By Karen Rutherford

One bite of this coffee-soaked and vanilla-infused dessert always reminds me why this recipe is such a timeless classic. 

Buon appetito!

Ingredients

• 2 cups of hot espresso or coffee
• 1 shot of Marsala wine, Amaretto or brandy (or, any coffee-flavored liqueur)
• 1 1/4 cups of mascarpone cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (you can also use 1 vanilla pod, halved and without seeds, depending on what you have on hand)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• One package of ladyfingers
• Cocoa powder

Instructions

1. Brew fresh espresso or coffee first. Then measure how long the ladyfingers are and use a square baking dish of suitable size that can comfortably accommodate the length of the ladyfingers. Pour the espresso or coffee as well as the flavored liqueur of your choice into that shallow dish, and stir to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer, gently combine the mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract. Be careful not to beat too much to avoid curdling.
3. Separate the whites from the yolks. Put the egg yolks in a separate bowl, add the granulated sugar, and beat with a mixer at the highest speed until you get a thick and pale yellow batter.
4. It’s time to beat the egg whites! For the novices here, just a quick reminder that it is important to thoroughly wash and dry the mixer’s whisks; otherwise, you risk not whipping the egg whites well enough.
5. Turn on the mixer at the highest speed and beat them until they form stiff peaks. Once you’re done (you can do the test by turning the bowl upside down) gently, spoon by spoon, fold the egg whites into the beaten egg yolks until combined. Don’t be too rough or forcefully stir the mixture because it should not be compact but light and fluffy.
6. Mix previously beaten mascarpone cheese with eggs and gently stir with a spatula or hand mixer until everything is well combined.
7. It’s assembly time! Spread a thin layer of the mascarpone mixture on the bottom of the square baking dish. This will help the ladyfingers not to move around but to stay firmly in place.
8. Dip one ladyfinger into the coffee, 1 or 2 seconds will be more than enough. We want them thoroughly soaked, but not falling apart. Then, start layering one by one on the top of mascarpone cream, until the base of the baking dish is completely covered.
9. Once you’re done, cover the ladyfingers with one-third of the mascarpone cream. It is recommended to use a spatula to make everything nice and even. The process needs to be repeated two more times, however, it can be more than that, it all depends on the size of the baking dish you have chosen for assembly.
10. Be sure to cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
11. Dust it liberally with cocoa powder before each serving.

Note: Also, here’s another option you can try.

— Author’s bio —

Karen Rutherford is founder and editor in chief at Cake Decorist. You will often find her in the kitchen trying out some new recipes. As a pâtissière and baking enthusiast, Karen has decided to share her knowledge with the internet audience and provide the best tips and recipes for baking and decorating your favorite sweets.

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