Pumpkin Coffee Tiramisu

Tiramisu was created by coffee loving Italians, as a “pick-me-up” in the afternoon. Between the sugar and caffeine, it is sure to give you a jolt with the creamy custard and coffee soaked ladyfinger cookies. While the dessert is traditionally made with leftover espresso, any of our Charleston Coffee Roasters coffees will work perfectly in this recipe.

Besides coffee and ladyfingers, one of the traditional ingredients in tiramisu is mascarpone cream. Mascarpone is similar to plain cream cheese, but it is not as tangy or as thick. When combined with the thickened egg yolks and whipped cream, it creates a custard that is the perfect blend of sweet tart creaminess.

To give this recipe a bit of extra flavor, we added pumpkin pie spices and pumpkin puree to the custard. But you can change up these spices depending on the season (or even just omit them) to make this a truly year-round dessert favorite.

• Use a double boiler to make the egg custard. Whisk continuously until the mixture falls in ribbons.
• Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture. Do not overmix!
• Dip the ladyfingers into the coffee. Make sure they absorb some of the coffee, but don’t let them sit too long in the coffee or else they will get mushy.
• A sprinkle of ground coffee and pumpkin pie spice is a pretty and tasty garnish.

Pumpkin Spice Tiramisu

4 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
4 ounces pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
2 cups cold Kiawah blend coffee
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (optional)
20-24 crisp ladyfingers (Savoirdi cookies)
Finely ground coffee beans, for garnish

1. Place the egg yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler. Place over simmering water and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is pale and thickened. Remove from the heat.
2. Add the mascarpone, pumpkin puree and spices. Whisk until smooth.
3. Working in thirds, fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.
4. Place the cold espresso and coffee liqueur in a small bowl. Working one at a time, dip half of the ladyfingers into the mixture for about 5 seconds. Place in the bottom of the serving dish.
5. Cover with half of the mascarpone mixture.
6. Repeat with the remaining ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture.
7. Sprinkle with finely-ground coffee.
8. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.