Give your holiday dessert table an elegant spin with this show-stopping Christmas gingerbread tiramisu! Italian ladyfingers are soaked in a dark rum-spiked, sweetened coffee mixture and then layered with a perfectly creamy spiced mascarpone filling. You can prepare this luscious Christmas tiramisu in just 30 minutes, and it’s guaranteed to receive rave reviews.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Puts a holiday twist on a classic favorite dessert: Everyone adores tiramisu, so you know it’s sure to please. And then you add that beloved gingerbread flavor? That’s some holiday dessert perfection.
Gives your holiday menu a unique touch: With the festive gingerbread spice, this is a tiramisu like no other and will make for one memorable meal. I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a new Christmas dessert tradition.
Makes for easy entertaining: Not only does this gingerbread tiramisu come together in just 30 minutes but you also prepare it ahead of serving time. This allows you to focus on being present during your holiday celebration rather than running around the kitchen trying to putting the finishing touches on dessert.
Related: For more holiday desserts, try my peppermint ice cream and gingerbread pudding.
Ingredients
And those are our gingerbread tiramisu ingredients. Now for a few notes to set you up for success.
Ladyfingers: Make sure you get the crunchy type of ladyfingers, not the soft variety that’s often found in the produce or bakery section of the store. Those bakery-style ladyfingers don’t hold up as well. You can find crunchy ladyfingers in the cookie aisle.
Mascarpone: This is an Italian cheese that serves as tiramisu's creamy custard base. While it looks similar to cream cheese, it's even more velvety with a mild flavor. Generally, I find it with the speciality cheeses in the grocery store rather than the section with mass-produced cheese.
Dark rum: While Marsala, a fortified wine, is traditional in tiramisu, we use dark rum to give our espresso mixture a kick. You’ll just love how the rum’s rich caramel notes complement the warm spices.
Molasses: Make sure you get unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap. Unsulphured molasses is made from ripe sugarcane, making for a sweeter, tastier flavor. Typically, you can pick up molasses in the baking or breakfast aisle.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Now let's get to making our delicious gingerbread tiramisu!
Step 1: In a small bowl, we stir together our coffee, sugar and rum and set the mixture aside to cool (photo 1).
Step 2: Using a separate bowl, we beat some heavy cream until stiff peaks form (photo 2) and then also set that aside.
Step 3: Now we take a large mixing bowl and add the mascarpone, egg yolks, sugar, molasses and spices (photo 3) until it turns into one creamy filling like so (photo 4).
Step 4: Now we gently fold in our whipped heavy cream until it fully incorporates with the mascarpone mixture (photos 5 and 6).
Step 5: From here, we're ready to assemble. We start by quickly dipping the ladyfingers in the coffee mixture (photo 7) and then layering it on the bottom of an 8-inch-by-8-inch baking dish. Once we complete the first layer, we spread on half the mascarpone filling (photo 8), repeat with another layer of ladyfingers (photo 9), and then top with the remaining mascarpone filling (photo 10).
And just like that, our Christmas tiramisu is prepared! All that's left is to cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate until set and serve. Now get excited because you're about to devour one decadent Christmas Italian dessert.
Recipe FAQs
While tiramisu should last for three days in the refrigerator, I think it's at its best when enjoyed within the first day or two. After it sits for too long, tiramisu starts to turn soupy, and no one wants that. Also, make sure you plan for the tiramisu to refrigerate for at least six hours.
While I love the flavor it adds and it is a traditional ingredient, you can leave out the alcohol if you prefer. Whether you serve this gingerbread tiramisu with or without alcohol, you will still get a flavorful, decadent dessert.
Tiramisu is traditionally prepared with uncooked eggs, which comes with a minimal risk. As long as you use high-quality, fresh eggs, they are generally safe uncooked. Another option is to buy pasteurized eggs, which are heated in their shells and safe to consume raw.
That said, if you're serving someone who is immunocompromised or you just don't feel comfortable, I included an option for making this tiramisu with cooked eggs by beating them over simmering water. This is detailed in the recipe card.
Absolutely! Simply double the ingredients and use a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish. This recipe uses an 8-inch-by-inch baking dish to serve about eight to nine people, but double is perfect when you have a larger crowd.
Expert Tips
- Make sure the mascarpone is at room temperature before beating. If it’s too cold, you won’t get that wonderfully creamy texture. Letting it sit in room temperature for 30 minutes will take care of it.
- The egg yolks should also be at room temperature, but you may find they're easier to separate when cold. Then, let the egg yolks sit in room temperature with the mascarpone.
- When lining the baking dish, you may need to break up some of the ladyfingers to fit in the tighter spaces.
- Quickly dip the ladyfingers. They absorb the liquid right away, so a long soak will disintegrate the little cookies. About three seconds does the trick.
- While I love the dark rum with the gingerbread flavor, it's also great with other liquors, liqueurs and fortified wine, such as bourbon, amaretto, Kahlua or tawny port. Feel free to experiment!
Perfect Pairing
For the perfect beer pairing, try a barley wine with this gingerbread tiramisu. The high ABV gives this beer residual sweetness that makes it wonderful with desserts, and you'll love how that malty, caramel-like flavor works with our creamy filling.
Prefer a wine? I'm a big fan of tawny port with gingerbread treats. With a tawny port, we get caramel, toffee and dried fruit notes that pair wonderfully with our rich molasses and spices.
Or if you really love gingerbread, I have just the cocktails for you -- this gingerbread old fashioned, gingerbread margarita or gingerbread mule! My gingerbread latte makes for a nice after-dinner drink with this as well. You are also more than welcome to check out my Christmas cocktail guide for more pairing inspiration.
For the most festive dessert, I hope you try this Christmas gingerbread tiramisu. You'll fall in love with every creamy, luscious bite, and it's sure to be your new go-to holiday treat.
Cheers!
More Favorite Gingerbread Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Christmas Gingerbread Tiramisu
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Hand or stand mixer
- 8-inch-by-8-inch baking dish
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
Coffee Mixture for Ladyfingers
- 2 cups espresso or strong coffee
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup dark rum
- 1 (7-ounce) package of ladyfingers about 24 cookies, found in cookie aisle
Gingerbread-Mascarpone Filling
- ¾ cup cold heavy cream
- 3 egg yolks room temperature
- 8 ounces mascarpone softened
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses not the blackstrap variety
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the espresso or coffee, white sugar and dark rum until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks, mascarpone, white sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice on medium speed until light and fluffy and no lumps remain, about five minutes. Initially, it will seem a little liquidy, but it will thicken as you beat it.
- Alternatively, if you don't want to use raw egg yolks, place a heatproof mixing bowl with the egg yolks and sugar on a medium saucepan filled with 2-3 inches of simmering -- not boiling -- water and beat until the mixture thickens and about doubles in volume, approximately seven to 10 minutes. The heat will gently cook the eggs. If it starts to get too hot, lift the bowl and give it a chance to slightly cool. Remove the bowl from the heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes. Then, beat in the mascarpone, molasses and spices until light and fluffy.
- Gently fold the whipped heavy cream into the mascarpone mixture until fully incorporated.
- Quickly dip each ladyfinger into the cooled coffee mixture, no more than three seconds. Layer on the bottom of an 8-inch-by-8-inch baking dish. Spread half of the gingerbread-mascarpone filling on top. Repeat with the remaining ladyfingers and spread the other half of the gingerbread-mascarpone filling.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon for a garnish if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure the mascarpone is at room temperature before beating. If it’s too cold, you won’t get that wonderfully creamy texture. Letting it sit in room temperature for 30 minutes will take care of it.
- The egg yolks should also be at room temperature, but you may find they're easier to separate when cold. Then, let the egg yolks sit in room temperature with the mascarpone.
- When lining the baking dish, you may need to break up some of the ladyfingers to fit in the tighter spaces.
- Quickly dip the ladyfingers. They absorb the liquid right away, so a long soak will disintegrate the little cookies. About three seconds does the trick.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Chandice Probst says
This dessert literally combined two of my favorite Christmas treats, gingerbread and Italian tiramisu. How could we not love it?! Thank you so much for such a fantastic holiday recipe…
Moop Brown says
I love festive desserts like this and especially appreciate the perfect texture of this tiramisu.
Ramona says
This gingerbread tiramisu looks super delicious and it's perfect for Christmas! Thank you for sharing this recipe it looks amazing and I cant wait to try it out!
Katie Crenshaw says
We love Tiramisu, so I thought I would try this gingerbread version for the holidays. The filling was so delicious. It came out fantastic. This will be a new holiday tradition.
Aya says
I bought a lot of gluten-free ladyfingers for the holidays but didn't get to use them all. So your recipe is literally a lifesaver. I wanted to make an alcohol-free version, so I used buttermilk instead of rum, which turned out great. I loved your use of molasses; it gave the tiramisu a fantastic flavor. I highly recommend this recipe!
Dennis Littley says
what a novel way to make tiramisu! I bet it was delicious!
Mikayla says
Very good dessert, I have recently discovered I do enjoy some desserts with molasses. I am happy to add this recipe to my binder of printed recipes. It was easy prep, only wished we could speed up the chill process.
Healing Tomato says
You brought two of my favorite desserts together in one recipe! How can I say no to this tiramisu, lol. The dessert looks so festive and easy to make.
Colleen says
It really did receive rave reviews. The best Christmas dinner dessert. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
Kayla DiMaggio says
This Christmas Gingerbread Tiramisu was so delicious! I loved the flavor of the gingerbread with the classic tiramisu flavors. So yummy!