TIRAMISU
An Italian classic
Serves 8, Ready in 30 minutes (plus time to set)
Tiramisu - An Italian dessert with coffee, lady finger sponges, and cream.
Tiramisu literally means a ‘pick me up’ or ‘cheer me up’ and whoever named it did a good job because I think it does exactly that.
It’s not the most beautiful of desserts, It’s not complex or ornate, but it doesn’t need to be because the flavour does all the talking with this one, and it’s delicious!
There’s often a bit of a debate as to whether tiramisu should be made with or without alcohol; or with or without egg yolks. My recipe skips the alcohol but uses the egg yolks because I think they add a bit of richness and depth to the creamy layers.
A lot of people get surprised at how easy this is to make too.
If you’re having people over for dinner I always think this is an easy, winning dessert to prep ahead of time because it needs to sit for a bit to let the cream and coffee fully soak into the sponge fingers.
INGREDIENTS
2 packs of 200g lady fingers sponges (400g total)
4 egg yolks
750g mascarpone
100g caster sugar
500ml coffee, freshly brewed and cooled
Cocoa powder to serve
Tiramisu
METHOD
While the coffee is cooling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy,
Fold the mascarpone into the egg mixture, then mix it in fully with an electric whisk until fully combined.
Cover with cling film and leave to set in the fridge until the coffee is fully cooled.
When you’re ready to assemble the tiramisu, add a small amount of the cream to the base of a large baking tray. This will help the first sponge layer to sit neatly and support the rest of the layers.
Next, you want to add a layer of the lady finger sponges. One by one, lightly dip the sponges in the coffee and then place them into the tray. Be careful not to over-soak the sponges here.
Once the first layer of sponges is complete, top with a layer of the cream,
Keep going until all of the sponges and cream are used up. (You should end up with a final layer of cream on top).
To finish, dust some cocoa powder all over the top layer.
Leave the tiramisu to set before serving so that the coffee and cream has a chance to fully soak into the sponges. (I’d suggest around 30 minutes for this).
Tiramisu serving