A review of multiple YouTube tiramisu recipes
(At the end of this post, I list out the common failure points and how to avoid them -- so skip to the end if you're intending to make some soon!)
The first time I made tiramisu (three years ago), I did it following Joshua Weissman's recipe.
I don't recommend it for a lot of reasons - his recipes tend to focus on flashy youtube content and he's quite divorced from people who bake and cook at home. All in all, I've found his recipes to be the hardest to execute, because the nature of his videos force him to gloss over easy failure points and he's flexing half the time so it's not realistic for you to copy what he's doing.
His method incorporates the double boiler method and adds eggs (a modern style, but if you're eating tiramisu in a restaurant, it's highly likely it doesn't have eggs). I've learnt a lot on double boiler methods over the years, but doing it for the first time, I completely failed.
Here was my first result:
I had six friends over to help me eat the tiramisu. I served them the successful version first, then the 'failed' version, and told them it was a different style/regional dish of tiramisu. 😏
And guess what? Two of them liked that version BETTER. They claimed it had more texture (because I overcooked the eggs in the double boiler). When I told them the truth, they resolved to never trust me anymore, hehehe.
Everyone really liked the successful version. The two who liked the failed version took the entire tray of tiramisu back home and ate it in two days. And that is just the best thing that could've happened to anyone who bakes and cooks.
I also attempted Brian Lagerstrom's version of tiramisu too:
This one was slightly easier to follow. That being said, I think following YouTuber recipes is exactly the same as following a game reviewer - you have to know what your own tastes are and know whether you line up with the person. No point watching a game critic review JRPGs if you know you hate turn based combat, know what I'm saying?
I wouldn't add the cocoa powder in this version's dipping liquid though, it changes the flavour closer to those 'tiramisu-style' cakes and lessens the impact of the coffee. But if you like that nice chocolate taste, go ahead!
I don't like this one. The texture doesn't feel right, the flavour's a bit off, and I don't like his sponge fingers. He's also not as experienced and it really shows. I'm not a big fan of his workflow and he uses excessive dishes/bowls that make it a hassle to clean. I also feel his ingredient ratios are slightly off because he either always makes too much or too little of something. It's awkward putting his stuff together.
That being said, a lot of people like watching Babish because he shows all his mistakes. That's a good thing, because it helps ease the anxiety and lower the entry barrier to cooking and baking. I'm glad his channel exists, I just wouldn't recommend copying his recipes/workflow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIdsExROADQ
The best tiramisu recipe was always going to belong to the Queen of Youtube Cooks: Claire Saffitz. She considers her audience every single step of the way; she knows most people don't have stand mixers or food processors, so she'll try and do it with hand mixers or suggest alternatives. You can tell she's a real seasoned baker, because every step is maximized for efficiency and ease.
Her recipes never have inconsistencies or ambiguity. It's so good! She's so good!
This version has the 'most' coffee flavour, but that's because she incorporates instant coffee, kahlua, and brewed coffee.
I also tried Preppy Kitchen's recipe, and this one was fine and easy to follow too. I've found quite a few successes with their cookies/cakes. THIS ONE HAS THE HIGHEST ALCOHOL CONTENT, HEHEHE. It's also the double boiler method, so this isn't the one I recommend for first timers.
Preppy Kitchen does have an excellent tip: always finish whipping the cream manually. That is, you whip using a hand mixer first, then when you think you're almost there, grab your whisk and finish it to the right peaks yourself. This way, it's harder to overwhip.
However, there's one more tiramisu recipe that was an excellent hit among my friends - and that's basically ANY Korean/Vietnamese/Japanese/Taiwanese ASMR youtube cooking channel.
If you're making a tiramisu for the first time, FOLLOW THOSE ONES. They are by far the simplest, because they simply whip mascarpone and cream together with sugar and coffee. No double boiler for eggs, no egg whites like the traditional method - just mascarpone and cream.
This version is the one that also 'cheats' a bit, because the Korean/Vietnamese/Japanese/Taiwanese ASMR channels will always add gelatin. This is not a negative. Gelatin makes your tiramisu cut way easier, stand better, and there's also a nice texture if you don't overdo it.
You can make it a few hours before you serve your friends, but I highly recommend letting tiramisu sit in your fridge overnight and letting the sponge fingers absorb more of the moisture/coffee/alcohol flavours.
Common Failure Points
1. Whipping the cream
It's incredibly easy to overwhip cream if you're doing it for the first time. A lot of tiramisu tends to call for medium to stiff peaks, and that transition just goes really fast. If you overwhip, you'll make butter, and your tiramisu will just end up lumpy and weird. I highly recommend you err on the side of medium peaks -- BUT! If you're making it for the first time, you might as well make some mistakes! There's no better way to learn than to...waste...food... Maybe not. I always eat and serve my mistakes anyway, so I'm very happy to make them.
2. Gelatin
You can really screw up dissolving gelatin too because you can end up with these horrendous lumps. (P.S. Secret tip - lie to your guests that it's small agar/coconut jelly lumps you added!) (P.P.S. Don't do this) Always make sure you let the gelatin sit in cold water first for at least 5 minutes. Don't skip this step, because the hydration is really important. Then slowly heat it up in a bowl of hot water or over a stove on low if your recipe calls for it.
3. Dusting your cocoa powder
Don't dust the night before. The cocoa is going to absorb the moisture from the top of your tiramisu and turn into that common black blanket that you see at the restaurants.
But wait, you say! What about the cocoa layer at those famous gateau shops? How come they're still dry? Here's the secret: they put a thin layer of icing sugar atop the tiramisu and that stops the cocoa powder from getting wet.
I would say that if you're making it at home, just plastic wrap your tiramisu so that the wrap touches the top of the tiramisu. Like pudding, this stops the tiramisu from forming a 'film layer' or 'skin' that people dislike. Then simply dust before serving. PEOPLE LIKE SEEING THE DUSTING PROCESS. It builds anticipation! It's great! Don't feel self-conscious that you can't serve immediately! Cooking is about bonding with friends and family!
4. The alcohol and coffee content
You have to do it the way all cooks do it: you've got to taste that mixture, even if it's your first time. It's very important to learn to trust your tastebuds. Remember, you're baking for yourself. In the end, you're the one who has to eat it!
I can't get Marsala wine where I am, so I tend to substitute with rum instead. I've also tried a whisky and a brandy mixture too, and it gives excellent notes. I know a lot of people use Kahlua, but I haven't tried it.
My personal recommendation is to add more alcohol. The aroma, the taste, the smell, it all comes through nicely if you can find one that matches with the coffee you're using.
For coffee, using instant is going to be the easiest if you want that 'strong' flavour. Espresso is going to be best, but I've also had great success using a strong filter coffee.
5. Dipping the sponge fingers
Don't overdip. But don't underdip. Man, what a terrible conundrum.
The problem I've found is that every type of sponge finger you can buy tends to have different absorption rates. Most traditional tiramisu recipes have you underdipping, because they're relying a lot more on their mascarpone cream to moisten it, but I tend to dip a little longer. If you ever cut a tiramisu and liquid comes out or it pools at the bottom of your tray, then you've overdipped. But if you underdip, then the flavour doesn't shine as much.
I don't have a really good tip other than you really have to experiment. I do use the 'one second on each side' dip trick though, and it's good about 9 times out of 10, but I ended up underdipping once too? Blergh.
6. Mascarpone
Make sure it's room temperature. MAKE SURE IT'S ROOM TEMPERATURE.
Whipping cold mascarpone is terrible. And please remember, every country's mascarpone is different! The New Zealand ones especially tend to be a lot harder than the super soft ones I see in the American recipes, thus it's even more important that you ensure it's room temperature before you whip.
It's also important to remember that the thicker it is to begin with, the easier it is to overwhip. So yeah, the New Zealand ones are really finnicky to get right if it's your first time doing it.
Overall Thoughts
Tiramisu is my partner's favourite dessert of all time. It was imperative that I mastered it--and I still haven't! I've still got some ways to go. That being said, I've made some really good ones so far, and I think it's an excellent starting point for a lot of people who want to learn how to bake.
