How to make a truly irresistible and decadent Chocolate Tiramisu. Made with savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers) dipped in chocolate and layered with a rich and smooth chocolate cream.
If you're a fan of chocolate, you're going to fall in love with this dessert.
It's a fun twist on a classic Italian tiramisu but it's made without raw eggs, coffee or alcohol.
It's rich, smooth and decadent and utterly addictive. You'll notice there are quite a few step by step photos involved but trust me, the recipe is pretty simple and easy.
The most time-consuming part is the chilling time but let me tell you....it's so worth the wait!
See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos, tips, variations and a video tutorial. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below.
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Ingredients
See the list below for everything you need to make our chocolate tiramisu plus some tips and possible substitutions.
- Chocolate custard - this is made with whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and dark chocolate (70%+). You'll need to let this cool before continuing with the rest of the recipe.
- Savoiardi biscuits - If you can find Italian Savoiardi biscuits use them rather than ladyfingers which are slightly smaller and denser. If you do use ladyfingers you'll need to soak them for a few seconds longer.
- Heavy cream (double cream UK) - be careful not to overwhip the cream, you want it to have soft peaks.
- Cocoa and sugar - a simple mix of cocoa powder, sugar and hot water is used to dip the Savoiardi. Alternatively, you can use a hot chocolate mix.
Step by step photos and instructions
Heat the milk - heat the milk in a saucepan to a simmer then turn off the heat and set aside.
Make the egg mixture - Put the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, mix to combine then add the corn starch and mix in (photos 1 & 2).
Add the milk - Slowly pour the warm milk into the eggs whilst continuously whisking to make sure the eggs don't scramble. Once you've used up all the milk, transfer it back to the saucepan and heat it on a medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon (photos 3 & 4).
Thicken to a custard - Keep stirring until the mixture thickens into a custard, thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. If you start to notice any lumps, use a whisk and turn the heat down slightly (photo 5).
Add chocolate - Once thickened, turn off the heat and add the chopped dark chocolate. Stir in until completely melted and thoroughly combined. Transfer to a bowl, and cover the custard directly with plastic wrap (cling film). Let it cool then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours (remove from the fridge 30 minutes before using) (photos 6-8).
Make chocolate dipping liquid - mix the cocoa powder and sugar together in a wide bowl or dish. Pour in the hot water and whisk it together so there are no lumps and the cocoa and sugar have dissolved, set aside (photos 9-11).
Whip the cream - add the cream to a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk to soft peak (photo 13).
Mix in chocolate custard - Transfer the custard to a bowl big enough to hold both the custard and cream. Give the custard a quick whisk so it's extra smooth then fold in half of the whipped cream. Add the next half and fold until thoroughly combined (photos 14-16).
Assemble the tiramisu - dip the Savoiardi biscuits in the chocolate liquid for a second on each side and arrange them in a single layer of your dish. You can break some biscuits to fit your dish if needed (photos 17 & 18).
Add just under half of the chocolate cream on top and spread it out into an even layer. Top the cream with another layer of soaked Savoiardi then top with the remaining cream. Refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours to overnight. (photos 19 & 20). You can also pipe the topping as seen below in photo 21.
To pipe the topping - if piping, spread a thin layer of chocolate cream on top then fill a piping bag with the remaining cream fitted with a round nozzle. Pipe the chocolate cream all over the top of the tiramisu then refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours or overnight.
To serve - just before serving dust a little cocoa powder over the top of the tiramisu and serve.
Recipe tips, variations and FAQs
- Add liqueur - you can 2-3 tablespoons of your favourite liqueur to the dipping mixture for an extra kick. I recommend trying Baileys, Kaluha, Frangelico or Marsala.
- Use quality chocolate - use good quality chocolate if possible. I like to use dark chocolate because it's mixed with cream and sugar which makes it sweeter and less intense. I use 70% dark chocolate but anything above 50% would work well.
- Ladyfingers Vs Savoiardi - if you can't find Italian biscuits/cookies labelled Savoiardi and are using ladyfingers you will need to soak them for a couple of seconds longer in the liquid as they are denser.
- Prep in advance - the chocolate custard can be made 1-2 days in advance and can be refrigerated until you need it. Remember to remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before using.
we used a 12x8 inch oval dish to make our chocolate tiramisu but you could quite easily use a similar-sized rectangle dish
The tiramisu will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
No, I don't recommend freezing this dessert as the texture can change once frozen.
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📖 Full Recipe
Chocolate Tiramisu
Ingredients
For the chocolate custard
- 5 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup sugar (70g)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (30g)
- 2.5 cups whole milk (590ml)
- 5.5 ounces dark chocolate 70% cocoa roughly chopped (150g)
For the Tiramisu
- 25-30 Savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers)
- 2 + ¾ cups heavy cream double cream UK (600ml)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1.5 cups hot water
Equipment
- 12x8 inch dish
- Piping bag and round tip nozzle (optional)
Instructions
To make the chocolate custard
- Heat the milk in a saucepan until starting to simmer, turn off the heat and set aside.
- Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and add the sugar, mix until combined. Add the cornstarch and mix until combined.
- Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture whilst constantly whisking to avoid any lumps. Once combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat on a medium-low heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (5-10 minutes).
- *Tip* if your custard is taking longer to thicken turn the heat up a little.
- Once thickened, add the chopped-up dark chocolate and mix until completely melted and mixed in with no streaks.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover the top of the custard directly with plastic wrap (cling film), let it cool then refrigerate for 1-2 hours (can also be made 1-2 days in advance and refrigerated).
- Bring it out of the fridge 30 minutes before continuing with the next steps.
To make the Tiramisu
- Mix the cocoa powder and sugar together in a bowl then whisk in the hot water.
- Put the heavy cream in a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk to soft peaks.
- Give the chocolate custard a quick whisk so it’s extra smooth then fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate. Once combined add the next half and fold until combined.
- Dip the Savoiardi biscuits in the cocoa liquid for 1-2 seconds on each side and arrange in a single layer on your dish. You can break some of the biscuits to fit the dish if needed.
- Spread just under half of the chocolate cream mixture over the savoiardi then add another layer of dipped biscuits.
- At this point, you can spread over the remaining chocolate cream or spread a thin layer and pipe the rest on the top using a round nozzle.
- Refrigerate the tiramisu for at least 6-8 hours or overnight. Dust a little cocoa powder over the top just before serving.
Notes
- Prep in advance - the chocolate custard can be made 1-2 days in advance and can be refrigerated until you need it. Remember to remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before using.
- Add liqueur - you can 2-3 tablespoons of your favourite liqueur to the dipping mixture for an extra kick. I recommend trying Baileys, Kaluha, Frangelico or Marsala.
- Use quality chocolate - use good quality chocolate if possible. I like to use dark chocolate because it's mixed with cream and sugar which makes it sweeter and less intense. I use 70% dark chocolate but anything above 50% would work well.
- Ladyfingers Vs Savoiardi - if you can't find Italian biscuits/cookies labelled Savoiardi and are using ladyfingers you will need to soak them for a couple of seconds longer in the liquid as they are denser.
- Storage & freezing - the tiramisu will keep well for up to 2-3 days in the fridge. I don't recommend freezing.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
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