Authentic Tiramisu

When I was younger, my parents did not allow me to drink coffee. The only thing we were allow to eat with coffee in it was tiramisu. From what I remember, we only started eating tiramisu when I was a teen. My uncle makes the best tiramisu. I guess I never really tried the ones in restaurants because I got homemade tiramisu. You can never go wrong with homemade especially if the cook used to work in a casino as a chef :) My uncle could always just look at the ingredients and know if the food tasted good or not. I started cooking and baking not too long ago. I still wonder how he does it though. I guess you just adapt some type of magical sense after years of cooking. Even so, he doesn't cook much now a days. My aunt is the one who does a lot of the cooking but yet everything is always "easy" for him to make.

I have been looking forever for a recipe similar to my Uncle's recipe and I finally found one! I guess I could have just asked my uncle for the recipe but that's not how he cooks. He cooks by just tasting the food, not measuring. On the other hand, I like to have measurements for the most part, especially for baking. I remember actually asking him for the tiramisu recipe and he ended up just making two big trays of tiramisu. This is why I decided to look for a recipe online. I found one that was similar to the recipe he makes.

It was my first time making tiramisu and it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would. Turned out to be very moist and I loved the strong coffee taste! :)

Recipe adapted from Key Ingredient, shared by rosabela 

Makes: 9x14 inch rectangular pan or two smaller containers - I would suggest using a container with a lid so that you can store the tiramisu in the fridge.

You can make your coffee or buy it. I bought my coffee at Starbucks since I don't have a coffee maker. Set coffee aside to cool.

~2 cups of strong espresso - cooled at room temperature

Separate the egg white and egg yolk. I don't have two stand mixer bowls so I usually just use regular mixing bowls. Put the egg whites in the stand mixer bowl and the egg yolks in a small bowl. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form - transfer to another bowl and set aside. Wash your stand mixer bowl then add the egg yolks and sugar. Beat the mixture until it is creamy. Be sure to beat the egg yolks well or they will end up with an egg-like taste. Add mascarpone cheese to the egg yolk mix and combined until there are no lumps. Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone/egg yolk mixture with a rubber spatula.

5 small eggs/4 large eggs
3 to 5 tablespoons sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
16 oz mascarpone cheese - sold 8 oz each at Walmart

Below is how your egg whites should look when they are stiff peaks.

Dip the ladyfingers in espresso (try not to over soak the ladyfingers) and lay them into a pan. You may choose to leave a space between the ladyfingers or place them close together. My uncle who makes Tiramisu usually places them together so that is my preference. Pour the mascarpone mixture on top of the ladyfingers and spread evenly. For each layer, change the rotation of the ladyfingers.

2 boxes of Trader Joe's soft ladyfingers - sold only during the holiday season
- You can also use a different brand of ladyfingers.

Refrigerated for 4 hours minimum but overnight for best results. Sprinkle with cocoa when served.

~2 tbsp cocoa powder - optional