Matcha Tiramisu

Matcha Tiramisu is a simple dessert that consists of rich and creamy mascarpone custard, with light and airy matcha-soaked lady fingers. We love traditional recipes with an Asian twist, and this one is the perfect dessert to make ahead of a large gathering.

This matcha tiramisu, also known as matchamisu, is easily whipped up in 20 minutes and just needs to be refrigerated a few hours before serving. It has a great balance of earthy, bitter and sweet flavors.

What is Matcha Tiramisu (抹茶ティラミス)

Matcha Tiramisu is a Japanese twist to the classic tiramisu. In this recipe, we simply swap the coffee and cocoa flavor by matcha. We love the balance of flavor it creates, as Matcha is very earthy and has a bitterness to it, similar to coffee. This recipe is also perfect to convert someone that is not fan of this famous Japanese ingredient, as the creamyness of the mascarpone mixture will make anyone fall in love with this dessert. We also love that this recipe requires no baking. No-bake, no mistake, right?

More related recipes:

• White Chocolate Matcha Brownies
• No-Bake Matcha (Green Tea) Cheesecake
• Matcha and Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread
• Matcha (Green Tea) Panna Cotta
• Chewy White Chocolate Matcha Cookie
• Green Tea (Matcha) Cake with White Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Best Matcha to use

There exist many grades of matcha and you can read all about it on our Matcha Cheesecake recipe. As this recipe is very focused on Matcha flavor as we dipped our lady fingers in it, we recommend using the best powder you have on hand. Yes, it is an expensive ingredient and as the quality goes up, the price do too, but you will taste the difference. Any ceremonial grade matcha should do the trick. This one has good reviews.

Tips for the best Matcha Tiramisu

• Use room temperature mascarpone. Take out your mascarpone out of the fridge a few hours before preparing your tiramisu. It will make your custard smoother and easier to mix.
• Gently cook your egg yolks. To avoid food poisoning, we highly recommend gently cooking your eggs over a water bath. Alternatively, if you can find pasteurized eggs, you can skip this step.
• Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks. Make sure you whisk your heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks, and stop right away or it will start splitting.
• Don't over soak your ladyfingers in your matcha. We've made this error before and it will make your tiramisu soggy and not as enjoyable to eat. Just dip quickly and do not let sit in your matcha. Additionally, make sure to let your matcha cool down before dipping.
• Use Savoiardi ladyfingers. These don't absord liquid as much as the cake-type one.
• Let sit in the fridge overnight. This will make cutting through your cake that much easier!
• Dust your matcha only before serving. If you dust if too much ahead of time, the mascarpone will absorb it and it won't be as pretty.
• If you're filling risky, feel free to add alcohol! Marsala wine, Amaretto or coffee-based liquor is often added to the recipe. We decided to omit this ingredient to make it kid-friendly!

Ingredients

• Matcha: Preferably, use premium or ceremonial grade. As this is the king of the recipe, splurge and buy the best one you can find.
• Savoiardi ladyfingers: These are the best type one to use as they are dry, sweet and has a spongy like texture. They can easily be found in any local grocery store, and online here. Once dipped in the matcha tea, the ladyfingers will soften and will transform into a moist delicious cake!
• Mascarpone: This is a type of cream cheese that has a spread-like texture. It's similar to cream cheese we're used to in North America, but is softer and less tangy. Do not replace by any other cheese, as it is irreplaceable in a tiramisu!
• Egg yolk: It's a key ingredient to a custard, and will add richness to your dessert.
• Granulated sugar: To add sweetness to your dessert and balance out the earthy flavor of the matcha.
• Heavy cream: Whipped into a delicious whipped cream to add lightness to the dish. It will make your mascarpone fluffy and airy!
• Vanilla extract: We love to add vanilla to our mascarpone custard because we think it pairs beautifully with the matcha.
• Water: To make your matcha tea.

Instructions

Prep your matcha tea. Mix 1 tsp of matcha with 1/3 of boiling water at 175 F degrees. Whisk until the powder dissolves, and set aside to cool down.

Mascarpone Custard

Gently cook your egg yolk. In a medium heat proof bowl, whisk you 3 egg yolk and 3 tbsp of sugar until combined. Once combined, put over a small sauce pan with simmering water, and whisk with an electric whisker for about 3-5 minutes at medium speed, or until the mixture reaches a temperature of 160ºF (71ºC).

Cool your egg yolk mixture. Put your egg yolk mixture over a bowl of ice to let it cool.

Fold in your mascarpone with your egg yolk mixture. In a medium bowl, add your room temperature mascarpone. With a spatula, gently mix until it softens a little. Slowly pour your egg yolk mixture and gently fold together.

Whip your heavy cream. In a large bowl, pour heavy cream, vanilla extract and sugar. With an electric mixer, whisk together until it has the consistency of whipped cream, or you're able to create stiff peaks.

Fold in your whipped cream with mascarpone mixture. Add half of your mascarpone mixture in with the whipped cream and gently fold. Once combined, add the other half and repeat step.

Assembly

Soak your lady fingers. Using a 10 x 7 inch dish, quickly dip the top and bottom of your ladyfingers in the matcha tea mixture, approx. 1-2 seconds on each side, and place at the bottom of your dish.

Create first layer. Put 10 matcha-soaked lady fingers for your first layer.

Spread mascarpone custard. Put half of your mascarpone custard and spread evenly with a spatula.

Repeat. Repeat steps, creating second layer of 10 ladyfingers, and top with mascarpone custard.

Let chill. Let your tiramisu chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Dust and serve! Once ready to serve, dust 2 tbsp of matcha powder with a strainer.