Protein Tiramisu Cups
Tiramisu in four small glasses, no raw eggs and no espresso machine. The soaking coffee is made from the protein powder itself, which is what gets 13g of protein into a dessert.
You'll Need
- 4 small glasses or ramekins
- Mixing bowl
- Hand whisk or electric beaters
- Shallow dish for soaking
- Fine sieve for dusting
Ingredients
- ✓2 scoops Original Protein Coffee (one 40g serving)
- ✓1/2 cup hot water
- ✓3 oz mascarpone, at room temperature
- ✓1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
- ✓2 tbsp maple syrup
- ✓1 tsp vanilla extract
- ✓8 ladyfinger biscuits (savoiardi)
- ✓Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
Instructions
- 1Stir the two scoops of Original Protein Coffee into a couple of tablespoons of the hot water until you have a smooth paste, then add the rest of the water. Set it aside to cool completely - about 15 minutes. Hot liquid will turn the ladyfingers to mush.
- 2Beat the mascarpone on its own for 20 seconds until it loosens. Cold mascarpone splits when you add yogurt to it, so let it come to room temperature first.
- 3Fold in the Greek yogurt, maple syrup and vanilla. Stop as soon as it is smooth - overworking mascarpone makes it grainy and there is no coming back from that.
- 4Snap the ladyfingers to fit your glasses. Dip each piece in the cooled protein coffee for one second per side, no longer, and lay them in the bottom of the glasses.
- 5Spoon half the cream mixture over the biscuits. Add a second layer of dipped ladyfingers, then the rest of the cream.
- 6Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Dust generously with cocoa through a sieve just before serving, never before chilling - the cocoa goes damp and patchy if it sits.
Classic tiramisu has two problems if you are trying to eat well: raw egg yolks, and a mascarpone-to-everything-else ratio that puts a single serving north of 400 calories. This version fixes both without pretending to be something it is not.
The trick is that the soaking liquid does double duty. Instead of brewing espresso and then adding protein separately, you make up Original Protein Coffee as a strong drink and soak the ladyfingers in that. The protein goes into the part of the dessert that is usually just flavoured water.
Original is the right flavour here because tiramisu is supposed to taste of coffee and cream and nothing else. A vanilla or mocha powder would muddy it.
Nutrition Per Serving
| Serving size | 1 cup (1/4 of recipe) |
| Calories | 285 |
| Protein | 13g |
| Total carbohydrate | 23g |
| Total sugars | 13g |
| Added sugar | 10g |
| Total fat | 15g |
| Sodium | 75mg |
Why This Works
Traditional tiramisu gets its lightness from raw egg yolks whipped with sugar. Whole-milk Greek yogurt does the same job differently - it is already aerated, already tangy, and it thins the mascarpone enough to spoon without adding the fat of a second block of cheese. It also drags the protein figure up from around 3g a serving to 13g.
The one-second dip is the whole technique. Ladyfingers are dry sponge and they keep absorbing after you have put them down, so anything longer than a second per side gives you a soggy base by hour four. If you have only ever had disappointing homemade tiramisu, this is almost certainly why.
Using made-up Original Protein Coffee as the soak rather than brewed espresso means the liquid the biscuits drink is carrying protein instead of just flavour. It is also why these need no separate coffee brewing at all - the arabica instant is already in the powder.
Tips From Our Kitchen
- Make these the night before. Tiramisu genuinely improves overnight as the biscuit and cream layers merge.
- Dust the cocoa immediately before serving, not before chilling. Cocoa absorbs moisture and goes blotchy.
- Room-temperature mascarpone, always. Straight from the fridge it will split and go grainy.
- Clear glasses are worth it here - the layers are most of the appeal.
- If the cream feels too loose to layer, chill the bowl for 15 minutes before assembling.
Swaps & Variations
- No mascarpone: use full-fat cream cheese, beaten well. Slightly tangier but it holds better.
- Gluten-free: gluten-free ladyfingers exist, or use slices of GF sponge cake.
- No maple: honey works, or leave it out entirely if you want a properly bitter Italian-style version.
- Boozy: 1 tablespoon of marsala or dark rum stirred into the cooled coffee soak.
- Mocha version: Mocha Protein Coffee in place of Original makes a chocolate tiramisu.
Common Questions
Is there raw egg in this tiramisu?
No. Whole-milk Greek yogurt replaces the raw egg yolks entirely, which also removes the food safety question and adds protein.
Do I need an espresso machine?
No. The soaking liquid is Original Protein Coffee made up with hot water - the arabica instant coffee is already in the powder. Let it cool fully before dipping.
How long do these keep?
Three days covered in the fridge. They are better on day two than day one. Do not freeze them - the mascarpone splits on thawing.
Why did my ladyfingers go to mush?
Dipped too long, or dipped in warm liquid. One second per side in fully cooled coffee is all they need.
How much protein is in each cup?
13g, compared to roughly 4g in a classic tiramisu of the same size.
Original Protein Coffee
Just coffee and 22g of protein. Nothing else. No flavoring at all. Real arabica with 22g of grass-fed whey protein and 4.5g of BCAAs to support muscle recovery and keep you full, plus organic adaptogens and a pre and ...
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