Homemade Tiramisu Perfect for a Venice Carnival Party with Kids

Make this creamy and sweet dessert to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, or just because! I’ve been obsessed with all things Italian over the last two years while writing the Build Your Masterpiece Class Adventures in Italy and even before then, I have always loved making Tiramisu. It goes perfectly with our Carnival in Venice Unit Study Adventure and I am sharing the recipe with you today.

As we gear up to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, and the Carnival in Venice, we have been making two versions of this delicious and oh so yummy treat, perfect for a masquerade party!

This recipe has been with me for over eight years, and I just love it. It calls for store-bought ladyfingers, which we can easily find in our supermarket, however, if you’d like to make them yourself, we have included a recipe for them as well as our special kid-friendly tiramisu recipe in our Adventures in Italy # 4 Venice Carnival. They are yummy on their own or added in. Read more about when one of our masterpiece class families tried out this recipe in their homeschool here.

The recipe I’m going to share is for adults because it calls for raw egg, and a little bit of amaretto liquor, which has a fairly mild alcohol content, but the almond flavor is just lovely all mixed in with the mascarpone cheese, coffee and cocoa powder dusted on top. You can always omit it, and use almond extract, or even vanilla if you would prefer.

But if you're looking for the kid-friendly version, then head over to our Carnival in Venice Adventures in Italy #4 because we have included a great recipe there, with lesson plans and coloring pages plus so much more!  And if you love chocolate, you may also enjoy our most recent Adventure and Life Cycle Unit Study all about Cacao here. I will be posting more about our fun times with that Adventure on the blog soon.

The chocolate taste testing activity we enjoyed with the Chocolate Adventures + Life Cycle of Cacao Unit Study

If you’d like to see the process of making this gorgeous Italian dessert, head over to my Instagram to see it because, in the moment of baking it, I only shared in my stories so I created a video all about it on IGTV, that will be getting published every soon. Find our Instagram here. 

Let’s get baking, shall we?

Easy Tiramisu Recipe

Ingredients:

• 20 ladyfingers

• 1 cups of sugar, divided in half

• 4 eggs, separated

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese

• 2 cups of instant coffee (your favorite blend)

• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

• 1/4 cup of amaretto liquor (this is optional and you could substitute for almond extract)

• Plus 1 TBSP of sugar

Method:

1. Begin by separating your yolks, from the whites and in a large bowl, add your yolks and 1/2 cup of white sugar, and whip until pale yellow and smooth. Then add in your cheese and whisk until smooth. 

2. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites with sugar, adding it in bit by bit until you have hard peaks. Fold this into your first bowl mixture, then add a bit of vanilla extract and mix. 

3. Next, prepare your coffee mixture for dipping your lasting fingers, buy making 2 cups of hot water and desired amount of instant coffee ( the exact amount will be on your container, it’s about 2 tsp) and then add in your amaretto liquor or almond extract, plus a tablespoon of sugar, and stir until smooth. 

4. Dip your ladyfingers quickly on both sides and lay in a loaf pan, along the bottom for your first layer. Top with the cream evenly, then repeat with another layer or two and dust with cocoa powder, by using a fine sieve.

5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. It does need to chill and set and the flavors only get better.

Note: Eating it right away isn’t recommended but to each their own. I have been known to be impatient for these types of things in the past but now I know it’s best to wait. Plan to make ahead of time, especially for a party or gathering.

In order for kids to be happy with this dessert, keep it simple. Replace the egg and cheese blend with whipped cream, and dip your ladyfingers or sponge cake into milk and cinnamon (that’s the new version we tried) or chocolate milk. (That’s what our Adventures’ recipe calls for) and dust with cocoa powder or chocolate curls! Make sure to chill it so it sets slightly but because it’s whipping cream, I wouldn’t leave it near as long.

I’d love to hear if you make this recipe and if you give our Adventures in Venice for Carnival a try! Don’t forget to check our Adventures 1-5 because they are jammed packed with art, culture, history and a love for Italy! Try using watercolor paints with the coloring pages, for a different effect! Perfect to add to your next poetry tea time, because yes we also include poetry in each adventure 😊

Ps, Adventure 5 is an Artist Study all about Michelangelo and it’s releasing later this week! Stay tuned!

Happy #readpaintcook adventures this week,

-Alexandra