Chocolate lovers are going to be happy with this non-traditional version of the famous Italian dessert. Chocolate-soaked ladyfingers are layered with mascarpone cream and chocolate custard in this alcohol and coffee-free take on the classic tiramisu.
We’ve taken our classic, Decadent Tiramisu recipe and turned it into a chocolate lover’s dream.
Why Our Recipe
- This recipe is a chocolate lover’s dream with chocolate-soaked lady fingers and a homemade chocolate custard.
- Family-friendly with no alcohol or coffee.
- We use real mascarpone cheese and ladyfingers for a gourmet taste.
Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert where ladyfingers are dipped into variations of rum and coffee and topped with a mascarpone cream mixture. We are totally chocolate lovers so I’ve come up with a family-friendly tiramisu recipe that focuses on chocolate. In this delectable alternative version, lady fingers are dipped into hot chocolate, and layered with a mascarpone cream mixture and a chocolate custard layer. The result is a heavenly dessert that everyone in the family can enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
- Ladyfingers: Sometimes hard to find, but typically in the fancier cookie aisle, the Italian foods section of your supermarket, or they can easily be found online.
- Dark Chocolate: We used a dark chocolate bar, chopped, or you can use dark chocolate chips.
- Hot Chocolate: This will be cooled and used to soak the ladyfingers. You can use any hot chocolate mix from your local supermarket.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract gives the best flavor, but imitation vanilla also works.
- Egg Yolks: Make sure to separate them carefully. If you’re wondering what to do with the leftover whites, you can save them and make an omelet the next day.
- Heavy Cream: You’ll need full-fat heavy cream—none of that milk or half-and-half business, or you’ll end up with a runny custard.
- Mascarpone Cheese: You can typically find this in the specialty cheese section with fresh mozzarella and burrata or near the cream cheese.
- Cocoa Powder: This is optional, for dusting the top of the tiramisu. We recommend Hershey’s cocoa powder as it’s widely available.
Ladyfinger Substitutes
You should be able to find ladyfingers in most grocery stores, but we have come across a few stores that don’t keep them in stock. If you can’t find them, you can always order them online. Substitution options include sponge cake, pound cake, or biscotti. Think of it like a dessert trifle!
Mascarpone
Traditional tiramisu must use mascarpone (ma-scar-poe-nay) which is found either in the same section as you find cream cheese, or in the specialty cheese section. It’s a soft cheese sold in a small tub.
If you have trouble finding it, you can substitute it with cream cheese. The flavor and consistency will be affected if you do this as cream cheese has a stronger flavor and isn’t quite as soft. Whichever you use, make sure that it is full-fat. Using a low-fat mascarpone or cream cheese can result in a runnier custard.
Presentation Ideas
Chocolate Tiramisu is going to taste delicious no matter how you serve it, but there are a few options for serving it that you may want to consider depending on how casual or fancy or individual you want to make it.
Classic Slices – Make it in an 8×8 or 9×9-inch dish and slice it up like cake or brownies. Use a sharp knife for clean edges and a spatula to lift each piece out smoothly. Perfect for that classic tiramisu look!
Freeform on a Platter – Want a more rustic, no-fuss look? Assemble your layers directly on a serving platter instead of a dish. When it’s chilled, just slice and scoop sections to serve. It’s elegant, but in that effortless kind of way. You could even make it into a shape like a heart for a special occasion.
Individual Cups – Layer tiramisu in plastic cups, ramekins, mini glass jars, or even small cocottes for an easy, grab-and-go dessert. It looks cute and makes serving a breeze!
To Decorate – Keep it classic by using a fine mesh sieve to give it a light dusting of cocoa powder. Make it fancy with chocolate shavings. Just take a vegetable peeler and use it to shave a chocolate bar into little chocolate curls. Or give it a drizzle of thick chocolate syrup.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
We don’t recommend that you freeze this recipe as the cream will separate when thawing.
Thank you so much for the inspiration! I don’t care for coffee but I love the idea of tiramisu. I wanted to use crio bru’s brewed cacao to make some, and seeing your recipe gave me the idea to make custard for the middle layer. I simplified by using custard powder (adding a bit of cocoa powder and some chopped chocolate to melt in), and the whipped layer was made with Dream Whip plus cream cheese because that’s what I can get. A bit more “processed” and less authentic, but I’m excited that it seems to have worked! On my way to share it with a friend now.
I love this recipe !
It’s always a hit at every party for both adults and kids
I’m making it right now for a dinner we are going to tomorrow night ,so lm hoping it will be ok making it day before hand
I’ve made this recipe twice, and am getting ready to make it again. To make it Christmas-y, I dipped the lady fingers in eggnog thinned with milk and substituted white chocolate and eggnog in the custard to make an eggnog tiramisu.
How many people does this recipe serve? I’m planning on serving it at a dinner party this weekend and I know that I need to feed at least 5 adults, 2 kids, minimum. Any suggestions for scaling the recipe up? Or would this much serve at least 7?
Yes! It should serve 5 adults and 2 kids perfectly.
If you use a 9×9 pan make 2 cuts in each direction, it will make 9 3×3 servings
What kind of hot chocolate did you use?
Stephen’s Hot Chocolate.
I’m having a hard time finding the ladyfingers. What is your favorite brand and what store do you find them at? Thank you in advance.
I don’t know the brand, but they are often sold in the Italian section of the grocery store.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! For years I’ve been hoping to find a coffee- and alcohol-free tiramisu recipe. I can’t wait to try this out. It looks amazing!
Thank you for this recipe. I’m making it for a church group and was looking for a recipe without coffee alcohol. This is perfect! Thanks!
If only I could print this recipe….sounds scrumptious!
You can! There is a green "print friendly" button just above the comment section.
there is no way to print this. I will remove.
I actually had print options available for a while and nobody was using them. Perhaps I'll consider reviving that. For now, you can just copy and paste, or select the recipe with your cursor and click "print selection."