Sluttishly Sweet: Tiramisu

Once a month I meet up with a small group of friends for an evening of food based debauchery, each of us bringing along a dish which fits with a previously agreed theme. I seem to have become the de facto pudding maker which I suspect is in large part due to my contribution on Mexican night, a deliciously calorific Tres Leche cake.

The other week was Italian night so I decided to give tiramisu a whirl. It's a classic Italian dessert although I deviated slightly from the norm by using amaretto in the place of marsala wine. You could also substitute coffee liqueur if you are not as big a fan of amaretto as I am.

I would highly recommend making this at least one day in advance and keeping it in the fridge to let all the flavours come together. Also, if you can, avoid sprinkling the cocoa powder over the dessert until you are ready to serve.

Tiramisu

(Serves 8 - 10)

You will need:

• 6 large egg yolks
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon of amaretto
• 300ml double cream
• 500g mascarpone
• 24 ladyfingers
• Cocoa Powder for dusting

For the coffee syrup

• 250ml espresso
• 60ml amaretto
• 75g caster sugar

Make it!

1. First up, make your coffee syrup by heating the espresso, amaretto and caster sugar in a pan until the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is slightly reduced.

2. Place the egg yolks, sugar, amaretto and 1 tablespoon of the coffee syrup in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk for several minutes until the mixture is well combined, pale and fluffy (just like we did for the semifreddo).

3. Pour your double cream into a bowl and whip until it forms soft peaks.

4. In a separate bowl, beat your mascarpone until it is smooth and then fold in your whipped double cream and egg mixture.

5. Line the bottom of a 9" square dish with a layer of ladyfingers which have been dipped in or brushed with your coffee syrup. Do not leave them to soak in the syrup or they will disintegrate. Spoon half of your cream mixture over the top then add another layer of ladyfingers and finish with the remaining half of the cream mixture.

6. Place the tiramisu in the fridge for at least an hour, but preferably overnight if you can bear to wait that long. Dust the top of the tiramisu with cocoa powder just before serving. Bellissimo!