Tiramisù (classic recipe)

Preparation: 40 mins
No cooking required    
Difficulty: Easy    
Vegetarian

This is probably the most famous dessert in the world and no wonder why; it's absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Apparently its origin dates back to the 17th century; it was created for the occasion of a visit by Grand Duke Cosimo de' Medici III to the city of Siena (Tuscany). That time the dessert was named "zuppa del duca" (the "Duke's soup") but nowadays everybody knows it as "tiramisù" (pick me up). There are lots of version of tiramisù, but here I will stick to the most traditional, with a little change: the classic recipe requires the use of "savoiardi" biscuits, however, in the last two decades, many Italians has discovered that the use of "pavesini" biscuits gives the tiramisù a better finish, so let's go for it!

SERVES 6 

Ingredients (Metric & Imperial measurements): 

• 500 g (1.1 lb) Italian mascarpone cheese
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) Icing sugar
• 4 or 5 Eggs (medium size)
• 1 Pack of Pavesini biscuits (for this recipe I used 59 Pavesini)
• 200 ml (7 fl oz) Strong espresso coffee (cold) or coffee prepared with a moka
• 100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) Marsala wine (cold)
• Cocoa powder for dusting
• Some dark chocolate shavings
• These are Imperial and Metric measurements. U.S measurements available at italyum.com

Nutrition facts: Calories 650 per serving.

Ingredients (U.S. measurements): 

• 18 ounces (1 pound 2 ounces) Italian mascarpone cheese
• 3 1/2 ounces Confectioners' sugar
• 4 or 5 Eggs (medium size)
• 1 Pack of Pavesini biscuits (for this recipe I used 59 Pavesini)
• 14 tablespoons (7/8 cup) Strong espresso coffee (cold) or coffee prepared with a moka
• 6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) Marsala wine (cold)
• Cocoa powder for dusting
• Some dark chocolate shavings

Note: this is a dessert containing raw eggs, so be sure you buy fresh, top quality eggs.
 

Directions: 

Separate the egg whites from the yolks.

Start beating the egg yolks with a whisk and gradually add all the sugar.

Keep beating until the mixture become pale yellow and thick.

Next, empty the mascarpone into a bowl and, with a wooden spoon, work it for few seconds so that it is a bit loose.

Now, add the mascarpone to the egg-sugar cream and blend all together.

The result should be a pale yellow mascarpone-egg-sugar cream. Set it aside, putting it in the fridge, while carrying out the next stage.

Next, add a tiny pinch of salt into the bowl containing the egg whites.

Whisk the egg whites until completely white and firm (into peaks).

Now, add the white fluffy mixture into the bowl containing the mascarpone-egg-sugar cream.

Gently mix all together.

Finally, we have the tiramisù cream.

Now we are ready for assembling our tiramisù. First, spread a thin layer of tiramisù cream in the bottom of the dish - I used a 30 cm x 22 cm (12" x 8 3/4") rectangular oven dish.

For the first layer of biscuits, dip them in the coffee first (dip the biscuits, one at a time, for about 5 seconds).

Lay the biscuits side by side, leaving a tiny space between them.

First layer completed.

Having completed the first layer of biscuits, cover it with the tiramisù cream.

Then, start again with a second layer of biscuits. This time dip the biscuits in the Marsala wine.

Second layer completed.

Cover it with the tiramisù cream.

Finally, proceed with the third layer of biscuits. For this final layer, dip the biscuits in the coffee. Once done, cover it with the last spread of tiramisù cream.

Dust with cocoa powder.

Sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings.

Put the tiramisù in the fridge and leave it for about 4 hours. However, the longer the better because all the flavours blend together (I usually wait for 6-8 hours).

Final note: I usually dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle with chocolate shavings prior of putting the tiramisù in the fridge, some other people prefer to do this just before serving it.

Enjoy!