Tiramisu Tart Recipe!

A delicious no-bake dessert inspired by the classic tiramisu – sponge finger biscuit crust, coffee chocolate ganache, and mascarpone topping… the perfect tiramisu tart 

Tiramisu 

If you’ve ever wanted dessert and coffee at the same time, tiramisu is your dream come true. This classic Italian treat layers soft, coffee-soaked ladyfingers with rich mascarpone cream, a dusting of cocoa, and just the right hint of sweetness. It’s creamy, a little boozy (if you add Marsala or rum), and totally irresistible.

The name tiramisu means “pick me up” in Italian –  a nod to both the espresso kick and the way it lifts your mood after one bite. It’s not baked, which makes it surprisingly simple to put together. The hardest part? Waiting for it to chill in the fridge so the flavours meld into that perfect balance of coffee, cream, and cocoa.

Tiramisu is one of those desserts that looks fancy but feels homey. Whether you’re making it for a dinner party or sneaking a forkful straight from the pan, it’s the kind of dessert that never goes out of style and one of my favourite desserts in the world. 

Tiramisu bakes

As I have started to show you all recently, my love for tiramisu is never ending. I utterly adore anything tiramisu themed, and this new tiramisu tart is no exception. I started with my ‘classic’ tiramisu recipe in my third book, Everyday, and have started to write more recipes since. 

Tiramisu is still having a serious glow-up on social media right now. It’s being reinvented in ways that are as photogenic as they are indulgent. One of my biggest recipes recently is my tiramisu cheesecake, which did particularly well on my socials recently. Think creamy layers of mascarpone and cream cheese, coffee-soaked sponge fingers, on a biscuit base, and that signature cocoa dusting.

The other twist getting plenty of love is my lemon tiramisu. Instead of espresso and cocoa, this version swaps in lemon curd, zest, and a tangy syrup for soaking the sponge. It’s bright, summery, and feels a bit lighter than the classic – perfect for summer, spring, or any time someone prefers citrus to caffeine. The pop of yellow makes it stand out in a scroll of beige bakes, which probably explains why it’s so delicious. 

No-bake tarts

No-bake desserts are always having a bit of a moment on this blog, because I love them. When the oven’s already packed with roast potatoes and pigs in blankets, the last thing anyone wants is another bake to juggle. Enter the no-bake tart: simple, indulgent, and festive enough to steal the spotlight on the Christmas table.

My gingerbread chocolate caramel tart has got a buttery biscuit base, topped with a caramel, and a rich chocolate ginger ganache on top. It tastes like everything you love about Christmas — all in one chilled, glossy slice.

My After Eight chocolate tart, which feels like pure nostalgia in dessert form. It’s smooth, minty, and perfectly balanced between refreshing and indulgent — like the grown-up version of a chocolate mint slice. No baking, no fuss, just that chocolate base and cool peppermint filling and a luxurious chocolate topping. It’s easy to make ahead too, which is exactly what you need when you’ve got a million other festive things on your list.

What makes these desserts so perfect for the festive season is how effortlessly impressive they are. I wanted to write another recipe of something to go along with with never ending tiramisu trend, my love for it in the first place, and based on the sheer amount of requests for more bakes… enter the tiramisu tart. 

‘Biscuit’ base

As I really wanted to make this recipe as closely similar to a tiramisu as possible, I wanted to swap up the standard biscuit base that I would normally do. I usually do a digestive biscuit base, with melted butter in, or a different biscuit such as an oreo of biscoff biscuit. These do work, and you can definitely use them for this recipe if you want, but it didn’t seem ‘tiramisu’ themed enough for me. 

I ended up using sponge fingers or lady fingers as you may call them, in place of the biscuits. It worked really well, and helped have the better flavour that you would get from them normally. Of course, this will be a more expensive way of doing it, so feel free to straight swap the fingers for digestives instead if you wanted something simpler (use 300g instead)

I found that you still end up needing a ratio of 2:1 in terms of sponge finger to melted butter, as they suck up a lot of moisture and you ideally need a wet sand texture for the base to stick together. These ratios are based on buying shop bought sponge fingers, that are quite crunchy. If you are worried, add a little butter at a time and mix together until you reach the desired consistency.

Chocolate filling

This part of the tiramisu tart is more just for the element of ‘no-bake tart’ that you are after in a dessert like this. It’s a chocolatey coffee luxurious layer of heaven. I make sure that I use dark chocolate for this part of the recipe as you really do need that high cocoa content to make sure that the recipe sets properly. Anything lower than 70% or a good quality chocolate may not set at all. (I usually avoid using branded chocolates as there are no need)

It’s a mixture of dark chocolate, double cream, espresso powder/finely ground instant coffee, vanilla and then some coffee liqueur. I start off by adding the dark chocolate, cream, espresso powder and vanilla to a microwave proof bowl and heating in short bursts until smooth. Once smooth, I pour in the coffee liqueur and stir through until smooth again and then pour onto the base. 

If you don’t have a microwave, you can melt everything in a bowl above a pan of simmering water, but it just takes a little longer. You can also heat the cream on it’s own, to just before boiling point, and then pour over the chocolate (make sure it’s finely chopped to reduce how much mixing you will need to do). If you don’t want to use alcohol in this recipe, I’d increase the espresso powder to two teaspoons, and also up the dark chocolate to 300g, and the cream to 375ml. 

Mascarpone topping

The mascarpone topping, is not really how you would classically make the topping for a tiramisu. This is because you want something a bit more stable than the raw egg’s you typically use for the dessert. The topping is quite similar to my tiramisu cheesecake recipe, and it’s a simple mix of mascarpone cheese (a sweet soft cheese), double cream, icing sugar and vanilla. 

I add the soft cheese, cream, icing sugar and vanilla to a bowl and whip to soft peaks. You want them soft enough to still pipe, but also firm enough to not completely collapse. Of course, the tart is finished off with a dusting of cocoa powder to represent the classic version properly. 

Making the tart

I start with the biscuit base by blitzing the sponge fingers to a fine crumb. I then add in the espresso powder and mix through. Stir through the melted butter to make the mix a wet sand texture and then press into the base and sides of a 9″ loosed bottomed tart tin. 

I then add the ganache ingredients of the chocolate, cream, espresso powder and vanilla to a heat proof bowl and heat in the microwave in short bursts, stirring well each time, until smooth. I pour in the coffee liqueur (Kahlua or tia Maria works well, so does marsala) and combine. Pour this onto the base, and then set in the fridge for 1-2 hours, or until it’s start to set. It will be quite runny so you can’t immediately do the next step otherwise it will get messy. 

Once the chocolate layer has set slightly you can make the mascarpone topping. Whip these ingredients together, and then decorate the top. I simply use a large piping bag with jumbo round piping tip to decorate it. With a finishing dust of cocoa powder, you can then finish setting the tart in the fridge for a further couple of hours. 

Tips & Tricks 

• This recipe lasts for 2-3+ days in the fridge
• This recipe can freeze for 3+ months 
• I use this 9″ loosed bottomed tart tin in this recipe
• I use a large piping bag with a jumbo round piping tip for decoration 
• To make this alcohol free, remove the coffee liqueur and replace with 50g more dark chocolate and 75ml more double cream and an extra teaspoon of espresso in the ganache 
• If you want to make it with biscuits instead, use 300g digestives instead of 200g sponge fingers 

'Tiramisu' Tart

A delicious no-bake dessert inspired by the classic tiramisu - sponge finger biscuit crust, coffee chocolate ganache, and mascarpone topping... the perfect tiramisu tart 

Print Pin Rate

Category: Christmas

Type: Desserts

Keyword: Tart, Tiramisu

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Setting/Decorating Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 slices

Author: Jane's Patisserie

Ingredients

Base

• 200 g sponge/lady fingers
• 100 g unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 tsp espresso powder/instant coffee

Ganache

• 250 g dark chocolate
• 300 ml double cream
• 1 tsp espresso powder/instant coffee
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 ml coffee liqueur

Topping

• 250 g full fat mascarpone
• 150 ml double cream
• 50 g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 10 g cocoa powder

Grams - Ounces

Instructions

Base

• Blitz the sponge fingers to a fine crumb and mix through the espresso powder
• Mix through the melted butter
• Press into the base and sides of a loose bottomed 9" tart tin

Ganache

• Add the dark chocolate, double cream, espresso powder and vanilla to a heatproof bowl and heat in the microwave in short bursts, stirring well, until smooth
• Alternatively, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until smooth
• Pour in the coffee liqueur and stir though
• Pour into the tin on top of the biscuit base and set in the fridge for 1-2 hours

Topping

• Add the mascarpone, double cream, icing sugar, and vanilla to a new bowl
• Whisk together to soft peaks
• Pipe on top of the chocolate layer
• Dust over the cocoa powder and then set in the fridge for 1-2 more hours
• Remove from the tin and serve

Notes

• This recipe lasts for 2-3+ days in the fridge
• This recipe can freeze for 3+ months 
• I use this 9" loosed bottomed tart tin in this recipe
• I use a large piping bag with a jumbo round piping tip for decoration 
• To make this alcohol free, remove the coffee liqueur and replace with 50g more dark chocolate and 75ml more double cream and an extra teaspoon of espresso in the ganache 
• If you want to make it with biscuits instead, use 300g digestives instead of 200g sponge fingers and 150g of butter 

Enjoy!

Find my other recipes on my recipes page!

You can find me on:
Instagram
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Youtube

J x

© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.