The Costco tiramisu cups (made by Dessert Italiano) is described on their website as “exquisite mascarpone cream, placed on a bed of sponge cake soaked in coffee liqueur, decorated with cocoa.” It comes in a pack of 6 individually-portioned glass cups, which allow the beautiful layers of the dessert to show through. They do need to be refrigerated, and can last about a month with refrigeration.
The Taste Test
It has several layers going on, which are displayed beautifully in the glass cup. At the bottom of the glass is a kind of gooey coffee jelly, which is then topped with a layer of mascarpone cream. I really like the mascarpone cream as it was decadent and had a nice flavor without overpowering the dessert.
One thing I noticed is that this dessert uses a coffee-soaked sponge cake instead of the traditional lady fingers. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make the texture of the tiramisu different than what I’m used to. The cake is slightly mushy as opposed to being moist, which was the only thing I wasn’t too crazy about.
Another thing to note is that the dessert is topped off with a heavy dusting of cocoa powder. While this may make the dessert look extra fancy, it does mean that your first spoonful is going to be primarily cocoa powder. I recommend mixing everything together, or making sure you grab all the layers in the first bite. This will help avoid the “cocoa cough”.
Overall I think the flavor profile is great – the coffee and mascarpone are in nice balance of one another, without being overly sweet. The texture of the cake is where I docked it a couple of points, as again, the cake felt pretty moist (maybe too moist for me personally). This might just be the result of being soaked in coffee and sitting in a cup for several days, and may not bother you as much as it did for me.
All in all, I think this is a great dessert for anyone who wants something decadent and creamy without being too sweet.
How Much is a Pack?
This dessert comes in a pack of 6 for about $10. While we have sometimes seen the price fluctuate, it ends up averaging about $1.67 per serving. This is a bit steep for a general consumption dessert, but I think it would work really well for entertaining or hosting as they look pretty fancy. I saw a picture of them being used on the dessert table for a wedding and thought it was a great idea to help keep the wedding dessert cost down.
Does it Have Alcohol?
Yes, it does. There is 1.5% alcohol in this dessert which comes from the marsala wine. While a traditional tiramisu uses the marsala wine in both the filling and in the coffee, this dessert only has it mixed in with the coffee that the sponge cake is soaked in.
Nutrition
There is about 250 calories in each individual 3 ounce serving. This might sound like a lot of calories, but I actually think it’s a great serving size. For context, 1 cup of ice cream is about 240 calories. But if I’m being honest, I can’t remember the last time I had ice cream and only ate 1 cup. This tiramisu is they kind of dessert you can really indulge in, but it’s portion-controlled as well so you don’t have to worry about how much you have. Please see full ingredient list here.
Are the Glass Containers Re-usable?
Yes, the glass containers are re-usable and there are even Reddit threads discussing all the ways to re-purpose them. Some of the best ideas are using them for candles, pre-portioned snack containers, dipping sauces into, beer tastings, and even putting small plants into. One of our favorite responses we saw was: “propagation stations for my houseplants!”
While the glasses are dishwasher safe, we are not sure if they are tempered. So we would recommend keeping them away from extreme heat like in using them to serve espresso in.
Ingredients:
Rehydrated skimmed milk, glucose syrup, vegetable fat (coconut), water, Mascarpone 7.3% [cream, milk, acidity regulator (lactic acid)], sponge cake 5.9% [wheat flour, sugar, egg, water, emulsifier (mono and diglycerides of fatty acids), raising agents (E500ii sodium bicarbonate, E450i disodium diphosphate), glucose syrup, salt], sugar, milk protein powder, egg yolk, Marsala wine 1.5%, gelatin (bovine), ethyl alcohol, cocoa dusting (cocoa powder, dextrose, corn starch, sugar, cocoa butter), emulsifier (mono and diglycerides of fatty acids), soluble coffee, thickeners (carrageenan, xantham gum, agar), lemon fiber.
Overall – 7/10
All things considered, I would give this dessert a 7/10. This has great flavors and I really liked the mascarpone cream – it’s perfect for those who don’t like super sweet desserts. As mentioned, the cake is a bit on the mushy side for me which is probably my biggest complaint. But I really do love how fancy they look and can see myself using these for the next party I throw.
If I’m being honest, I think I prefer Costco’s 2.5 pound tiramisu bar cake. It has better flavor, texture, and price point (per serving). While it is massive I’ve found that it holds up well in the freezer, so you could cut the cake into fourths and freeze them in freezer bags.
I would say that if you are looking for the better overall tiramisu, to go with Costco’s tiramisu bar cake. But to get these tiramisu cups if you are entertaining, really like the portion-controlled aspect, or really need a lot of 3 ounce glasses.
If you like this post, we think you’ll really like our Costco Tiramisu Cake post.
