Vietnamese Coffee Tiramisu

I am personally obsessed with Vietnamese coffee and putting it in everything. So it was only natural I would make a tiramisu with this yummy flavor. This Vietnamese coffee tiramisu has everything a traditional tiramisu has with some tweaks to incorporate the Vietnamese coffee flavor. It is definitely one of my favorite cakes I’ve ever made because I love how it combines two cultures together to produce a stunning dessert.

What is tiramisu?

Tiramisu originates from the Veneto or Fruili Venezia Giulia regions of Italy. It is a dessert made with lady fingers dipped in coffee layered between a whipped mascarpone cream. When done right, it is the perfect combination of sweetness from the sugar and bitterness from the coffee. For my recipe, I stuck to a pretty traditional tiramisu recipe with a few tweaks. I substituted the sugar for condensed milk, and I added coffee to the cream to bring out the flavor of the coffee more. Traditional tiramisu also calls for some sort of alcohol like amaretto, rum, or cognac, but I chose to make that optional because I thought it would take away from the coffee flavor.

How do you make Vietnamese coffee?

I really wanted to brew coffee the traditional Vietnamese way to bring out that dark coffee flavor, so I thought it would be worth it to tell you how I do it. First you add about a tablespoon of coffee grounds to a coffee filter. I like to use the traditional Vietnamese coffee filter. Place it over a cup and pour boiling water into it. The coffee should drip into the cup over the course of a few minutes. Once done, take the coffee filter and place it on another cup. Pour the coffee you just filtered through the coffee filter again. Filtering it twice will get you the darkest coffee with the least amount of coffee grounds. At this point, you would usually add condensed milk and enjoy, but please don’t do that for this recipe. We will be adding condensed milk a different way.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Brewed coffee – I used Cafe Du Monde coffee for my recipe. This is the coffee that a majority of Vietnamese Americans use because it is the closest you can get taste-wise to the coffee in Vietnam.
• Amaretto (optional) – Adds extra flavor to the coffee for dipping. It’s an optional ingredient. You can substitute with rum or cognac.
• Egg yolks – Adds richness to the mascarpone mixture.
• Condensed milk – Condensed milk is substituted for the sugar in the mascarpone mixture. I used sweetened condensed milk for this recipe.
• Mascarpone cheese – An Italian cheese used in many Italian desserts. It is a little sweeter than regular cheese.
• Vanilla extract – Adds extra flavor to the cream. Substitute with 1 vanilla bean or an equal amount of vanilla paste. I personally use vanilla paste because it has more flavor than vanilla extract.
• Heavy cream – Heavy cream is whipped into whipped cream and makes the mascarpone cream fluffy and airy.
• Lady fingers – The lady fingers act as the “cake” part of the tiramisu.
• Cocoa powder – Adds that magical chocolate topping on the tiramisu. It just adds more flavor to the cake.

Making my Vietnamese coffee tiramisu

First make your brewed coffee! Combine the brewed coffee with amaretto in a bowl and set aside. Next make your mascarpone filling. Bring water to a simmer in a small sauce pan. Add egg yolks and condensed milk to a bowl. Put the bowl on top of the simmering water and mix until the egg mixture turns light yellow (3-5 minutes). Remove from the heat. Add the mascarpone cheese, brewed coffee, and vanilla extract to the egg mixture and mix until well incorporated. Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks. Gently fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture from step 3. Set aside.

Now it’s time to assemble your tiramisu. Lightly dip a lady finger in the brewed coffee and it in a 9×9 baking dish. Repeat this process until the bottom is lined with lady fingers. Scoop half the mascarpone cream onto the lady fingers. Spread it out in an even layer on top of the lady fingers. Repeat this process with a second layer of lady fingers and then a second layer of mascarpone cheese. Sift cocoa powder on top of the second layer of mascarpone cream. Cover the tiramisu and place it in the fridge. Let it set in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.

Tips on how to make the perfect Vietnamese coffee tiramisu

Whip eggs until a light yellow color

This is super important because otherwise, the mascarpone cream is too watery and you don’t get that airy cream you’re aiming for. Whipping over the water bath reduces the liquid in the mixture and helps it become a creamier texture. Make sure the heat isn’t too high and you don’t leave it on there too long. You don’t want to cook the eggs either.

Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks

This is crucial for an airy mascarpone cream. The whipped cream is where it gets most of its lift and airiness.

Don’t drench the lady fingers in coffee

I made this mistake in my first test. My lady fingers were soaked all the way through with coffee, so when I went in to cut out a piece, the cake just collapsed. The key is to lightly dip each lady finger on both sizes, so the center is still dry. This helps the cake keep its shape.

Let the tiramisu sit over night in the fridge for the best results

The cake really needs to set in the fridge before you cut into it. If you try to cut into it right away, the cake won’t hold up as well. I would recommend at least 6 hours but I found I had the best results when I did it overnight.

Can I freeze my tiramisu?

Yes! I love the taste of frozen tiramisu. You can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months!

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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