All Liquored Up

One of my favorite Italian desserts is tiramisù. It is a "cake" consisting of ladyfingers soaked in an espresso/coffee liqueur/rum syrup, layered with mascarpone cheese (Italian cream cheese).

Ladyfingers, known in Italy as "savoiardi," are sweet, delicate, light and airy sponge cakes. They are named so because they are shaped like large, fat fingers. If you buy your ladyfingers from the store, this then becomes a completely no bake dessert that is incredibly easy to assemble.


Although I wasn't sure what the end result would be, I was inspired by the Pastry Queen to make my own ladyfingers from scratch. Imagine how pleased I was, then, when I tasted one after pulling them from the oven and found that it tasted remarkably similar to the ladyfingers I had eaten as a child. As I was separating the eggs for this recipe, the egg yolks caught my attention. Look at how beautiful the yolks look:


They look like a bright yellow flower :)


My only complaint about the ladyfingers is that I was able to taste the texture of the powdered sugar that was on the them within the tiramisù, and it distracted from its flavors. I've since read online that sometimes powdered sugar is sprinkled on top of the ladyfingers before baking to give them a soft crust. I might try that next time, or just omit the powdered sugar altogether.

This particular tiramisù was rather cheesy. It contains 1-1/2 pounds of cream cheese and then another pound of mascarpone. My coworkers likened it to a "tiramisù cheesecake." They said it was delicious, but thought that it had a stronger cheese flavor than traditional tiramisù. I agree and did not mind the cream cheese flavor. This is something that I would definitely make again. If you're a cheesecake lover, you will enjoy this. However, next time I make tiramisù, I plan to try Michelle's recipe to see if a more subtle cream cheese flavor would be better.


I love that this can be made ahead of time. It will keep covered, in the refrigerator, for at least 2 weeks. The flavors actually become better with time as they get the chance to "cure."

If you're looking for something fun to do with this, you can use it to make little bite-sized truffles. I've included instructions on how to make those at the bottom.


This is my contribution to Emiline's St. Paddy's Day Pub Crawl Event. If you'd like to participate, the deadline is March 17th, so hurry! (I know, I'm a procrastinator and waited until the last minute.) Make sure you head on over to Sugar Plum on March 20th for the Pub Crawl/roundup!


Tiramisù with Homemade Ladyfingers
from The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather

Ladyfingers 1/2 cup powdered sugar for dusting the ladyfingers, plus extra for dusting the baking sheets (I only used 1/4 cup and will probably omit this next time, or try dusting them lightly before baking)
7 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup plus 4 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour

Soaking Syrup 1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/4 cup coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua
1/8 to 1/4 cup dark rum, such as Myers's (I used somewhere in between 1/8 and 1/4 cup and the flavor was perfect)
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Filling 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature (I used 1/3 less fat Neufchatel cheese)
2 cups sugar
1 (16 ounce) tub mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 tbsp boiling water
2 tbsp instant espresso powder
Dark cocoa powder or grated bittersweet chocolate, for dusting (I used cocoa powder)

To Make the Ladyfingers:
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two 12 by 17-inch baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a fine-mesh sieve to dust the paper with a light coating of powdered sugar. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks, the 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and the vanilla in a large bowl on high speed about 5 minutes, until the yolks become thick and pale yellow. In a separate clean, large bowl, use a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Fold the egg white mixture gently into the egg yolk mixture. Use a sieve to sift the flour over the batter. Gently fold in the flour just until incorporated.

Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, making each ladyfinger about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide. (This takes a little practice. Don't worry if your first attempts are a little wobbly.) You'll be able to fit about 5 ladyfingers across and 4 down on each sheet. Bake about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Sift the 1/2 cup powdered sugar over the ladyfingers just as they come out of the oven. Cool for 5 minutes and use a spatula to transfer them from the baking sheet to cooling racks.


To Make the Soaking Syrup:
Simmer the water and sugar in a heavy saucepan set over medium heat about 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the espresso powder, liqueur, rum, and vanilla. Set aside to cool.

To Make the Filling:
Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl on high speed. Add the mascarpone and beat on medium speed just until incorporated. Combine the boiling water and espresso powder in a small bowl. Stir 1/4 cup of the cooled soaking syrup and 1 tablespoon of the espresso liquid into the filling. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture into a medium bowl. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of espresso liquid into the second bowl of cream cheese mixture. You will have 1 bowl of light brown cream cheese filling and 1 bowl of dark brown cream cheese filling.

Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Dip both sides of 1 ladyfinger in the cooled soaking syrup and place in the bottom of the pan. Repeat with more ladyfingers and syrup to line the whole pan. Spoon the light-colored cream cheese mixture evenly over the ladyfingers and smooth gently with a spatula. Cover with a second layer of dipped ladyfingers. Spoon on the dark-colored cream cheese mixture and smooth the top as before. (Leftover ladyfingers can be wrapped and frozen up to 1 month). Use a fine-mesh sieve to dust the top with a light coating of dark cocoa, or sprinkle grated bittersweet chocolate evenly on top.

Cover the tiramisù and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve cold from the refrigerator. Cut in squares and serve with a spatula.

Tip: The Microplane grater is the perfect tool for creating an even dusting of bittersweet chocolate over the tiramisù. Move the tool slowly over the dessert while you grate.

Yield: 16 to 20 Servings.

Tiramisù Truffles
from Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats


Using the tiramisù made from above, take a cookie scoop to make little round balls. Place them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer at least 2 hours, or overnight.

After they are frozen, remove them from the freezer and dip them in some melted chocolate (you can use this method if you'd like). Place them onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper.


Keep the truffles in the freezer until you are ready to serve them. Thaw for just a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!