Matcha tiramisu for two.

Or, matcha-misu. Or, match-out-i'mma-eat-all-of-it.
I was going along with our no bake summer desserts plans, and I was brainstorming recipe ideas for y'all the other day while sipping a matcha latte. And I realized the flavors of my sweet honey matcha latte should be a dessert.
I've been in a bit of a morning drink rut for about a year now. My beloved 3 pots of hot green tea messed with my blood sugar when I was pregnant, so I had to stop drinking it. I mean, I could have limited myself to one cup a day, but that's not the way I work around hot tea. I'm a 1 cup or 100 cups kinda girl. All in, ya know?
So, I switched to hot lemon water for a while. Then, Earl Grey tea because the addition of coconut milk made me stop at one cup. A half-cup of coffee a few days a week was rare, but did happen. I landed on matcha a few months ago and never looked back.
Call me crazy (or another one of those people on the internet spouting poor nutrition advice), but I swear matcha gives me tons of energy without a crash later. On the days when I have coffee in the morning, I want a nap by 2pm. On matcha days, I'm too busy crossing all the things off my To Do list to think about napping. It's magical stuff.
That said, this matcha tiramisu packs a punch. I make a matcha latte with a ½ teaspoon of matcha. One serving of this dessert has more than that, so consider yourself fully caffeinated after eating this. Similarly, consider this when eating my matcha cake.
This tiramisu recipe is about as easy as it gets. It's probably not even technically tiramisu anymore because it lacks eggs, booze, and a proper sabayon-style sauce. It's pretty much a stir stir stir, layer layer layer method.
I dunked the lady fingers in a honey syrup because I sweeten my matcha lattes with honey. Honey and matcha go together like you and me.
I went a little heavy on the matcha (2 teaspoons for two people), but if you're new to the flavor, try half that. And then, when you're a full-blown green tea addict, make it with 2 teaspoons. I'll list the recipe with 1/ ½ teaspoons and meet ya in the middle, k? This is my favorite matcha.
Matcha Tiramisu
Tiramisu gets a makeover with this delicious recipe.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons matcha powder
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 8 crisp ladyfingers
Instructions
- Have ready two 8-ounce serving glasses.
- In a small bowl, stir together the mascarpone and powdered sugar.
- Bring ¼ cup of water almost to a boil, and stir in the matcha. Add the matcha slowly and whisk very, very well. No lumps!
- Add the matcha tea to the mascarpone and stir until combined.
- Meanwhile, bring ½ cup of water to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in the honey. Stir until dissolved. Pour the honey syrup into a shallow bowl for dunking the ladyfingers.
- To assemble, slice the ladyfingers in half.
- Dunk each ladyfinger half in the honey syrup mixture, and place it along the edges of the glass. (See GIF for reference)
- Ad one-quarter of the mascarpone mixture.
- Layer two more lady finger halves on top.
- Top with another one-quarter of the mascarpone mixture.
- Finish with one final (third) layer of ladyfinger halves, and a small scoop of mascarpone to smooth the surface.
- Top with a dusting of matcha powder, if you dare.
- Cover and refrigerate one hour before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1217Total Fat: 91gSaturated Fat: 35gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 46gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 1092mgCarbohydrates: 95gFiber: 4gSugar: 31gProtein: 13g
dixya @food, pleasure, and health says
i love me matcha too..so seeing this fuss free tiramisu is calling my name.. i hear you on 100 cups of tea.
Laura says
Yum!! Do you have a matcha brand you can recommend? Never sure what to trust, since it can be pricey :)
DessertForTwo says
Hi Laura,
I just buy the Republic of Tea brand because it's easy to find, but I've heard great things about Encha brand. :)
Allyson says
The Jade brand is wonderful but the Ujido brand is what Starbucks uses. (Don't be afraid of the monk fruit. It is a natural sweetener.) You can get it at the grocery store in little packets (1 per cup), or you can get it at their website. I buy the 16oz bag and it carries me through my daily matcha cravings.
Note: You can get Ujido green tea in the unsweetened also. You can get small samples of their other matcha products as well.
Christina Lane says
Ooh thank you for letting us know which brand Starbucks uses! I have always wondered this :)
Alexis says
I am wondering the same thing as someone else I saw- can you recommend a matcha powder? I love the stuff but tend to only feed my addiction at Starbucks since I never know what powder is worth the money.
Christina Lane says
See above :)
Sues says
Matcha is everything. And I'm all about finding new ways to consume it (not that I need more!!). LOVE the idea of a matcha tiramisu!
Kori says
I bought a bag of organic matcha powder a year or more ago, and I embarassingly have gone through it so slowly. It's not that I don't like it because I love matcha green tea! I just forget to incorporate it more. :) This looks heavenly! I didn't realize that green tea could mess with blood sugar levels or at least while pregnant. I'm a coffee-in-the-morning gal, so one day whenever I'm ready to embark on motherhood, I'm not sure what I'll drink. :)
Christina Lane says
Hi Kori!
I don't think green tea messes with everyone's blood sugar levels. You know how green tea can kinda give you a buzz, speed up your metabolism and make you super hungry all of a sudden? It did that to me...but times 5 while pregnant. I was woozy. But I was probably drinking way too much of it, LOL.
Kori says
Oh gotcha! I'm guilty-as-charged of sometimes drinking strong enough coffee that I can get that feeling too. ;-)
I signed up to receive your posts in my email, and I'm excited to continue to see what you create! I love your concept of preparing meals for two, and you have a great writing style. Have a wonderful day!
Allyson says
Green tea is safe for your baby throughout pregnancy, as long as you are not going over the recommended daily caffeine intake. Usually 1-2 cups of matcha is considered safe for moms throughout their pregnancy, but please consult with your OB physician if you have questions or concerns.
Anne says
Omg so creative!!! I love tiramisu and this sounds like the perfect flavor combination :D
Pippa C says
Looks amazing! The gif is very cute as well!
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen says
OMG - you are my hero and I need this in my life. So gorgeous. Also - you're not crazy! The's a scientific fact about matcha - the energy without the crash. And it's amazing. I'm a morning matcha girl too!! <3
Spencer says
This just looks goddamn magical. I need it!
Christina Lane says
omg. You commented on my site. WEIRD.
Julia Casey says
Any way to make this without the cheese. Yes, yes, I know that's what makes it tiramisu; but dairy and I don't get along too well.
Looks great, maybe with some lactaid I can risk it.
Thanks
Christina Lane says
Oh gosh, Julia! I don't know! I have used tofu cream cheese before in other recipes and actually really liked the results. There's a brand called Toffuti. Best of luck!