Tiramisu is a layered dessert of lady fingers soaked quickly in coffee (I used hot chocolate) then a layer of cream which in this recipe, consist of whipping cream, a little egg yolk custard and mascarpone cheese. Mascarpone cheese is a rich Italian cheese. It’s like cream cheese but much better and fancier.  

I have been wanting to make this for months now to surprise my husband. As I’ve mentioned before he spent 2 years in Italy and loves Tiramisu!  I ended up making it for him last week as we celebrated our 4 year anniversary! He was so excited and said it was the best he’s had since he’s been home.

Last Friday was my sister-in-law’s wedding day and in between events we shared some of this with my in-laws. They were all pretty impressed with it and amazed but how incredibly good it was!  The best part is it’s fairly simple to make.  Here is how it’s layered:

*Note: I didn’t have enough lady fingers so I used a smaller dish but this recipe calls for a 9×13 so when you make this your ladyfingers will fit a little nicer than mine did.

1 & 2- Lady Fingers are quickly soaked in hot chocolate then lined up in a dish.
3- Half of the mascarpone cream mixture is spread on top.
4- Sprinkle on cocoa powder.
And repeat one more time!

When you  bite into it you will be amazed at the flavors! The crisp and sugary lady fingers soften up and taste cake like, the layers of mascarpone cheese and cream are rich and creamy.  The mascarpone adds a unique flavor.  Then on top of those tastes you get a hint of chocolate from the cocoa powder and chocolate curls.

Tiramisu {w/o coffee}

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Ingredients

• 2 cups hot chocolate (double strength)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 ¾ cup whipping cream, divided
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) mascarpone cheese
• 36-42 Italian-style hard lady finger biscuits
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
• ¼ cup shaved bittersweet (or dark) chocolate

Instructions

1. Bring a small saucepan with 2 inches of water to a boil over medium high heat. In a small heatproof bowl that will fit on top of the saucepan, or in a double boiler, combine the egg yolks and ½ cup of the whipping cream. Place over the hot water and whisk continuously until the mixture is 160 F and coats the back of a spoon, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk for 3 to 4 minutes to cool. Set aside to cool completely, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Once cool, place in fridge for 10-20 minutes to make sure it is cold when adding to the whipped cream.
2. Prepare the hot chocolate in a bowl or shallow baking dish and set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the remaining whipping cream, prepared yolk mixture, and sugar and beat until soft peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mascarpone and combine well.
4. Place 1 layer of the ladyfingers in a 9×13 inch pan, then dip both sides of the lady fingers into the hot chocolate mixture and place back into the pan. (A few seconds per side.) Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the cookies, sprinkle with half of the cocoa powder. Repeat with another layer. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.
5. Shave the chocolate over the top for garnish and cut with a sharp knife into squares.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

To make the chocolate curls I placed a block of chocolate on a plate and microwaved for 10 seconds to soften it up and used a vegetable peeler to make the curls.

Recipe adapted from Guy Fieri (Food Network)