Is tiramisu safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about tiramisu during pregnancy?

1. Fully cooking eggs is the standard pregnancy recommendation because raw eggs carry salmonella, and salmonella reaches the bloodstream in about 4 percent of cases, which in pregnancy can mean serious maternal illness and loss of the pregnancy. 1
2. Avoiding all alcohol in pregnancy is the recommendation, and no amount has been identified as safe, which is why the marsala or rum in a traditional recipe matters even in dessert quantities. 2
3. Most experts suggest keeping caffeine to 200 mg or less per day in pregnancy, so espresso-soaked desserts belong in your daily running total rather than outside it. 3
4. Salmonella typically causes diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramping starting 12 to 72 hours after infection and lasting 4 to 7 days, and it can pass to a newborn, who may develop sepsis or meningitis. 1
5. Pasteurized soft cheese is not considered to raise risks during pregnancy, which is why mascarpone is usually the least concerning part of this particular dessert. 4

Is tiramisu safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Coffee aversion is common early on and may settle this for you. If you do want tiramisu, a commercially produced one made with pasteurized egg is the safer route than a restaurant dessert nobody can describe.
• Second trimester. Restaurant tiramisu is the classic case where asking is worth it. Kitchens making it in house often use raw yolks, and the alcohol is not always cooked off. Neither is a reason to panic if you already had some, but both are worth avoiding going forward.
• Third trimester. Caffeine adds up faster late in pregnancy when you may already be having an afternoon coffee. Count the espresso in a slice toward your daily total rather than assuming dessert is free.