A festive & easy Tiramisu recipe for kids from Four Seasons Budapest’s Gresham chef

Did you know that tiramisù means “pick me up” in Italian? Its rejuvenating powers surely come from the traditional ingredients—cocoa powder, espresso and liqueur—and the caffeine! Traditionally, it’s a layered dessert of spongy ladyfingers, dipped in coffee, in a puffy cloud of cocoa-flavored whipped mascarpone cheese.

Here, I’ve created a kid-friendly version (read: no alcohol and just a smidge of coffee) of this favorite treat. It’s a dessert my father and I used to make on Sundays, and it became a fun ritual for us to do together. No one knows just who invented Tiramisu, or when, but it seems to be a fairly recent creation, within the last 40 years from Italy.

Why an iconic Italian dessert in Hungary at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest? My inspiration came when we were creating a new menu for the hotel’s Gresham Restaurant that features Italian cuisine along with traditional Hungarian dishes.

Here’s how to create this simple, yummy and hands-on dessert (that gives kids plenty of opportunities to practice cracking and separating eggs!). Kids just love to make—and eat—Tiramisu.

Tiramisù for Kids

For the cream filling:

• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1¼ cups mascarpone cheese
• 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
• Cocoa powder, to garnish
• Chocolate flakes, to garnish

For the coffee sauce:

• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 1 tsp dried instant coffee, mixed with hot water (following the manufacturer’s instructions); allow to cool slightly until warm
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup white sugar

For the ladyfinger cookies:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 10 egg yolks
• 2 cups bread flour
• 8 egg whites

To garnish: cocoa powder, candies or fresh berries

To prepare the cream filling:

1. Mix the sugar with the egg yolks, using the light setting on the mixer.
2. Mix until creamy, then gently add the mascarpone cheese and cream. Do not over-mix.

To prepare the coffee sauce:

1. Add the vanilla bean and the instant coffee to the milk.
2. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat.
3. Combine the egg yolks with the sugar and add to the milk mixture. Return to the heat and cook until thickened, stirring often.

To prepare the ladyfinger cookies:

1. Mix the egg yolks and sugar together. Add the flour and combine.
2. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until fluffy (they should look like snow peaks) and gently incorporate into the mix.
3. Then, put the mixture into a frosting/piping bag. Pipe oblong ladyfinger shapes, or round circles, about three inches in length onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees F and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack.

To prepare the layered dessert:

Dip each ladyfinger quickly in the warm coffee (so not too soggy) and arrange at the bottom of a ceramic or glass bowl. Alternate layers of the cream and the ladyfingers using 2/3 of each amount per layer. The last layer should be the cream. Before serving, dust with a thin sprinkling of cocoa powder. Keep refrigerated at least three hours before serving in order to settle. Garnish with some chocolate flakes.

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