi (also known as Lady Fingers) are long crispy sweet sponge biscuits. They are shaped just like fingers on a lady - hence the name.
• Vanilla extract or dried vanilla bean adds balance and depth to the dessert.

Step By Step

Preparation

• Brew 4 double shots of espresso to equal 1 cup. While still hot, add sugar or sweetener of choice, Frangelico liqueur and vanilla and stir well. Allow the espresso coffee mixture to cool.
• Use a mixer or very strong-arm muscles to whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder granules into soft peaks.
• In a separate bowl, use a mixer to lightly soften the mascarpone cheese. Do not overmix.

• Add the whipping cream mixture to the mascarpone cheese mixture and gently combine.
• Place the creamy mascarpone cheese mixture into a piping bag or in a sealed baggie with the end cut off. This makes it easier to assemble the tiramisu trifles but it is not required. Put the espresso mixture in a shallow bowl and have the lady fingers, cocoa powder in a fine meshed sifter all set up and ready to go.

Assembly of Trifles

• Dust the cup or jar with a thin layer of sieved unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Break the lady fingers in half. Lightly dip both sides of the biscuit into the espresso coffee mixture. Then, place the lady fingers at the bottom of the cup on top of the cocoa powder layer.

• On top of the coffee-soaked biscuits, pipe a layer of the creamy eggless mascarpone cheese mixture.
• Then, sift a little more of the unsweetened cocoa powder on top of the cream.

• Repeat this process 1 to 2 more times depending on the size or depth of the cup, glass, or jar. We were able to get 3 layers in our 2.5-inch (6.35 cm) depth and 3.5-inch (8.90 cm) width in 4 individual tiramisu cups.

Finishing Touches

• For style points, we like to end with a final layer of the cream. Use a knife to level off the top. Clean the cup around the edges and a final dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Expert Tips

1. The best flavored tiramisu is made with freshly brewed high-quality espresso, like we used for our Bumblebee Coffee. Instant espresso is second in line for best taste. Last on the list for best flavored tiramisu is extra strong coffee.
2. Follow the directions on the instant espresso package for ratio of water to instant espresso granules. For example, you would use approximately 2.5 tablespoons in 8 ounces (1 cup or 236 ml’s) of water depending on the brand. One shot of espresso is 30 cc or 1 ounce.
3. Allow the mascarpone cheese to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before whipping. This makes it more creamy and easier to blend into the whipped cream mixture.
4. Chill the bowl and the beaters before whipping the heavy whipping cream.
5. Gently blend the whipped cream mixture into the mascarpone whipped mixture. If you over mix, it will lose its fluffy volume and not be as creamy.
6. Dip the Savorardi (lady fingers) quickly and do not allow them to soak. If you do, the cookies will break apart and things can get very messy.
7. If making tiramisu cups in advance for a gathering, hold off on the last layer of sieved cocoa powder just until serving so that you can cover them with plastic wrap. When you are ready to serve, dust them with a little unsweetened cocoa powder.

Dairy and Egg Free Substitutions

• The closest substitute for mascarpone cheese is full fat cream cheese just like we used in our rose and lemon mousse cups.
• If want to make this dessert vegan and or dairy free, you can replace the mascarpone cheese with vegan cream cheese and use coconut cream instead of heavy cream. In addition, you will have to substitute with homemade lady fingers as they traditionally are made with eggs or can substitute with another vegan sponge cake.

Espresso Substitutions

One mini tiramisu cup has approximately 150 mg of caffeine per serving. That caffeine level estimate is assuming you use the entirety of the espresso mixture to dip the lady fingers into. If you need to monitor your caffeine intake or want to serve it to children, you can try these following substitutions for espresso.

• Try decaffeinated espresso which is only about 20 mg of caffeine per serving.
• If you do not have espresso or instant espresso, you can use a mixture of extra strong brewed coffee or decaf coffee and 2 tablespoons of a reduced balsamic glaze. Don’t knock it until you try it. The sweet and tart balsamic glaze accentuates the coffee flavor and gives this dessert a unique depth of flavor.
• Add a little coffee liqueur like Kalua, Baileys or even Mozart Chocolate Coffee liqueur to extra strong coffee.
• Lastly, extra strong milk tea or even plain strong black tea can be used as a substitute for espresso.

Ladyfinger (Savoiardi) Substitutions

Savoiardi biscuits are also known as lady fingers. They are a traditional ingredient in tiramisu.  They add a light spongelike texture to soak up all the delicious espresso mixture.

You can usually locate ladyfingers in the cookie and/or baking isle at the grocery store but sometimes not. We have purchased these biscuits online through Amazon or at Trader Joes and Italian grocery stores.

In addition, there are also a few gluten - free varieties of lady fingers on Amazon such as Matilde Vicenzi Vicenzovo Gluten Free Lady Fingers and Schar Lady Fingers.

If you can’t find lady fingers or choose to use something else, try one of these different alternatives. Just a quick note that the texture of the eggless tiramisu will differ slightly with each of the different options.

1. Fresh cut sponge cake or even gluten free sponge cake.
2. Angel Food Cake like we used in our Icebox lavender Lemon Cake is light and lovely.
3. Pound cake
4. Vanilla wafers
5. Biscotti cookies are quite thick and crisp so they may need to soak a little longer in the espresso before layering up in the trifle.
6. Digestive biscuits or graham crackers
7. Panettone bread – hey don’t knock it! When you have had you fill of panettone air fryer French toast put it in a tiramisu cup.

How to garnish Tiramisu Cups?

You can keep the toppings on the tiramisu as plain or extravagant as you desire. We chose to keep this iconic “dolce” (sweet treat) simple with just a little dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Try these fun toppings…

1. Grated dark chocolate
2. Candied Meyer lemon slices
3. Plain lady fingers
4. Grated nuts like crushed hazelnuts, pistachios, or almonds.
5. Fresh fruit like figs, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, kumquats, strawberries, or blackberries
6. Fresh coffee beans or chocolate covered coffee beans.

Storage

Tiramisu mini cups made without eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days but are best on day 1 or 2. The longer the cups are stored, the more apt the lady fingers are to continue to soak up any moisture in the cup. Please see the frequently asked question below for the freezing recommendations.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

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