How Much Espresso Do You Need For Tiramisu?
You simply can't make a good tiramisu without good espresso. It's only fair — one of the most well-known Italian desserts must be paired with Italy's coffee. However, for home bakers hoping to bake their first batch of Italian tiramisu, a natural question will pop up when you hit this step in the recipe: How much espresso should you brew to get the best version of this classic treat?
In our classic tiramisu recipe, we dip each of the ladyfinger biscuits that would form the "backbone" of the dessert in a cup of freshly-brewed espresso. Technically, there's no hard rule on how much espresso or coffee you should brew. The espresso isn't mixed into the dessert, its only job is to soften and flavor the ladyfingers. So, as long as there's enough espresso to dip all of your ladyfingers in, you're set — even if you've only got the time or the coffee grounds to make ¾ cup, or around six shots, your tiramisu should still come out looking (and tasting) perfectly fine.
Do instant espresso and other coffees also work?
Brewed or instant, any kind of espresso is alright. As a matter of fact, you don't need to use espresso at all. The reason we always recommend espresso is that it's faithful to tiramisu's Italian roots, but anything with coffee flavor and scent will do the trick. Some people use drip coffee for convenience, others use cold brew for a smoother flavor to go with their dessert. In an emergency, even instant will do. It certainly won't make for the best result, but what can you do, right?
No matter what kind of coffee you choose, though, there's one requirement: the brew needs to be strong. The coffee flavor is buried underneath a lot of sweetness from mascarpone to heavy cream, cocoa powder, and even marsala wine (if you decide to add it). If it's too delicate, the coffee's flavor will be lost in the mix, and you'd lose part of the beautiful combo of flavors that make tiramisu so beloved in the first place.