Zabaglione (Boozy Italian Dessert Sauce)

(Click to jump directly to recipe)

Sometimes I like to challenge myself to make something that I’ve never had before, and this rich Italian dessert sauce fit the bill perfectly! It was a fun experiment with a delicious result.

What is Zabaglione?

Zabaglione – or Zabaione – is a boozy Italian dessert sauce. It is made by whisking up heated egg yolks with sugar and some kind of sweet white wine. Madeira or Marsala wines are commonly used, but you can use any sweet white wine you want, even sparkling wines like Prosecco or Champagne. Zabaglione is a rich in flavor yet light in texture and is an ideal not-too-heavy dessert after dinner.

How Do You Serve Zabaglione?

This is a versatile dessert. You can eat it alone, pour over fresh berries, drizzle onto a slice of cake, or dip into it with crunchy cookies or biscotti.

Can You Make Zabaglione In Advance?

This Italian dessert sauce is best served immediately to retain the best texture, though I read that some do like to chill it for a short time before consuming. It comes together so quickly, though, that making it just before you need to serve isn’t really a big deal.

Do You Need Special Equipment To Make Zabaglione?

You will need a double boiler in order to carefully control the heat that reaches the egg yolks while they are being whisked. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can fit a stainless steel mixing bowl over one of your pots and that will work as well.

Double Boiler (see on Amazon)

The next time you have some egg yolks lying around, perhaps after making my creamsicle angel food cake, give zabaglione a try! Enjoy!

Recipe for Zabaglione

Zabaglione (Boozy Italian Dessert Sauce)

Author: Erin Browne

Prep time: 2 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 7 mins

Boozy Italian dessert sauce for serving with fresh berries, cake, or dipping with cookies or biscotti

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
3 TBS sugar
6 TBS sweet white wine (Madeira, Marsala, Prosecco, Champagne...)

Instructions

Add an inch of water to the bottom of a double boiler and bring it to a good simmer. In the top section of the double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale. Place the top section over the simmering water and whisk the mixture for a minute or two, and then beat in the wine.
Continue whisking constantly until the mixture triples in volume and gets frothy.
Serve immediately or you can let it cool for several minutes.
Ideas for serving include pouring over fresh berries or a slice of cake, eating it by itself, or dipping into it with cookies or biscotti.

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