Tiramisu Affogato

Tiramisu affogatos are what happen when frozen mascarpone no-churn ice cream meets a hot coffee pour and nobody tries to stop it. You get the soft, coffee-soaked ladyfingers, a thick dollop of lightly sweet mascarpone, a heavy dusting of cocoa and then right before serving, you flood the whole thing with hot coffee. It’s dramatic, but extremely fun.

The contrast of this dessert is the best (and most delicious) part. Cold mascarpone, hot coffee, bitter cocoa, ladyfingers that are perfectly tender but not overly soggy. It’s a tiramisu deconstructed and reimagined as a spoonable, melty situation and somehow it works whether you’re making it in the dead of winter or the middle of summer.

Read on for the recipe as well as tips for assembling ahead of time!

What is tiramisu?

Tiramisu has a lot of different iterations, but at its core, it is a coffee-dipped Italian dessert. It is made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee or coffee liqueur, which is then layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar and mascarpone cheese. It’s then either dusted with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

The recipe can vary from region to region, but the main bones of the recipe are the same – mascarpone, sugar, coffee, liqueur and cocoa.

What is affogato?

Affogato is an Italian dessert that is really just hot espresso poured over cold ice cream.

Traditionally, it’s a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream that gets “drowned” with a fresh shot of espresso or strong coffee right before serving. The heat from the coffee melts the ice cream into this creamy, bittersweet sauce that you eat with a spoon.

Why you should marry the two

• It’s the best of both worlds: You get the cold, creamy, mascarpone-y richness and cocoa of tiramisu and that bold, freshly poured espresso moment from an affogato. It’s dessert and coffee in one cup so you don’t have to choose a side.
• It’s a deconstructed tiramisu: All the main bones are there: coffee, mascarpone, lady fingers, cocoa, just layered in a way that’s a little more casual and spoonable.
• This is a dessert that breaks seasonal boundaries: It’s cold and creamy for summer, but with the hot coffee pour makes it feel cozy in winter. It’s dramatic and refreshing at the same time, which is kind of the dream.

Ingredients to make tiramisu affogatos

For the mascarpone cream:

• 2 cups (473mL) heavy cream
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (226g) mascarpone, at room temperature (for other subs, think of ricotta, creme fraiche, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For assembling:

• 20 lady fingers
• 5 cups hot coffee
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, for dusting

How to assemble the affogatos

If you’re making these affogatos to be served the moment the frozen mascarpone is ready, here’s how to do it:

1. Break 2 lady fingers into the bottom of each cup. Pour over 3-4 tablespoons of coffee, enough to saturate the cookies, but not so much as to get them soaked and soggy.
2. Add a heaping 1/2 cup scoop of mascarpone cream on top. Dust each up with cocoa powder.
3. Top off the cups with more coffee and serve immediately!

Storage tips and how to pre-assemble these ahead of time

These tiramisu affogatos can be pre-assembled ahead of time. It’s basically the same steps as if you were serving it right away with one small adjustment and a specific way to store them so everything stays fresh:

1. Break 2 lady fingers into the bottom of each up. Pour over 3-4 tablespoons of coffee, enough to saturate the cookies, but not so much as to get them soaked and soggy.
2. Add a heaping 1/2 cup scoop of mascarpone cream on top. Dust each up with cocoa powder.
3. Let these chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve for up to 3 days.

When everyone is ready to eat, pour more coffee over the top and serve immediately!

Watch the recipe here:

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.

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