Tiramisu without coffee and alcohol: how to make a delicious kid-friendly tiramisu (recipe)

Easy recipe to make tiramisu without coffee and alcohol, an easy to make and kid-friendly tiramisu recipe.

Tiramisu is one of the most popular desserts in Italy, usually loved because of the creamy embrace of its cream mixed with the kick of flavor from espresso and just a dash of cognac.

However, coffee and cognac are not for everyone. So, the most classic tiramisu may be out of the question for those who don’t like coffee, cannot drink it or must stay away from alcohol in any form.

Thankfully, there is a tiramisu recipe that allows you to have not only an alcohol free tiramisu, but one that has no alcohol AND no caffeine! This is the recipe I am sharing today!

It is an easy recipe for tiramisu without coffee and alcohol and it is a great one to have in your repertoire if you are making tiramisu for kids or anyone who cannot have or does not like coffee in any form.

Ingredients for tiramisu without alcohol and coffee

Makes a tray for about 8 people

1 box of savoiardi biscuits / Lady biscuits
1 cup mascarpone
½ cup sugar
3 pasturized eggs, separated yolks and whites
1 cup Milk
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

What kitchen gear you need for this family friendly tiramisu recipe

One large bowl for mixing
A second large bowl for whisking the egg whites
A mixer (electric makes it easier)
A wooden spoon
A pot to heat up the milk
A large dish
A tray

Tiramisu without alcohol and coffee recipe: how to make it

In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks and the sugar until they form a light colored, fluffy cream (you can do this by hand or by food mixer).

Add the mascarpone and fold it in until you obtain a smooth mixture.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until the make stiff peaks and then very gently fold them into the main bowl, so you have your tiramisu cream.

Heat your milk until it gets lukewarm and add cocoa powder to make a cocholaty drink, then let it cool again in the fridge for a few minutes.

Make sure there are no cocoa lumps and the pour a little bit of the cocoa milk into a shallow platter.

Take one lady finger at a time and quickly place is horizontally in the cocoa milk, so that it soaks up a little bit of it.

Need to know! Make sure you don’t dunk the biscuits in the milk but only lightly tapped them in. If they soak up too much liquid, they will turn into mush and the tiramisu will not come out as nice! Cold milk will make this process easier while hot or warm one will make the biscuits absorb too much moisture.

Place each dampened lady finger in you serving tray until you have a full layer of them.

Spoon some of the cream on top and flatten it delicately, the repeat until you have up to 3 layers of biscuits.

Make sure the last layer is cream and then sprinkle more cocoa on top to give a chololately finish. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours and serve cold.

Top tip: while it may be tempting to make he tiramisu with sweet cocoa, I find the cake comes out much nicer if you use bitter cocoa. This maintain the kick of flavor that is typical of tiramisu and the sugar in the cream guarantees the cake stays sweet enough for the kids to like it!

Need to know: Should you cook eggs for tiramisu?

One of the big worries when making tiramisu at home is that the recipe calls for raw eggs.

It is paramount that you use fresh and safe eggs when making it. However, if safety is a concern even with eggs sold as safe, you can reduce risks buying eggs that are already pasteurized.

They are usually a little more expensive but they may save you the headache of pasteurizing the eggs yourself which, while easy, requires the use of a thermometer and adds a more complexity to an otherwise very easy cake.

How to serve this no coffee- alcohol free tiramisu

The easiest way to serve tiramisu is in a large tray: in this case, you serve the tiramisu with a large spoon and can give each guest the amount they wish.

Another common and really cute way to present tiramisu is making individual cups of mason jars with it.

This is my personal favorite way especially when the jars are see though: seeing the luscious tiramisu’ layers creates delicious expectations for the taste ahead!

If you opt for individual portions in jars, make sure you do assemble it is in jars from the start: once the tiramisu is in a tray, you won’t be able to cleanly place it in a different container as it will inevitably at least partially collapse.

Berries make a lovely topping for it: as well as looking pretty, they add an extra touch of freshness and acidity that makes the result even lovelier. However, they are entirely optional!