Jamie Oliver Chocolate Tiramisù

Jamie Oliver’s chocolate tiramisù swaps the usual sponge fingers for his flourless chocolate cake, soaked in coffee and Cointreau and topped with a ricotta and mascarpone cream. It serves 16 and takes 42 minutes.

In Simply Jamie (2024) he calls it an “evolved tribute” to the classic, and the twist is the base. Instead of savoiardi, you bake his decadent chocolate cake, soak it, and build straight on top in the same tray. Orange zest and cocoa finish it.

The step that makes or breaks it is the soak. You stab the warm sponge all over, then pour the coffee and Cointreau evenly across so it sinks in through the holes. Rush it and you get dry patches next to boozy ones instead of an even, saturated base.

Jamie Oliver Chocolate Tiramisù

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

27

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

434

kcal

Total time

42

minutes

Jamie’s evolved tiramisù from Simply Jamie: a flourless chocolate sponge soaked in coffee and Cointreau under a light ricotta-mascarpone cream, finished with cocoa and orange. Serves sixteen.

Ingredients

• 1 x decadent chocolate cake

• 150ml (5 fl oz) strong coffee

• 50ml (2 fl oz) Cointreau

• 500g (1 lb 2 oz) ricotta cheese

• 500g (1 lb 2 oz) mascarpone cheese

• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

• 2 tablespoons golden caster sugar

• ½ an orange

• cocoa powder, for dusting

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Directions

• Bake the base:Make the decadent chocolate cake and bake it directly in a greased 25cm x 30cm roasting tray at 180°C for 15 minutes exactly, until just springy to the touch and gooey in the middle.
• Soak it:Stab the sponge a few times with a skewer or sharp knife, pour the coffee and Cointreau evenly over the top, then leave to cool.
• Make the cream:In a large bowl, whisk the ricotta, mascarpone, vanilla paste and sugar until silky smooth. Spread over the soaked cake, using the side of a spatula to make a pattern on top.
• Finish:Finely grate over the orange zest and dust with cocoa powder. For extra, grate over some dark chocolate instead of the cocoa.

Notes

• Note (get ahead): It sits happily in the fridge for up to 2 days at the end of the cream stage. Add the orange zest and cocoa only when you serve.

FAQs

Do I have to make the chocolate cake first?

Yes, the flourless decadent chocolate cake is the base, standing in for the sponge fingers of a classic tiramisù. Bake it in the 25cm x 30cm tray, then soak and top it in the same tray, so there’s no separate assembly dish to fuss with.

That swap is what makes this a chocolate tiramisù rather than a coffee one. The dark, fudgy sponge brings its own richness to the layers. If you’ve got the cake made ahead, this comes together in minutes.

How do I soak the sponge evenly?

Stab the warm cake all over with a skewer first, making channels for the liquid to run into. Then pour the coffee and Cointreau slowly and evenly across the whole surface, rather than in one spot, so it spreads out instead of pooling.

Leaving it to cool afterwards is key, because a cooling sponge keeps drawing the liquid down into itself. By the time it’s cold it should be evenly saturated top to bottom. Do it hastily and you’ll bite into dry corners and soggy middles.

Why ricotta as well as mascarpone?

Mascarpone alone makes a very rich, heavy topping, and over an already dense chocolate base that can be too much. Cutting it half-and-half with ricotta lightens the cream and gives it a fresher, less cloying feel while keeping it luxurious.

Whisk the two together with the vanilla and sugar until completely silky smooth, with no grainy ricotta texture left. There’s no raw egg in this version, unlike a traditional tiramisù, which also makes it a bit easier to serve to a crowd.

Can I make it without the alcohol?

Easily. Leave out the Cointreau and make up the liquid with a little more coffee, or better, a splash of orange juice. Since Cointreau is an orange liqueur, orange juice keeps the citrus direction Jamie’s after with the zest on top.

That makes it fine for children and anyone avoiding alcohol, with no real loss. The coffee and orange still give it plenty of grown-up flavour against the sweet cream. Decaf coffee works too if you’re serving it late.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Yes, and it’s actually better made ahead. Assemble it right up to the end of the cream layer and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, which is Jamie’s own tip. A few hours or overnight lets the flavours settle and the base soak fully.

Add the orange zest and cocoa dusting only just before serving, so the zest stays fragrant and the cocoa doesn’t sink in and go patchy. It’s a genuinely good dinner-party dessert precisely because the work is done in advance.

What’s the orange for, and how do I finish it?

The orange zest is there to cut through all that richness with a bright, fresh lift, echoing the orange in the Cointreau. Grated finely over the top, it stops the dessert feeling heavy and one-note.

Finish with a generous dusting of cocoa, or grate dark chocolate over for something more indulgent, and serve it chilled. If you want a lighter, fruitier pudding another day, Jamie’s pear and blackberry crumble is a good change of pace.