Does It Matter What Coffee You Use In Tiramisu?

Tiramisu is an indulgent, creamy dessert made from coffee-dipped ladyfingers, sweet mascarpone, custard, and cocoa powder. Although there are competing origin stories behind tiramisu, there's no doubt that the Italians' enduring love of coffee helped them create it. Coffee's central role in the dessert means that, if you want to make tiramisu, you need to know whether the kind of coffee you use matters. Yami Mercado, pastry chef at Cindy's in the Chicago Athletic Association, had some answers when she recently spoke to The Takeout.

"Coffee is absolutely essential in tiramisu — it's not just there for flavor, but for balance," she told us. "It cuts through the sweetness and richness with a slight bitterness and brings out the cocoa notes in the dusting. It also adds a little punch, which is fitting for a dessert whose name literally means 'pick me up!'" For Italians, coffee usually means espresso, and that's what Mercado named as the standard option when making this dessert, noting how its bold and concentrated flavor complemented the dessert's other ingredients. 

As coffee provides so much flavor in tiramisu, what type you use definitely matters. Mercado emphasized that the coffee should be rich and aromatic saying, "roast matters more than origin in this case. A lighter roast can really showcase the natural flavors of the bean, which brings complexity. But you also want enough body, so medium roast is a safe bet." She also came down on the side of blended coffee, saying, "Save the single-origin notes for sipping — here, flavor balance is the priority."

You really want to taste the coffee in tiramisu which is why robust espresso works so well. (If you don't have an espresso machine, you can always make the coffee using this alternative method.) Some recipes even call for the dessert to be made with instant espresso powder. Failing all that, you could always just use regular strong, black coffee.

Using coffees of different roasts and origins will subtly change the flavor of your tiramisu, but you can add much more flair by making the dessert with a flavored coffee like hazelnut coffee, French vanilla coffee, or cinnamon coffee. Whichever you choose, make sure to brew it strong and only dunk the ladyfingers in the liquid for a second or two when assembling the dessert. They will turn soggy and introduce too much liquid into the tiramisu if you leave them in the coffee for longer than that.

While a lot of tiramisu recipes call for Marsala wine, you can introduce non-traditional flavors by experimenting with coffee liqueurs like Kahlúa. Another option is to mix hazelnut-flavored Frangelico or almond-based amaretto into the coffee before you dip the ladyfingers. You could even try something really different and swap the coffee out entirely for a new spin on tiramisu.