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This is by no means a traditional tiramisu! This rich, creamy, and alcohol-free matcha tiramisu recipe makes a delightful dessert that combines the best of two worlds: the classic Italian dessert of tiramisu with the unique flavor of matcha green tea. This gorgeous and equally delicious matcha tiramisu is a perfect dessert for any occasion.
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If you enjoy matcha desserts you should try matcha Portuguese egg tarts too!
Why You'll Love It
This matcha tiramisu is a creamy, rich, and easy-to-make dessert that is bursting with matcha flavor. Every layer has matcha infused to it. The mascarpone cheese has matcha powder mixed into it. The ladyfingers are dipped in matcha tea instead of coffee. But what makes this matcha tiramisu stand out is the decadent matcha custard sauce in between the ladyfinger cookies and mascarpone cream.
What Type of Matcha to Use for Tiramisu
There are different types of matcha for consumption. Culinary grade matcha is made from older leaves and produces a milder flavor that mixes well with other ingredients. Fortunately, culinary grade matcha powder is more affordable than other drinking matcha, such as ceremonial grade.
I like to use Ippodo Tea's Hatsu or Kan. Both flavors of these powders are mild and balanced, mixing well across a wide range of recipes, from cookies to lattes.
Ingredients
You will make three separate components to this matcha tiramisu versus the two needed for the traditional version.
- Egg Yolks
- Ladyfinger Cookies
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Milk
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Butter
- Matcha Powder
Substitutes
- Cornstarch: If you don't have cornstarch to thicken the custard, you can use flour. But flour doesn't thicken as much as cornstarch, so you'll need two tablespoons for one tablespoon of cornstarch.
- Ladyfinger Cookies: You can use graham crackers or store-bought angel food cake instead of ladyfingers for a different take on this green tea tiramisu. These will absorb the liquid similarly and maintain some structure to the layers.
Recipe Tips
- Room Temperature: Use room temperature eggs for a creamier, fluffier cream.
- Dip Quickly: When you dip both sides of the ladyfingers quickly in the matcha tea, you can maintain the structure of the cookie. This will create more defined layers in the tiramisu.
How to Make a Rich and Creamy Matcha Tiramisu
I'll save the details for the recipe card but here are the phases of the process.
- Make the matcha custard.
- Make the matcha cream for layering.
- Make the matcha tea.
- Assemble the tiramisu by creating layers.
- Let it sit in the fridge for at least six hours.
How to Serve
After you've given the tiramisu time to set in the fridge you can either slice or scoop out the servings. The matcha powder topping would have darkened over the time in the fridge. You can add more matcha powder on top before serving it up.
Green Tea Tiramisu Variations
Since this is already a variation of tiramisu, there isn't much to change in this particular recipe. However, if you find the matcha too strong, here are some adjustments you can do.
- Keep Layers Plain: You don't have to add matcha to all the layers if the taste is too strong for you. You can also leave the matcha out of the cream and you would end up with more contrasting colors.
- Use Coffee: If you enjoy matcha lattes and like the taste of espresso. You can dip the ladyfingers in coffee instead of matcha tea.
Frequently Asked Questions
There isn't one! They are two words for the same crispy sponge cookie. If you're looking for an authentic Italian biscuit, you can look for packages that have the word "savoiardi" on them. It is the Italian word for ladyfinger.
Italian tiramisu uses raw egg yolks and egg whites. What's great about Italian tiramisu is that the whole egg is needed. For American style, the recipe only requires the egg yolks and you have to cook them via double-boiler to a specific temperature.
Rich and Creamy Matcha (Green Tea) Tiramisu
Disclosure
The equipment and ingredients sections contain affiliate links to products I love to use as well as items that I personally believe make this recipe the best version of itself.
Ingredients
Matcha Custard
- 4 large egg yolks
- 70 grams granulated white sugar
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 320 ml milk
- 32 grams unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoon matcha powder
Matcha Cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
- 70 grams granulated white sugar separated
- 227 grams mascarpone cheese
- 360 ml heavy whipping cream
Dipped Cookies
- 177 ml water heated to 65°C (150℉)
- 1½ tablespoon matcha powder
Other
- 24 ladyfinger cookies (or more depending on container)
- matcha powder for dusting
Instructions
Make Matcha Custard
- Add egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch to a bowl. Mix everything until the batter is light and fluffy.
- Heat the milk in a saucepan on low heat. When it begins to steam remove it from the heat. Whisk some of the milk into the egg mixture to temper it. Add some more milk and mix again. Repeat this step until you use all the milk.
- Pour the combined mixture back into the pot and place on low heat. Begin stirring with a whisk and keep stirring as the batter thickens - this will take about 8 mins. The mixture will thicken and you'll feel a little resistance as you stir. Keep stirring until you get the texture of a pudding and remove the pot from the heat.
- Pour the custard into a bowl and cover the custard with cling wrap. Make sure the cling wrap is touching the surface of the custard so that it doesn't develop a hard film. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 mins to an hour.
- Melt the butter in the microwave and add the matcha powder. Stir with a whisk to incorporate the matcha.
- When the custard is ready, add the matcha butter and whisk vigorously to incorporate the ingredients. Keep mixing until the texture is smooth and slightly liquidity - it should be pourable. Set aside.
Make Matcha Cream
- In a heatproof glass mixing bowl, mix 3 tablespoon of sugar and egg yolks together until light and fluffy. Create a double boiler by taking a saucepan that can fit the bottom of your glass bowl and fill it with water. Bring the water to a boil and place the glass mixing bowl on top. Use a whisk to keep mixing as you cook the eggs above the boiling water. It will start changing to a lighter color, get thicker, and the texture should be smooth - about 8-10 mins. Remove from the heat, pour into a smaller bowl, and set it aside let cool.
- In a separate bowl, add heavy whipping cream, the rest of the sugar, and matcha powder. Beat together until stiff peaks form. While you beat the heavy whipping cream you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl to fully incorporate the matcha powder. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, add the mascarpone cheese and fold the egg yolk mix gently into the mascarpone. Then fold in the whipped cream. Set aside.
Assemble the Tiramisu
- Make the Tea: Heat the water to 65℃ or 150℉. Add matcha powder to a shallow bowl and mix together with the hot water. Get a container ready and create a station with the bowl of matcha cream, matcha custard, matcha tea, and ladyfinger cookies in front of you and close to the container.
- Quickly dip a ladyfinger cookie into the matcha tea (both sides) and place it into the container. Repeat this step until you have created a layer of cookies.
- Pour half of the matcha custard on top of the cookies and make it smooth. Add half of the matcha cream on top and carefully spread it across the container.
- Gently tap the container on the countertop to allow the ingredients to settle. Add the second layer of dipped cookies, the rest of the custard, then the rest of the match cream.
- Make a smooth surface and dust with more matcha powder. Cover and place the matcha tiramisu in the fridge for at least six hours before serving.
Nutrition
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Tofu says
Love love LOVE!!!! I am a fanatic for light and fluffy desserts and drink matcha daily. This recipe was a little more complicated than I expected but it paid off in the end! Thank you for this one 😋💗
Joanne says
I'm so glad you like it! I made the recipe to make sure the matcha flavor shines through. It IS a lot of work, but so worth it!