Tiramisu Brownies recipe

These easy tiramisu brownies combine a deep, fudgy 70% dark chocolate brownie base with coffee-soaked sponge fingers and a thick whipped mascarpone topping. Taking 45 minutes to prep and 25–30 minutes to bake, they set overnight in the fridge into 16 sliceable, decadent squares. Perfect for dinner parties, weekend treats, or coffee lovers looking for an elevated traybake.

Tiramisu Bakes

I have made it clear in the past how much I love anything tiramisu themed. Between tiramisu and sticky toffee pudding, I can never decide which I adore more. There is something about the cosy-ness of a sticky toffee, but the lightness and fresh flavours of a tiramisu is just glorious. 

My basic tiramisu recipe is in my third book Everyday, and I make it so regularly. On my blog, I’ve had fun with different tiramisu inspired bakes such as with my favourite ever cheesecake (my tiramisu cheesecake), and also my lemon tiramisu and my tiramisu tart recipes. The combination of flavours in every bake is just THE BEST. Brownies though? That’s a whole level up. 

Brownie Batter

For this recipe, I wanted to not over-do it on the brownie base, so I went for a simple six ingredient base. The chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar, flour and cocoa make a thick and fudgy base that are perfect for these tiramisu brownies. I bake into a 9″ square tin so the depth of the brownies is perfect… any larger or smaller, this can cause a problem with the bake. 

• Chocolate – I’ll always say this: dark chocolate is essential for truly great brownies. Aim for chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids to achieve a deep, rich flavour.
• Butter – Unsalted block butter works perfectly, but a good-quality baking spread is just as effective. Brownies in this sense are forgiving, so use whichever you have available.
• Eggs – I usually bake with medium eggs, though large eggs work well too. For the ideal brownie texture, use either 4 medium eggs or 3 large ones.
• Sugar – I alternate between light brown soft sugar and caster sugar depending on the flavour I want or what’s in the cupboard. For this recipe, I chose light brown soft sugar to bring a subtle caramel note.
• Flour – Plain flour is all you need for brownies. There’s no need for any raising agents.
• Cocoa Powder – I like to use a bold, high-quality cocoa powder to really intensify the chocolate flavour. The richer it is, the better the result. 

Sponge fingers?!

I would say that sponge fingers (or ladyfingers) are an essential part of any tiramisu themed bake, and I will not take any other word about it. You can find sponge fingers in basically all supermarkets, and they’re relatively cheap. I used shop bought sponge fingers for ease, but if you want to make your own, go for it! 

Just like in a tiramisu bake, I wanted to soak the sponge fingers in a coffee mixture to partly have the texture element, but also more importantly, the flavour element. I used a mix of a STRONG coffee liquid, with some coffee liqueur mixed in for a bit of a kick. You can of course leave out the alcohol, and just use the strong coffee instead. I used espresso from my coffee machine, but you can use instant coffee and dissolve it as well. 

When the brownies are fresh out of the oven, I dunk my sponge fingers in the coffee liquid for a few seconds (it’s best if it’s cooled down so you don’t sizzle your fingers) and then lay on top of the brownie. I really sandwich them in on top so it fills a layer of the tin I have used and entirely covers the brownie 

Tiramisu Topping

When I make an actual tiramisu, I don’t tend to use cream. I want to use the egg yolk/white method with mascarpone, because it makes a particularly delicious topping and is more authentic from what I have been told. It works ideally for the tiramisu dessert, but because this recipe is for brownies and needs to ideally be more stable and slightly denser on purpose, I switched it up. 

The topping, which goes on top of the soaked sponge fingers, is a mix of full-fat mascarpone, double cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract whipped together. I also used the addition of come coffee liqueur, but this is optional. When making this part of the recipe you need to use full-fat ingredients to make sure it sets. 

I whip all of the ingredients together to medium-stiff peaks, making sure to not over whisk it. It needs to be lovely and thick so it stays put once you portion the brownies, so it does need to whisk up as much as possible. Whisk little and often to check the texture, and make it lovely and thick 

I then set the tiramisu brownies over night, to allow the topping time to set, as well as the brownies to set into a really fudgy texture as well. Once out the fridge the next day, dust liberally with cocoa powder, slice and serve. 

FAQs

Storage and freezing

Because the topping contains fresh dairy and mascarpone, these tiramisu brownies must be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where they will stay fresh and fudgey for 3 to 4 days. For long-term storage, the un-topped baked brownie base can be frozen for up to 3 months when wrapped tightly in clingfilm.

Related recipes

The back to basics triple chocolate brownie recipe has been a staple base for most of my other recipes, including my Toblerone brownies, cookie dough brownies, and even my pecan pie brownies. You can easily adapt and change a good basic recipe for different flavours, themes and ideas once you have sorted out the basics.