Ina Garten's Ladyfinger Tip To Prevent Soggy Tiramisu

We have Italy to thank for all kinds of delicious desserts, from gelato to cannoli. However, none takes the cake quite like tiramisu. The mascarpone and espresso-centric dessert has made a name for itself across the world, upholding the meaning of its own name. At its most literal meaning, tiramisu translates to "pick-me-up," and that it does. The sweet dessert makes for an ultimate treat, whether you stick with a classic cake or assemble those same ingredients to make a cheesecake derivative.

Yet as is the case in most cooking and baking expenditures, perfecting homemade tiramisu is easier said than done. It may not require any actual baking, but it does call for a specific texture and taste. The dessert's trademark is its soft, pillowy layers and distinctive coffee flavor. As such, it is pivotal to soak those ladyfingers long enough that they absorb the espresso, but not too long that they disintegrate or turn soggy.   

This soaking stage is so delicate that it is perhaps the most challenging part of making tiramisu. Layering those ladyfingers leaves plenty of room for error, but luckily celebrity chef Ina Garten has a few tricks up her sleeve. Pick up your ladyfingers according to Garten's advice, and you'll be left with the perfect outcome.

What's worse — a soggy, but coffee-flavored, tiramisu, or a crisp, but lacking-in-flavor, version? Well with Garten's advice, you don't have to choose the lesser of two evils. In a video for the Food Network, the cookbook author outlined the steps to assembling the perfect tiramisu. She uses crisp ladyfingers and subsequently dips them in a mixture of rum and coffee. It is this dipping stage that makes or breaks a tiramisu. According to Garten, if you dip your ladyfingers for too long, they will turn soggy. However, if you don't dip them for long enough, they won't absorb the proper flavor.

To resolve this conundrum, the famous cook finds a happy medium. She coats each ladyfinger one by one in the mixture. Once each side has been doused for no more than a few seconds, she quickly lifts the ladyfinger up and into the pan. Once she's soaked enough for a layer, she pours the mascarpone cream mixture over the line of cookies and moves on to the next layer. You need to act quickly — but thoroughly — to soak your cookies. Once you master Garten's technique and timing, you may wind up with a tiramisu worthy of Treviso: Italy's tiramisu haven.