Last updated on December 7th, 2025
Kids love tiramisù – it’s creamy, sweet and just what everyone needs… including our little ones.
It’s a perfect little pick me up! But we don’t want to pick them up too much with all that caffeine.
I always used to make tiramisù for my kids with decaffeinated coffee until I learned a precious trick from another Italian mother.
In this article, I will share my kid-friendly tiramisù recipe made without coffee or alcohol. Instead, I am using milk – an everyday staple ingredient that you probably already have in your fridge.
Bonus: If you like raspberries, I have a second way to really make it colorful and special.
So the next time you need an Italian dessert for a kid’s event, party or to make on a rainy day, look no further than this kid-friendly tiramisù recipe.
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What Is Kid-Friendly Tiramisù?
Kid-friendly tiramisù is made in the same way as a regular tiramisù recipe, but it’s made without coffee and alcohol. Instead, lady fingers are quickly dipped in milk before being layered with cocoa powder and mascarpone cream.
For kids who like raspberries, you can either add a bit of raspberry jam or crushed fresh raspberries to the mascarpone cream, making it extra decadent! This turned the white mascarpone cream into a light pink color.
Should you be looking for an authentic recipe for regular tiramisù, don’t miss Authentic Italian Tiramisù Recipe – The Only One You’ll Ever Need (+ Tips).
Ingredients For Kid-Friendly Tiramisù
Eggs
You will need five large eggs. Note that this recipe contains raw eggs, which may not be appropriate for pregnant women.
Mascarpone Cheese
To make the mascarpone cream mixture, you will need 17.5 oz (500 g) mascarpone cheese.
Lady Finger Cookies
The amount of lady fingers you will need will depend on the size of your pan but generally speaking, about 14-18 oz (400-500 g) will do. You might have to look in a couple of different grocery stores to find these but Amazon stocks various brands such as these.
Other Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 generous cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting between the layers
- ½ cup raspberry jam or crushed raspberries, optional
How To Make Kid-Friendly Tiramisù
Place the milk in a shallow bowl or dish in which you can easily dip the lady finger cookies. Add the vanilla extract and set aside.
Divide the egg yolks and the egg whites. With a whisk, an electric mixer or stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until they have turned pale yellow in color and are fluffy. The sugar granules should be completely dissolved. This should take a couple of minutes. Add the mascarpone cheese and continue to mix until it’s completely combined.
In another bowl whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold them into the mascarpone cream mixture, being sure not to deflate your egg whites. If you are using the raspberry jam or crushed raspberries, gently fold them in as well.
In a large shallow casserole-style dish spoon out just a few tablespoons of the mascarpone cream and spread it evenly. This is important as it will keep the entire dessert from sticking to the bottom.
Quickly dunk the ladyfingers into the milk (don’t let them sit in the milk or they will fall apart – just a dunk on both sides will do) and layer them over the mascarpone cream, side by side, being careful not to overlap the cookies.
Cover the ladyfingers with about half the mascarpone cream and sprinkle a light layer of cocoa powder.
Make another layer of ladyfingers and the remaining cream in this fashion, finishing with a dusting of cocoa powder. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, preferably longer and up to 48 hours before serving.
Notes and Tips For Making Kid-Friendly Tiramisù
The most important thing to keep in mind when making any type of tiramisù recipe is that the lady fingers shouldn’t soak in the milk or coffee. Rather, they should just quickly be dunked before layering to avoid a soggy cake.
If your pan or glasses don’t accommodate the exact size of your lady fingers, break them into small pieces, being sure to cover each layer evenly with the dipped cookies. `
If you are looking to make this dessert in advance, it works very well and can be done so up to 48 hours in advance.
Kid-Friendly Tiramisù Substitutions And Variations
For a chocolatey crunch, you can add mini chocolate chips or chop up some dark chocolate and add a small handful with the cocoa powder after the mascarpone cream.
Instead of using a large casserole dish, feel free to make individual tirmasù servings in small glasses or ramikens. In this case, you may have to break up the cookies into smaller pieces when assembling and make another layer, should the glasses be tall and narrow.
How To Serve Kid-Friendly Tiramisù
Serve this kid-friendly tiramisù as a dessert or as an afternoon snack. If you like, you can serve it with fresh seasonal fruit such as raspberries, blueberries or strawberries.
How To Store Kid-Friendly Tiramisù
Kid-Friendly tiramisù can be stored covered well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days after preparing.
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Tiramisù and Kid-Friendly Tiramisù (make these when you’re back home!)
Kid-Friendy Tiramisù (No Coffee or Alcohol)
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs
- 17.5 oz mascarpone cheese (500 g)
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 generous cup whole milk
- 14-18 oz lady fingers cookies about 40-50, depending on your pan size (400-500 g)
- unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting between the layers
Instructions
- Place the milk in a shallow bowl or dish in which you can easily dip the lady finger cookies. Add the vanilla extract and set aside.
- Divide the egg yolks and the egg whites. With a whisk, an electric mixer or stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until they have turned pale yellow in color and are fluffy. The sugar granules should be completely dissolved. This should take a couple of minutes.
- Add the mascarpone cheese and continue to mix until it’s completely combined.
- In another bowl whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold them into the mascarpone cream mixture, being sure not to deflate your egg whites. If you are using the raspberry jam or crushed raspberries, gently fold them in as well.
- In a large shallow casserole-style dish spoon out just a few tablespoons of the mascarpone cream and spread it evenly. This is important as it will keep the entire dessert from sticking to the bottom.
- Quickly dunk the ladyfingers into the milk (don’t let them sit in the milk or they will fall apart – just a dunk on both sides will do) and layer them over the mascarpone cream, side by side, being careful not to overlap the cookies
- Cover the ladyfingers with about half the mascarpone cream.
- Sprinkle a light layer of cocoa powder.
- Make another layer of ladyfingers and the remaining cream in this fashion, finishing with a dusting of cocoa powder.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, preferably longer and up to 48 hours before serving.
Notes
The most important thing to keep in mind when making any type of tiramisù recipe is that the lady fingers shouldn’t soak in the milk or coffee. Rather, they should just quickly be dunked before layering to avoid a soggy cake. If your pan or glasses don’t accommodate the exact size of your lady fingers, break them into small pieces, being sure to cover each layer evenly with the dipped cookies. If you are looking to make this dessert in advance, it works very well and can be done so up to 48 hours in advance. For a chocolatey crunch, you can add mini chocolate chips or chop up some dark chocolate and add a small handful with the cocoa powder after the mascarpone cream. Instead of using a large casserole dish, feel free to make individual tirmasù servings in small glasses or ramikens. In this case, you may have to break up the cookies into smaller pieces when assembling and make another layer, should the glasses be tall and narrow.
