Tiramisu Brownies

Tiramisu brownies from scratch with rich, fudgy espresso brownies, coffee-soaked ladyfingers, and fluffy mascarpone frosting flavored with LorAnn® Better Than Extracts™ Rum Bakery Emulsion to deepen the coffee and chocolate notes. LorAnn Vanilla Bean Paste adds rich vanilla flavor to every layer. Combining the best of brownies and classic tiramisu, this decadent dessert delivers all the flavors of traditional tiramisu with the irresistible texture of a brownie.

Ingredients

FOR VANILLA BEAN ESPRESSO BROWNIE BASE:
225 g (1 cup / 2 sticks) salted butter
200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (70% cacao), finely chopped
2 shots of espresso (about 60 g / 2 oz), pulled hot
40 g (½ cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder
400 g (2 cups) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons espresso powder
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons LorAnn Reserve Natural Organic Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste
130 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon fine salt
FOR HOMEMADE VANILLA BEAN LADYFINGERS:
4 large eggs, separated, room temperature
100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon LorAnn Reserve Natural Organic Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste
90 g (¾ cup) cake flour, sifted
Pinch of fine salt
Powdered sugar, for dusting
FOR COFFEE SOAK:
240 g (1 cup) strong brewed coffee or espresso, warm
30 g (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (optional)
FOR MASCARPONE FROSTING:
454 g (16 oz) cold mascarpone
300 g (1 ¼ cups) heavy cream, very cold
360 g (3 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons LorAnn Reserve Natural Organic Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste
90 g (¾ cup) cake flour, sifted
2 teaspoons LorAnn Rum Bakery Emulsion
Pinch of fine salt
Dutch process cocoa powder, for dusting

Recipe PDF

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Directions

FOR VANILLA BEAN ESPRESSO BROWNIE BASE:

Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease and line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on both long sides. You will use this overhang to lift the whole thing out cleanly when it is time to slice.

Pull 2 shots of espresso and keep them hot. No espresso machine? Dissolve 2 teaspoons of espresso powder in 2 oz of very hot water. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, melt the butter (225 g) and chopped chocolate (200 g) together, stirring constantly until completely smooth and glossy. Remove from heat.

Pour the hot espresso into the chocolate mixture and stir vigorously for 30 seconds until fully absorbed. Work quickly and keep stirring. The liquid needs to be fully incorporated before you add the cocoa. This is what prevents seizing and sets up the bloom.

While the mixture is still hot, add all of the cocoa powder (40 g) at once. Whisk firmly for about 60 seconds until completely smooth. You will see the batter deepen in color and the smell will intensify. That is the bloom working. Set the pan aside and let the mixture cool for 8 to 10 minutes. It should feel warm, not hot, before the eggs go in.

Whisk in the sugar (400 g) and espresso powder (2 tsp) until combined. The batter will look grainy and dull at this point. That is completely normal.

Add the eggs one at a time (4 large), whisking well after each one. After the last egg, keep whisking for a full 60 seconds. Watch the batter go from grainy to smooth, glossy, and thick. That transformation is exactly what you are looking for. Stir in the LorAnn Oils Vanilla Bean Paste (2 tsp).

Switch to a rubber spatula. Add the flour (130 g) and salt (½ tsp) all at once. Fold with slow, deliberate strokes, scraping along the bottom of the pan each time. Stop the moment no dry streaks remain. Overmixing here is the enemy of fudgy brownies.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Tap the pan firmly on the counter two or three times to settle everything into the corners.

Bake for 28 to 32 minutes. The edges will be set and just starting to pull away from the pan. The center should look barely done, not wet but not fully matte either. Test with a toothpick inserted 2 inches from the edge: moist fudgy crumbs mean perfect, wet batter means underdone, and a clean toothpick means overbaked. Pull them out a little earlier than you think you need to.

Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, at least 1 hour and ideally 2. The brownie firms up significantly as it cools. Do not rush this step.

FOR VANILLA BEAN LADYFINGERS:

Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and fit a piping bag with a ½-inch round tip.

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks with half the sugar (50 g) on high speed until very pale, thick, and falling in ribbons, about 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in the LorAnn Oils Vanilla Bean Paste (1 tsp).

In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar (50 g) and whip to stiff, glossy peaks.

Fold one-third of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it, then fold in the rest in two additions. Be gentle here. Deflating the batter now means flat ladyfingers.

Sift the cake flour (90 g) over the batter and fold gently until just combined.

Transfer to the piping bag and pipe 3-inch fingers onto the baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart. Pipe them tall and rounded rather than flat. Dust generously with powdered sugar, wait 5 minutes, then dust again. This double layer creates a thin crust that keeps them from going soggy.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. They should feel firm and slightly dry all the way through when cool. Cool completely on the pan, then freeze for 30 to 60 minutes before assembling.

FOR COFFEE SOAK:

Stir the sugar (30 g) into the warm coffee until fully dissolved. Add the coffee liqueur if using. Set aside and let it cool completely before using.

FOR MASCARPONE FROSTING:

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the cold mascarpone (454 g) on medium speed just until smooth, about 30 seconds. Do not overwhip at this stage.

With the mixer running on low, slowly stream in the cold heavy cream (300 g) and increase to medium-high. Whip until soft peaks form.

Add the sifted powdered sugar (360 g), LorAnn Oils Vanilla Bean Paste (2 tsp), LorAnn Oils Rum Emulsion (2 tsp), and a pinch of salt. Whip until medium peaks form and stop there. The line between perfect and overwhipped mascarpone is thin, and overwhipped means grainy and weepy.

ASSEMBLY:

Using a pastry brush, brush the cooled brownie layer generously with the coffee soak. Do not hold back. Let it sit for 5 minutes so the brownie fully drinks it in.

Remove the ladyfingers from the freezer. Brush each one with the coffee soak using the pastry brush rather than dipping them. Arrange in a single snug layer over the brownie.

Spread the mascarpone frosting over the ladyfinger layer in an even, generous layer. Smooth the top as flat as possible.

Refrigerate overnight, a minimum of 8 hours. This is the step you cannot skip. The layers need time to set, bond, and become sliceable. Overnight is where the magic happens.

When ready to serve, run a sharp knife under very hot water and dry it completely. Score the top into portions, then cut all the way through. Wipe and reheat the knife between every single cut.

Lift each piece out with a thin offset spatula.

Dust each slice individually with cocoa powder through a fine-mesh sieve right before serving. Dusting after slicing keeps the edges clean and the top pristine.