Easy Tiramisu Pancakes (No Eggs No Alcohol)

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These Easy Tiramisu Pancakes transform the popular Italian dessert into a breakfast-ready treat with less than half the time. Plus, this is a no eggs and no alcohol recipe, meaning that it is lower effort and enjoyable for the entire family.

I’m a sucker for a creamy dessert and for me, Tiramisu is right up there with crème brûlée and ice cream. Because I’ve never been a huge breakfast person, I’m always looking for ways to spice up the ‘most important meal of the day,’ without too much hassle. Enter these Easy Tiramisu Pancakes! Fluffy mascarpone cream and cocoa powder top thick espresso-dipped pancakes, which are stacked for layers of decadence. This dish is perfect for holidays like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas and Treat yo’ Self Sundays.

This recipe is EASY.

Traditional tiramisu usually requires several additional steps like pasteurizing and beating egg yolks into cream, flavoring espresso with some sort of alcohol (like brandy). And, the whole thing needs to sit for several hours to allow the flavors to incorporate. Who has time for all those extra steps in the morning? Not me.

What’s special about these Easy Tiramisu Pancakes is they take all the flavors from the classic recipe and leave behind the extra steps that transform this dish from ‘aspirational’ to achievable for the average home cook. For example, there are no eggs eggs or alcohol, and you get to have your coffee, and (literally) eat it, too, saving you precious time *wink*.

Full disclosure, this recipe is probably gonna make Italian nonnas roll over in their graves (getting dark here for a sec), but I assure you, the end result will be worth it.

What is Tiramisu?

Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert that’s traditionally made with layers of espresso-soaked lady finger cookies that lie between pillows of fluffy mascarpone cream topped with unsweetened cocoa powder. It’s delicious and is definitely a top three dessert for me. You can find a traditional recipe here.

Ingredients for Easy Tiramisu Pancakes

The key to making this recipe easier is consolidating ingredients where possible and having many do double duty.

Water: the elixir of life, and this recipe – use it to make your strong coffee/espresso and pancakes
Instant coffee (powder): one of the key ingredients of the classic is real espresso (so feel free to use that instead), but most people don’t have an espresso machine in their house, and, personally, I’m never going to a coffee shop just to buy espresso for pancakes. So, I used Cafe Bustelo espresso powder, but the key to getting the best flavor is using very strong coffee.
Confectioner’s sugar: AKA icing sugar — the low key MVP of this entire recipe. Like hot sauce I put that stuff in everything (for these pancakes)
Heavy cream: the base of the cream filling/topping
Mascarpone cheese: an Italian cousin of cream cheese, which gives the creamy filling the body it needs to stand up to the weight of the pancakes. I can usually find it near the cream cheese/cottage cheese or gourmet cheese section in good grocery stores in the US.
Good vanilla: I promise quality matters. This is a must-have for the pancakes and the cream.
Instant pancake mix: I told you we were making this super easy. I used Pearl Milling Company’s Buttermilk Complete. If you’re too good for instant pancakes, you can make your own, just be sure to make them on the slightly drier side so that they can stand up to the espresso without falling apart.
Cocoa powder: Unsweetened, for topping each layer

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Easy Tiramisu Pancakes

Make coffee. Mix water, coffee powder and 1 teaspoon of confectioners sugar and microwave for 1-2 minutes until powder and sugar are fully dissolved. Pour into a shallow bowl and set aside uncovered to cool. If you’re using pre-made espresso, skip this step.

2. Make pancake batter. Combine pancake batter, water and vanilla in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir until just combined and lumps are gone. Set batter aside (the batter needs its beauty rest to make extra fluffy pancakes).

Note: you’ll get best results if you’re gentle with the batter and don’t mix too hard.

3. Make cream. In a large bowl use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip heavy cream, mascarpone, cheese, 1 tablespoon of vanilla and ½ cup powdered sugar. Start on low speed, increasing to high slowly (unless you’re looking to redecorate your kitchen), until all ingredients are whipped together and form stiff peaks. Set aside.

4. Make pancakes. Melt butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Then, use a large spoon to measure out 3-6 inch pancakes (these pancakes will be really fluffy so 3-4 inch pancakes are perfect if you’re having sides like eggs and/or bacon. 6 inch pancakes if they’re the only dish and if you are cooking for big eaters). Allow to cook for about 3 minutes per side before placing on a large plate to cool (but not directly on top of each other to allow excess moisture to escape).

5. Set up assembly line. Once all pancakes are cooked, it’s time to assemble! Set up the plate of pancakes on one end, then the bowl of coffee, followed by the cream and then a mesh strainer with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.

6. Assemble pancakes. Grab your first serving plate. Take your first pancake and dip both sides of each pancake in the coffee for 2 seconds per side (no more or you’ll end up with mush). Allow coffee to drip off pancake for a few seconds before placing on the plate. Then, add 1-3 tablespoons of cream on top of each pancake, spreading with a butter knife (for 6 inch pancakes, I used 3 tablespoons of cream per layer), then dust with cocoa powder. Repeat until you’ve completed your stack, repeating the process for each additional stack.

Hint: Ensure your pancakes have had time to cool some before assembling them.

Substitutions

Coffee powder: you can use real espresso instead if you’re feeling fancy
Mascarpone cheese: if you can’t find mascarpone, you can sub in cream cheese

Top tip

No matter what pancake recipe you’re suing, ensure they’re slightly dryer than usual to ensure that they can stand up to the coffee without falling apart.

FAQ

Do these pancakes require alcohol or eggs?

No, we created this Easy Tiramisu Pancake recipe so that there were no eggs and no alcohol

Looking for other breakfast and brunch recipes? Try these:

Looking for other Valentine’s Day recipes? Try these:

Yield: 2-4 servings