Food stories

Tested: this is the best (and worst) supermarket tiramisu

Tiramisu might just be our favorite dessert. Of course, it’s at its very best when you make it yourself (like this Limoncello tiramisu that’s so simple anyone can make it), but you don’t have time to go all out in the kitchen every day, right? Sometimes you just need a quick supermarket tiramisu fix. But which one should you buy? We put them to the test.

Foto van culinair journalist Rick Blaauw

door Rick Blaauw

Tiramisu is a relatively ‘young’ dish. It wasn’t invented until 1971, in the northern Italian region of Veneto. The literal translation is ‘pick me up’ or ‘cheer me up’. But which is the very best pick-me-up from the supermarket, and which own-brand version is best left on the shelf?

Very pretty swirls

First, we look at the presentation: which tiramisu do we want to devour right away, and which would we rather leave on the shelf? Maikel thinks Dirk’s tiramisu looks the best: ‘It has the prettiest swirls.’ Louise: ‘I think the one from Jumbo looks really delicious, it genuinely has different layers.’ In terms of size, the tiramisus from Dirk and Albert Heijn look smaller because they’re raised on a little stand, but all the tubs contain exactly the same amount: 80 grams.

Wet mush

Then it’s time to dig in, starting with Aldi’s tiramisu. ‘This one is pretty tasty, it’s just that the bottom is very wet, really a soggy mush,’ says Maikel. Louise actually loves that. Bas mainly tastes the alcohol, but sees that as a good thing. Rick finds the mascarpone too pudding-like, but the others don’t have a problem with it. Sharon is especially enthusiastic: ‘Call me cheap-ass, but I think that sogginess is the very best part. Can I eat this whole tub myself?’

Soggy ladyfinger

While everyone enjoys the alcohol flavor in Aldi’s version, it’s notably absent from Lidl’s. ‘This isn’t tiramisu, you can barely taste any alcohol,’ Manon says indignantly. The others agree; the flavor is mediocre too, so it’s no winner. A shame, because Lidl (sometimes) also has a fantastic tiramisu in its range.

The lack of alcohol is also a problem with Jumbo’s tiramisu. Louise: ‘This is just cream with a cookie thrown in, and then they call it tiramisu. Very disappointing.’

Maikel absolutely disagrees and thinks this one is delicious. ‘The cream is super tasty, and I like that cookie too.’ The others find Jumbo’s version far too sweet. Manon: ‘All you can really taste is sugar; otherwise, it’s pretty flavorless. And that cookie is a watery ladyfinger, but not in a good way.’

Time for Dirk’s tiramisu. Rick is an immediate fan: ‘This has that real mascarpone flavor I love so much in tiramisu.’ Bas praises the good, firm cookie layer. Manon is positive too: ‘This is the best one so far. That mascarpone layer is simply much firmer and tastier.’ Only Louise isn’t won over right away; she finds it a little flat.

Lovely thick base

‘Ooh, this has a lovely thick base,’ says Louise when we open Albert Heijn’s tiramisu. Maikel: ‘Very different, but tasty; you can really taste the liquor.’ Manon likes the liquor flavor too, but after the previous one, Bas misses the mascarpone flavor.

Then there’s the one from Plus. Manon: ‘This has everything except the taste of tiramisu. Did something go wrong here? Is it past its use-by date?’ ‘This tastes like fruit that’s fermenting,’ Louise says in alarm. Maikel also mentions a very strange aftertaste. The cream in particular tastes odd. Sharon: ‘It isn’t spoiled, but it’s very heavy and clumsy and simply not tasty at all.’

And the winner is…

As far as we’re concerned, there’s a clear winner, and it is… drumroll… Dirk’s tiramisu. In terms of the cream and cake, it’s by far the tastiest; we’d just like the alcohol flavor to be a little stronger. The runner-up is Albert Heijn’s.

Which one shouldn’t you buy? The one from Plus—something has gone seriously wrong there!