Go Back

Chocolate Hazelnut Tiramisu

One of my favorite desserts is Tiramisu, and today we are making it even better with more chocolate, and toasty hazelnuts. Delicate lady fingers soaked in coffee and hazelnut liqueur are layered between creamy layers of Nutella mascarpone filling and crunchy toasted hazelnuts. Unlike your typical tiramisu, this one has no raw eggs, and loads more flavor. A perfect desert to make on a rainy day in.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 Slices
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup whole hazelnuts coarsely chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 egg yolks
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups cold heavy cream
  • ¾ cup Nutella
  • 16 oz (1 lb) mascarpone cheese softened to room temperature
  • 40 lady fingers
  • 2 cups strong brewed coffee at room temperature
  • ¼ cup hazelnut liqueur* I used Frangelico
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder for topping

Method
 

Start by toasting the hazelnuts
  1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly spread your chopped hazelnuts on top. Toast in the oven for 3 minutes, toss them around and bake for another 2 minutes. They should be slightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool while we make the rest of the tiramisu.
Make the custard base
  1. In a medium heat proof bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolks together until smooth and combined. Set aside. In a medium saucepan bring the milk and granulated sugar to a simmer, stirring frequently. Once simmering, slowly stream ½ cup of the warm milk into the eggs, whisking constantly. Then, stream in the rest of the milk, still stirring constantly. Add this mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat for around 3-5 minutes or until thick and creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into a small heatproof bowl and set aside. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before using in the filling.
Make the filling
  1. In a medium sized bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks using a hand held or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. You can also do this by hand but it will be a bit of an arm workout. Once whipped, stir in the Nutella until just combined and set aside. Try not to over-mix, we don’t want to deflate the cream!
  2. In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone with a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about 30 seconds. You don’t want it to be creamy, we’re just breaking down the clumps. Add in the slightly cooled custard from earlier and whisk to combine. Add half of the Nutella whipped cream and use a large spatula to fold it in. Add the rest of the whipped cream and fold it until just combined.
Assemble
  1. Pour the coffee into a large bowl and whisk in the hazelnut liqueur. Dip the lady fingers in the coffee mixture. Don’t let them sit in the coffee, but make sure they are fully soaked. Place half of them in an even layer on the bottom of a 9x13 inch rectangular baking dish. You may have to break some of them in half to fit, this is ok. Add half of the Nutella filling and spread it evenly on top. Sprinkle with most of the toasted hazelnuts (save a handful for topping). Layer the rest of the soaked lady fingers on top, and spread the remaining Nutella filling on the top of that in an even layer. Sift a layer of cocoa powder on top and sprinkle on some more hazelnuts. For best flavor and structure, let the tiramisu chill covered in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
  2. Tiramisu stays fresh for up to 4 days covered in the refrigerator.

Notes

Hazelnut Liqueur: If you want to, you can easily take this out. I like the extra hazelnut flavor it adds, but it is optional.