Tiramisu Sundae

The beloved coffee-soaked Italian tiramisu dessert gets the frozen treatment in this Tiramisu Sundae, which features layers of tangy mascarpone-flavored whipped cream, coffee ice cream, crushed-up crunchy crumbles of store-bought ladyfingers, cooled espresso, and cocoa powder. 

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Incorporating mascarpone into the whipped cream not only adds a tart flavor (making it a great contrast to the sweet ice cream), but it also thickens and stabilizes the fluffy topping. The mascarpone whipped cream is easily doubled or tripled, and it can be made up to 2 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the sundaes. When whisking the mascarpone with the heavy cream, use a gentle hand to prevent overwhipping, which can cause the tiramisu dessert to become lumpy rather than silky-smooth. 

Just like in the namesake Italian dessert, ladyfingers are key. Here, they’re crumbled and sprinkled between the layers of the sundae. Look for crunchy ladyfingers rather than soft and spongy ones. The crispy cookies will absorb the cooled espresso and melting ice cream but still retain a little crunch. Between the layers, Food & Wine food editor Paige Granjean recommends Dutch-process (alkalized) cocoa powder for its rich, dark color and mellow taste, but you can also use more acidic natural cocoa powder, if that’s what you have. (It’ll be just as delicious.) 

Classic coffee ice cream is delicious here, but feel free to experiment and make this sundae your own.

The chocolate-hazelnut-filled rolled wafer cookie is a fun, crunchy garnish that looks like an edible straw. You can find these wafer cookies at most grocery stores and can serve any leftovers with coffee or tea.