Two-Booze Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a popular classic for good reason! Who could fail to love this creamy dessert with its booze-and-coffee-soaked sponge fingers? It’s often described as the Italian version of a British trifle, with its alternating layers of delicousness. However you describe it, this two-booze tiramisu from Letitia Clark’s Bitter Honey is a crowd-pleaser!

Two-Booze Tiramisu

Head over to our full review of Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from the Island of Sardinia by Letitia Clark, and then check out the other two recipes we’ve shared from the book, Sardinian Slow-cooked Flat Beans with Tomato, Pancetta and Chilli and Italian Pork Cooked in Milk with Cloves.

Two-Booze Tiramisu
5 from 2 votes

Two-Booze Tiramisu

A cliché it may be, but the Sards are no less fond of this 1950s Italian classic than I am, and I see no reason not to be, because when done well, it can be one of the nicest things to eat. 

Don’t be put off by mediocre tiramisu experiences – this recipe is totally fool-proof, and I have fed it to many Sardinians, who declared it is the best they have ever tasted. 

Literally translated as ‘pick-me-up,’ tiramisu is not only delicious as a dessert: it is the perfect thing for breakfast after a heavy night, the booze and coffee providing both the hair-of-the-dog and the caffeine necessary. There is no time of any day, in fact, when a little pick-me-up is not welcome. 

For me the key is the quantity of alcohol. Like a good trifle, it is this boozy kick that elevates the childhood nostalgia of a custardy cream and cake combo into something a little more adult and refined. 

I like to make mine in a big dish or trifle bowl for serving by the generous scoopful, rather than in individual portions. A traditional tiramisu has only two layers of biscuit, but you can scale this recipe up quite easily, or use a tall but narrow vessel, as I have done here, to create more layers. 3 eggs, separated

Author Letitia Clark

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs separated
  • 100 g 3½ oz/½ cup caster (superfine) sugar
  • 500 g 1 lb 1½ oz mascarpone
  • 200 ml 6¾ fl oz/¾ cup strong black espresso coffee
  • 80 ml 2¾ fl oz/1/3 cup marsala
  • tablespoons brandy
  • 20 –24 Savoiardi ladyfinger biscuits
  • 5 tablespoons bitter cocoa powder for dredging

Instructions

  • Place the yolks and the sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric beater (or in a stand mixer) until they become thick, pale and mousse-like. 

  • Mix in the mascarpone by hand, folding it in until completely incorporated.

  • In a small bowl, mix the coffee with the marsala and brandy. 

  • Whisk the egg whites until smooth, creamy peaks are formed, but not too stiff so that they become dry. Fold into the mascarpone mixture, incorporating them gently so as not to lose too much air.

  • Dunk the Savoiardi briefly into the coffee mixture, making sure they are fully immersed, and arrange them on the base of your chosen serving bowl. The idea is not to have them either sopping or still-crisp, but somewhere in between. I dip, hold for a second, turn and hold for another second, and then remove. It pays to be diligent here, as no one wants a tiramisu swimming in liquid.

  • Scoop the first half of the mascarpone mixture over the biscuit layer. Spread out evenly. 

  • Repeat the soaked-Savoiardi layer and then finish with the second mascarpone layer on top of this.

  • Dredge well with bitter cocoa powder and place in the fridge to set for at least an hour or two. If you like, you can add more cocoa powder just before serving, but I like it when it has slightly melted into the cream.

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Two-Booze Tiramisu

 

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Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark is published by Hardie Grant. Recipe extracted with permission. Photography by Matt Russell. 

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8 Comments to "Two-Booze Tiramisu"

  1. Emma Davies

    I made this yesterday. I added a little more brandy/Marsala. It tasted amazing and I made it in trifle dish so it looked amazing too! With the dipping (sponges into liquid) I followed the recipe, until I got to the top layer. I dipped them a little longer. This is something I won’t do next time. The ones as per the recipe were much better than what I did on my top layer! Anyway, it’s a delicious tiramisu recipe.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    So lovely to hear back that you enjoyed the recipe! And thanks for the note on dipping for too long! Happy cooking! 🙂

  2. Nancy

    Can’t wait to make it, but I can’t tell how many this serves. Is this recipe fir the amounts necessary for a trifle dish?

    Reply
    Jack

    Hi Nancy! This will easily serve 6 people. I made mine in a shallow dish measuring 25cm by 25cm which gave me two layers. I think it would look lovely in a trifle bowl as you’d be able to build the layers up more. Let me know how it goes!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Thanks Jack!
    Nancy, the author’s intro also mentions that she likes to make it in a trifle bowl, though she doesn’t mention size.

    Reply

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