Tiramisu

A popular coffee flavoured Italian dessert, excellent for parties as you can make it in advance
Ingredients - Serves 12
  • 3 cups strong black coffee
  • ½ cup marsala wine, optional
  • 6 egg yolks
  • ½ cup caster sugar
  • 500 g mascarpone
  • 300 ml heavy cream or double cream
  • 40 italian ladyfingers or savoiardi
  • cocoa powder, to sprinkle, optional
Steps
  1. To make the coffee-wine mixture, optional
    1. Mix half of the alcohol with the black coffee and chill
  2. To make the zabaglione
    1. Place the heavy cream along with your whisk in a bowl and put it in the fridge to chill
    2. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a heat-proof bowl. Place the bowl on a pot of simmering water and beat continuously until the mixture is smooth and falls in ribbons. Take off the heat and set aside to cool
      3. Use a {hand mixer} to make this easy
    3. Beat the mascarpone until smooth. Fold into the egg-sugar mixture along with the remaining alcohol, if using, until completely combined
    4. At this stage, the mascarpone can sometimes split. If that happens, place the mixture back on the pot of simmering water and beat till smooth. Set aside to cool completely and chill
    5. Beat the heavy cream to form stiff peaks. Don't beat too much or you will get butter. There is no way to reverse this process!
    6. Gently fold in the heavy cream with the mascarpone mixture to make zabaglione. Traditionally, zabaglione is made with egg whites, not cream. However, raw egg whites carry the risk of salmonella, so cream is a safer alternative
    7. Keep the zabaglione chilled until use
  3. To assemble the Tiramisu
    1. Line a large casserole dish with cling film
    2. Dip each ladyfinger in the coffee and place as one layer. Don't soak the ladyfinger for too long or it will fall apart in your hands!
    3. For the next layer, spread half of the zabaglione
    4. Repeat with a layer of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and finish with the zabaglione
    5. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top, if you wish
    6. Chill for at least a couple of hours before serving
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