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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Tiramisu (for Two!)

    Published: Jan 21, 2018 · Last modified: Apr 6, 2022 by Leslie Kiszka / This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    4.1 from 10 votes
    Tiramisu for Two
    Tiramisu for Two: Creamy, rich layers bursting with the flavors of espresso and liqueur - made especially for two! The perfect romantic Valentine's Day dessert! | stressbaking.com #valentinesday #tiramisu #dessert #trifle

    Classic tiramisu, made for two! Creamy, rich layers bursting with the flavors of espresso and liqueur. The perfect romantic Valentine’s Day dessert! 

    Two trifle dishes full of tiramisu decorated with red heart sprinkles

    Ah, Valentine’s Day. American commercialism at its best.

    Don’t get me wrong – I think it’s nice that people are a little extra nice and loving to each other on that day, but I just have to laugh every time I see people walking out of stores with ten foot tall teddy bears and $100 bouquets of chocolate roses wrapped in shiny red paper. It’s just so much.

    Mind you, I’m not a romantic person, so all the Valentine’s Day hooplah is sort of out of my realm of understanding. 

    A trifle jar full of tiramisu on a white plate

    Last year, Bill and I spent Valentine’s Day in a lovely Maine inn where we got snowed in during a storm and enjoyed wonderful meals and massages. We didn’t do it as a Valentine’s Day trip, the timing just ended up overlapping.

    This year we have nothing planned, and quite frankly during winter in New England… it’s best not to make plans. Mother Nature will always find a way to rearrange your plans for you by way of blizzards.

    She’s nice like that.

    A trifle dish of tiramisu with a coating of cocoa powder on top

    If you celebrate anywhere that gets weather-y this time of year, I highly recommend going to the store a few days before and picking up the fixings for a lovely, romantic dinner at home.

    Maybe to you that means steak and wine, or maybe that means making mac and cheese that’s not out of a blue box. I don’t judge, because frankly the latter sounds amazing. 

    Two trifle dishes of tiramisu with a coating of cocoa powder on top and heart sprinkles

    May I suggest splurging a little on dessert? Given the option of spending a little bit more time and money on appetizer, dinner, drinks or dessert…. I always choose dessert. 

    Tiramisu is a classic dessert that also has liquor in it, so really you’re splurging on dessert and drinks. Multitasking FTW. But the thing with tiramisu is that you usually make a big ol’ pan of it, and that’s just entirely too much for two people.

    Thankfully, tiramisu is something that seems to just get even better over time as the ladyfingers soak up the liquor and the layers kinda meld together – so if you wanted to make a big pan of it, the leftovers would still be fabulous.

    But personally, I only want to indulge in this particular dessert every once in a while. That keeps it a special treat!

    Two trifle dishes of tiramisu with a coating of cocoa powder on top and heart sprinkles

    As for the choice of liquor, I like to soak my ladyfingers in a combination of brandy and orange liqueur.

    … that sounds dirty, but it’s not. I swear. 

    Heart sprinkles on a marble counter

    Since we’re making tiramisu for two, why not give it a special touch? Add a little heart sprinkle (aff link) on top for the perfect little “I love you” without the life-sized stuffed animals or singing telegrams.

    Closeup of a heart sprinkle on top of a trifle jar of tiramisu topped with cocoa powder

    See? Isn’t that adorable?

    Of course it is. 

    Two trifle dishes of tiramisu with a coating of cocoa powder on top and heart sprinkles

    Make sure you don’t add a giant pile of the cocoa/espresso powder mix to the top, otherwise you’ll be choking it down, and two people violently coughing and drinking water straight out of the faucet isn’t sweet. Or romantic.

    I added a bit extra for these pictures so you could really see it, but you only want a light dusting.

    A spoonful of tiramisu

    I really hope you love this as much as I do. Depending on your tolerance for booze and sweets, you might even find that these portions are too much for one sitting so you can just cover it with plastic wrap and finish it tomorrow – and that’s okay. I still love you. 

    Closeup of a heart sprinkle on top of a trifle jar of tiramisu topped with cocoa powder

    After you’ve made this recipe, please consider coming back to share your experience with others by leaving a comment below with a star rating!

    Tiramisu for Two: Creamy, rich layers bursting with the flavors of espresso and liqueur - made especially for two! The perfect romantic Valentine's Day dessert! | stressbaking.com #valentinesday #tiramisu #dessert #trifle

    Tiramisu (for Two!)

    4.1 from 10 votes
    Classic tiramisu, made for two! Creamy, rich layers bursting with the flavors of espresso and liqueur. The perfect romantic Valentine's Day dessert!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 15 minutes
    Servings 2 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 individual trifle bowls
    • 2 eggs, room temperature and separated
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
    • 6 ladyfingers
    • 3 ounces brandy or orange liqueur, or mix of both, my personal preference
    • 3 ounces brewed espresso
    • 1 ounce chocolate, grated
    • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder + ½ teaspoon espresso powder, sifted together
    • Heart sprinkles, for garnish (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Slice each ladyfinger into three equally-sized pieces. Set aside.
    • In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl, beat together egg yolks and sugar together until combined.
    • For each of the 2 trifle bowls:
      Add mascarpone to bowl of egg yolk mixture and beat to combine. Fold in egg whites until just combined and no white streaks remain. Divide equally between two small bowls.
    • Arrange one of the sliced ladyfingers in a single layer in the bottom of trifle dish. Pour 1 tablespoon of liqueur over ladyfingers (you want to coat them so they soak it up). Now pour 1 tablespoon espresso over them as well.
    • From one of your divided mascarpone mixtures, cover the ladyfingers with ⅓ of the mixture. Top with ½ tablespoon grated chocolate and ½ tablespoon cocoa/espresso powder mixture.
    • Repeat steps #5 and 6 twice more to form three layers in total.
    • Serve immediately, or let set in fridge for up to 5 days (covered with plastic wrap) before serving. Enjoy!

    Notes

    I use 10 ounce trifle bowls similar to these, so you may need to adjust the number of layers depending on the size of the serving bowls you're using.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 670kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 293mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 1215IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 3mg
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Italian
    Author Leslie Kiszka
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hannah

      April 02, 2021 at 10:28 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious!! Would make again

      Reply
      • Leslie Kiszka

        April 04, 2021 at 1:41 pm

        So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    2. JEG

      January 19, 2021 at 8:24 am

      We don’t like to eat out for any of the Hallmark greeting card holidays. I would prefer to eat out a different day and then on those days try to replicate it or make something special at home in a quiet relaxed atmosphere. And my birthday is the next day anyway. This recipe I am going to try out this year. For 2 creations are the best. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Leslie Kiszka

        January 21, 2021 at 9:11 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed the small batch recipes!

        Reply
    3. Amy

      February 09, 2019 at 8:31 pm

      5 stars
      This dessert is good any day, not just for Valentine’s Day right? Small batch also great :)

      Reply
    4. Mackenzie

      January 29, 2018 at 4:27 am

      We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s day in the traditional sense – we treat it more like a food holiday than a consumer holiday. We always trade off making a different part of the meal for the other person and put a little extra love into it. This may be what I have to make this year!

      Reply
    5. babylovesberry

      January 29, 2018 at 2:10 am

      I share your feelings about Valentines… stores are making so much money by selling pinkish teddy bearish stuff that is not even funny ! But hey, people love it so I guess it makes sense :)

      Reply
    6. Jordan

      January 28, 2018 at 4:55 pm

      I love tiramisu! I’ve never tried making it at home before. Maybe this V-Day!

      Reply
    7. Rachel

      January 28, 2018 at 4:05 pm

      My husband are planning on staying in this Valentine’s Day. This recipe would be perfect as we are both chocolate and coffee lovers!

      Reply
    8. alifeofhappenstance

      January 28, 2018 at 3:27 pm

      My husband and I don’t do anything extra special for Valentines Day either. I always feel like dinner at a restaurant on that day ends up being a little dissapointing because it’s SO busy and the food just isn’t as good when they’re rushing it out. Dinner at home and an indulgent dessert like this adorable tiramisu is right up my alley!

      Reply
    9. Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery

      January 28, 2018 at 12:00 pm

      Those heart sprinkles are adorable!! Love putting tiramisu in individual trifle bowls – I always make a big pan, but the presentation on these is spot on. What a great idea for a big dinner party, too.

      Reply
    10. Tina

      January 28, 2018 at 10:09 am

      I enjoyed your take on Valentines Day. I always say that when you are in love, everyday is Valentines Day. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    11. lauren

      January 27, 2018 at 11:50 pm

      Girl, I am with you! It’s so funny, I’m SO not into Valentines Day but my husband is all over it. I’m over here like “I got you a card” and he shows up with flowers and a new hand mixer. (True life, this happened last year.) ANYWAYS, this tiramisu is perfect because that’s his favorite dessert. Maybe, since I really love him, I’ll let him eat mine too. But probably not.

      Reply
      • Leslie Haasch

        January 28, 2018 at 9:23 am

        Girl, sharing’s overrated.

        Reply
      • JEG

        January 19, 2021 at 8:19 am

        @Leslie Haasch, Love the hand mixer–better than a lot of the stuff. It then helps to make this tiramisu–which is now on my menu for THIS year.

        Reply
        • Leslie Kiszka

          January 21, 2021 at 9:12 am

          Awesome!

    12. Jenni LeBaron

      January 27, 2018 at 5:58 pm

      I love tiramisu and the fact that this is a small enough portion for two makes it that much better. I find that when making recipes for specialty desserts that they make more than we can eat and then I end up wasting half the batch. Thanks for the great alternative!

      Reply
      • Leslie Haasch

        January 28, 2018 at 9:23 am

        You’re very welcome!

        Reply
    13. Meymi-Pastry and Beyond

      January 27, 2018 at 5:03 pm

      They look so delicious! I love tiramisu. What a great presentation for Valentine’s day!

      Reply
      • Leslie Haasch

        January 28, 2018 at 9:24 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
    14. Paige

      January 27, 2018 at 2:17 pm

      Love that this makes just two…perfect! It looks sinful and I wish i was eating it right now!

      Reply
      • Leslie Haasch

        January 28, 2018 at 9:24 am

        Me too! haha

        Reply
    15. Dominique| Perchance to Cook

      January 26, 2018 at 3:14 pm

      These are so cute! I looooove tiramisu but sometimes you don’t want such a big portion of it! This tiramisu for two is perfect, especially for Valentine’s Day!

      Reply
      • Leslie Haasch

        January 28, 2018 at 9:24 am

        I definitely think so, too!

        Reply
    16. issa

      January 26, 2018 at 2:29 am

      delicious

      Reply
    17. Sarah @ Champagne Tastes

      January 22, 2018 at 9:09 pm

      I never celebrate Valentine’s Day either- I don’t care for the origins of the holiday. BUT I do love tiramisu, and brandy and orange liqueur sounds like an amazing combination! And you’re right- I usually end up giving away tiramisu after a make a whole batch (but no one seems to mind the gift hahaha!) I’ll have to try this next time!

      Reply
      • Leslie Haasch

        January 28, 2018 at 9:25 am

        Valentine’s Day or not, small batch FTW!

        Reply
    18. Kate

      January 22, 2018 at 10:34 am

      My husband and I don’t tend to do anything too special for Valentine’s Day, but if Ican use it as an excuse to make these, sign me up! :)

      Reply

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