Combining two beloved recipes – brownies & tiramisu makes the ULTIMATE treat! These tiramisu brownies have a rich and fudgy brownie base mixed with espresso soaked ladyfingers and topped with a creamy mascarpone cream.
Combining two beloved recipes – brownies & tiramisu makes the ULTIMATE treat! These tiramisu brownies have a rich and fudgy brownie base mixed with espresso soaked ladyfingers and topped with a creamy mascarpone cream.
Continuing on the tiramisu train here, I took my reader’s favorite fudgy brownie recipe and turned it into a Tiramisu brownie! I layered the brownie batter with espresso soaked ladyfingers, drizzle more espresso on top and then frosted it with mascarpone cream.
How To Make Tiramisu Brownies, Step-By-Step Photos
Brownies
Melt the butter with the chocolate until it’s smooth.
Whisk the egg with the sugar and vanilla until it’s pale and smooth.
Whisk in the cocoa powder to the egg mixture, until it’s smooth.
Whisk in the melted chocolate and butter into the egg mixture, mixing until it’s completely smooth.
Whisk in the flour and salt, just until they’re fully combined and the batter is smooth.
Spread half the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
Dip the chunks of lady fingers in espresso and layer them with the brownie batter.
Bake until the top looks set and when you press on it, it should be soft but give some resistance (not feel runny in the center when you press on it).
Cool a little before proceeding.
Poke little holes into the baked brownies and use the rest of the espresso to brush the top of the brownies.
chocolate and butter meltedeggs, sugar and cocoa powder whisked togetherchocolate and butter mixed into egg mixtureflour mixed into the brownie batterhalf of brownie batter spread in the pan and topped with espresso soaked lady fingersthe rest of the brownie batter spread on top of the lady fingersbrownies finished bakingbrownies soaked in espresso
Mascarpone Cream
Beat together the cold mascarpone with the powdered sugar until it’s completely smooth.
Stream in the cold heavy whipping cream in 3-4 increments, stopping to scrape the edge of the bowl each time.
Once all the heavy whipping cream is added, it may seem soft so turn the mixer up to full speed and it should thicken and hold peaks within a couple of minutes. Don’t over-beat once you’ve reached this stage.
Spread the mascarpone cream on top of the brownies and dust the top with cocoa powder.
mascarpone beat with powdered sugarwhipped cream beat into mascarponebrownies frosted with mascarpone cream tiramisu brownies dusted with cocoa powder
Storing & Serving Tiramisu Brownies
These brownies need to be chilled in order for the cream to hold up. It’ll make the brownies more chewy than if they were warm. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze them for a few weeks or a couple months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or a couple hours at room temperature before serving.
I hope you enjoy this new twist on brownies and tiramisu. If you have any questions, please comment down below – those will get answered much quicker than email or through social media.
If you’ve tried these, I would very much appreciate a star rating or review as well.
Combining two beloved recipes – brownies & tiramisu makes the ULTIMATE treat! These tiramisu brownies have a rich and fudgy brownie base mixed with espresso soaked ladyfingers and topped with a creamy mascarpone cream.
Preheat the oven to 325F/163C convection and grease and line an 8" square pan with baking spray and parchment paper (leaving an overhang to easily remove them).
Start by brewing the espresso so it has time to cool as you prepare the brownies. Set aside.
120 mL espresso room temperature *see notes if you don't have an espresso machine
Place the butter and chocolate in a medium, heat proof bowl and microwave for 1 minute, remove and stir until the chocolate and butter is melted and combined.
170 grams salted butter gets melted, 170 grams dark chocolate (or semi-sweet) chips or chopped chocolate
In a large bowl, place the granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs. Whisk them together aggressively for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is completely smooth.
Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and combined.
40 grams Dutch-process cocoa powder
Add in the melted chocolate and butter and whisk until the mixture is fully combined.
Add in the flour and salt and whisk just until there’s no more streaks of flour left. Spread half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
90 grams all-purpose flour , 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
Slice the lady fingers into fourths so they're cubed and dip each cube into the espresso for 1-2 seconds (you should have a little less than half of the espresso left over) on each side and place them on top of the brownie batter in the pan.
5-6 store bought lady fingers cubed
Spread the rest of the brownie batter on top of the lady fingers and bake for 40-45 minutes. The top should be thin and crackly and slightly puffed in the enter and the edges should be a little wrinkly.
Tap it against the counter a couple of times, it should deflate a little but not be jiggly at all. When you press on it, it should feel soft underneath but not liquid-y.
Allow to cool in the pan for at least an hour before proceeding with the recipe.
Once the brownies have cooled, use a toothpick or small straw to poke some holes in to the brownies and then brush the top of the brownie with the rest of the espresso.
Mascarpone Cream
Place the cold mascarpone into the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a large bowl with a hand mixer) with the powdered sugar and salt.
4 oz mascarpone cheese (1/2 standard tub), 60 grams powdered sugar, tiny pinch fine sea salt
Beat at low-medium speed until they’re combined and then increase the speed to medium-high for 1-2 minutes, scraping the edge of the bowl halfway through.
Add the vanilla and the cold heavy whipping cream in 3-4 increments, mixing well between each addition.
120 mL heavy whipping cream, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract of 1 vanilla pod
After adding all the heavy whipping cream, the cream may look soft, turn the mixer up to full speed for 1-2 more minutes and it should stiffen up (like whipped cream does).
Spread the mascarpone cream on top of the brownies. Refrigerate the brownies for at least an hour just so the cream sets a little.
Dust with the cocoa powder a few hours before serving so it settles a little. Serve chilled.
cocoa powder for dusting I like dutch-processed
Notes
If you don’t have an espresso machine:
There’s nothing like freshly brewed espresso (I’m sorry to be a snob!) but I know you don’t all have an espresso machine at home so I tested this a few different ways.
I love my tiramisu STRONG – I use 4 shots of espresso (my Breville makes a double shot so I draw 2x and don’t dilute it with extra water). If I didn’t have an espresso machine, I would probably order some freshly brewed espresso from my local coffee shop to make this.
Espresso Powder: this does work but it really isn’t the same. It can still be strong – I did 8 grams of espresso powder in 4 ounces of hot water (let it cool) – but the flavor is definitely lacking a little so I recommend doing 3ish ounces of water and adding a little flavoring agent like an ounce of Disaronno or Kahula.
Coffee: worst case scenario, this does work with brewed coffee as well but personally I find it to be a little watered down so I recommend brewing a STRONG cup of coffee and still flavoring it with a little something something.
Really enjoyed this recipe – they were unbelievably rich, fudgey and more-ish. I had a couple of mishaps but despite putting them back in the oven to cook a bit more (I prefer my brownies chewier!) but they were still lovely.
Really enjoyed this recipe – they were unbelievably rich, fudgey and more-ish. I had a couple of mishaps but despite putting them back in the oven to cook a bit more (I prefer my brownies chewier!) but they were still lovely.