How Long Does Tiramisu Last?

Tiramisu is a traditional Italian layered dish made from sugar, espresso, and ladyfingers dipped in an egg-based coffee mixture or liquor.

It’s a special occasion dessert that is soft, creamy, and sweet with a hint of coffee flavor. But if you want to enjoy this dessert at its best for a while, it also requires a lot of care when it comes to storage.

So, how long does Tiramisu Last? Tiramisu can last for at least 4 days if it’s refrigerated and stored properly. It’s possible to freeze it over up to 3 months too.

Now, there are many factors that determine how long your tiramisu will last. For instance, the ingredients, the container and method used, and many more. So, read on!

What Is Tiramisu?

Tiramisu is a traditional Italian dessert. The literal meaning of tiramisu is “cheer me up,” which makes sense not only because of it’s mood-lifting taste but also the presence of espresso.

It is a typical combination of a velvety zabaglione custard with mascarpone cheese and the firmness of ladyfinger cookies. It can also include liquors such as rum, brandy, or fortified wine.

Sometimes it is also sprinkled with grated dark chocolate as a delicious garnish.

As amazing as tiramisu is, when kept at room temperature, it is highly perishable. You can prevent the sogginess and spoilage of the tiramisu by refrigeration.

How Long Does Tiramisu Last?

Tiramisu, being an airy and moist dish, can get spoiled easily if not taken care of properly.

Refrigeration storage can keep the tiramisu fresh for up to 3 days. However, the intricacy of tiramisu asks for perfect storage. 

In The Fridge 

Tiramisu can be made 2 days before and be stored in the refrigerator. However, even though the egg custards are consumable on the fourth day, tiramisu tends to go bad after 3 days max.

It happens because of the involvement of ladyfingers in the custard, which makes its texture soupy. It can turn unappetizing after 3 days, even in proper refrigeration.

On The Counter

Tiramisu is a temperature-sensitive dessert and should not be kept at room temperature for long. The egg custard or zabaglione can get spoiled and increase the chances for you to get food poisoning.

Even the texture of the dish is disturbed, making it unappetizing. Therefore, before serving the tiramisu, one should let the refrigerated tiramisu be at room temperature for 20 minutes.

How To Store Tiramisu

Refrigeration is an important step. It prevents spoilage or bacterial growth and helps it maintain the creamy texture.

Proper storage is also an important aspect to pay attention to when it comes to tiramisu. The process for storage is quite simple.

Find an airtight storage container that will seal your tiramisu away from air and bad bacteria. Once you’ve transferred your tiramisu, make sure to close the container tight and label it with the date of storage.

If you have prepared your tiramisu in cups, you have a few options. You can use saran wrap to cover the tops of the cups and store them this way, or even pop them into an airtight container after you’ve done so for extra protection.

You can also wrap each cup in saran wrap, line them up on a tray, and use saran wrap to cover the entire tray. Just make sure you’ve sealed the tray as tightly as possible.

In the case of leftover tiramisu, it shouldn’t be refrigerated for more than 4 days. Although after coming out of refrigeration, its quality tends to deteriorate.

Hence, the ladyfingers get soft. It becomes unappetizing after 2 days, as it starts to break down and get mushy.

Tips For Storing Tiramisu For A Long Time

You can store Tiramisu for up to 3 months. It sounds unappetizing to eat 3 months old tiramisu, but it is possible through freezing it.

The concept of frozen tiramisu is only for homemade tiramisu or already packaged tiramisu that has not been opened. So, if you want to freeze it, then given below are some tips for you.

Wrap Individual Pieces

To store your frozen tiramisu, you should cut it into individual pieces. This helps in retaining the original flavor and texture.

Once separated into pieces, wrap it tightly in a cling film. Wrap the plastic or foil several times so that air doesn’t reach your product. As added protection, it is always advisable to put it in an airtight container as well.

Also, you should never wrap up a sloppy tiramisu without a cup or some sort of base for structure, as you’ll ruin it.

Bag It

If you don’t have a container, you could wrap up your tiramisu with some sort of paper plate or other base for structure and slip it into a reusable freezer bag. For extra caution, label it with the date of freezing.

Keep The Toppings Aside

Save the toppings for later, as the more ingredients that are added, the less likely your tiramisu is to spring right back to its original quality, flavor, and texture. Fresh toppings are always the way to go!

Remember To Defrost

Tiramisu is to be served cold, not frozen. You should always take the frozen tiramisu out an hour before serving. Let it thaw in the fridge for the safest and best results.

There is no other way of defrosting than bringing it from frozen to cold. Also, remember that you cannot refreeze tiramisu, so it is important to cut the right amount of slices for zero wastage!

How To Tell If Tiramisu Is Bad

Tiramisu is a very temperature and environment-sensitive dessert. Therefore, the chances of it spoiling are very high.

Even though tiramisu includes many non-dairy products such as ladyfingers, coffee, and a low alcohol concentration, it is not enough to prevent spoilage.

Some people make the mistake of thinking that pasteurization is enough to keep desserts fresh, but this is simply not the case.

Now, tiramisu contains mascarpone cheese, which is like fresh cream and can be compared with cream cheese.

Its mixture with zabaglione is the reason for the firmness of tiramisu. Like any other cheese in the United States, it goes through pasteurization. 

It prevents the development of bacteria which might cause food-borne illnesses. But it is proven that pasteurization does not keep cheese from getting spoiled at room temperature, especially on hot and humid days! 

These are some things you can look for to find out if your tiramisu has gone bad:

Texture

If the texture of your tiramisu is overly soft, mushy, and wet, then it went bad. That is why refrigeration is a critical step in the process of making tiramisu.

It helps the mascarpone cheese to maintain its structure and prevents it from going mushy.

Odor

Tiramisu is a dessert made primarily out of dairy products. Therefore, it can get spoiled in a couple of minutes out at room temperature.

If your tiramisu is spoiled, it will smell awful, and this will be an obvious and sure sign that it has gone bad.

Taste

In the case of tiramisu, a sour taste is a sign of spoilage. It should taste sweet and creamy and have hints of coffee and liqueur. It shouldn’t be sour or rancid in any way.

If the taste is off, that means bacteria has spoiled your dessert.

Mold

When kept in the freezer, it is essential to keep tiramisu in an airtight container. This will seal your food away from air which could contain mold spores.

If you ever see mold on your food, it is always advisable to discard the dish entirely as soon as possible. Don’t try to cut the mold off; the whole thing will be contaminated even if you can’t see it.

Final Thoughts

Tiramisu is a dessert that everyone loves and cherishes, but not everyone knows its expiration date. The only way to know that is to keep the temperature in check and refrigerate it.

If kept under proper refrigeration and packaging, tiramisu can last up to 2-4 days. But, it might go bad in an hour or two if not given the proper care. Therefore, the best thing to do is to keep it in the refrigerator before serving. 

Up Next: Tiramisu Without Mascarpone