Tia’s Amazing Tiramisu Recipe

The holidays are over. Why so soon?

Hey there foodie friends… it’s been a while. Sometimes you just need a little time off. You know what I mean?

Liz and I enjoyed two weeks of holiday bliss–relaxing, visiting family and friends, hosting a little, and just plain enjoying time off from our normal, hectic, day-to-day work life.

We didn’t stop cooking, but we did take a break from our routine lives, hence the short break from blogging. It does feel great to be back and we’re excited to share some new recipes with you.

Holiday visits…

We actually have it pretty easy when it comes to visiting family over the holidays. Since my parents are in Portugal, we have less visiting to do, so we have a little extra chill time for the four of us. We have the usual visits with my first cousins, we connect with friends and we also visit two of my aunts who live in Canada. On Liz’s side we visit her aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandma (who aren’t actually relatives but who she’s always treated as such). The big family Christmas dinner with Liz’s family was actually December 23rd this year. That’s when all the DaSilva’s got together to enjoy a feast, exchange gifts, and make noise. There was so much food… and lucky for us… so many left-overs shared.

Desserts anyone?

One of my aunts is pretty amazing when it comes to making desserts. She has two staple desserts that our family has enjoyed for many years. One’s a chocolate cookie cheesecake that she passed along to Liz before we got married (we’ll have to do that one some day), and the other is this delicious tiramisu.

I like most tiramisu that I’ve tried, but what I love about Tia Adelia’s tiramisu is that it’s light and not too heavy on the cream. The lady fingers take on a delicate coffee and Kahlúa flavour, while the light mascarpone cheese mixture ties it all together and moistens the lady fingers without drowning them. The cocoa is the icing (or should I say, dusting) on the cake.

How did I do?

It could be that I’ll never make this dessert exactly like my Aunt’s tiramisu… there’s always that magic touch that comes with experience. But I do think this was a winner and I’m very proud to share this recipe with yous. Recipes that are handed down from family are always very special to me. Thanks Tia Adelia!

Next time you’re enjoying a traditional dessert from a relative, ask them for the recipe and try it yourself. You might be surprised how happy they are to share it with you. After all, if they’re like me, they’ll feel it’s a great compliment to be asked for their recipe. Try this family favourite of ours, and eat well, friends!

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Tia's Amazing Tiramisu Recipe

Prep Time

25 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

This tiramisu recipe has become a staple of our family gatherings over the years. We've had lots of tiramisu, but my Aunt's version is definitely our favourite!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cups brewed espresso
• 3/4 cups white sugar (for the coffee)
• 1/2 cup Kahlúa
• 4 large eggs (at room temperature), separated
• 1/4 cup white sugar (for the egg whites)
• 6 tbsp white sugar (for the egg yokes)
• 475 g (1 package or 16.76 oz) soft mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 40 lady fingers
• 1/4 cup quality cocoa powder

Instructions

1. Well in advance of starting the recipe, prepare the espresso and pour the hot espresso coffee over the sugar and Kahlúa In a large soup dish (or other wide dish with a rim) and mix well until the sugar's dissolved. Let cool completely. Note: We used an Italian espresso pot to prepare the coffee all at once.

2. In a stand mixer bowl, beat the egg whites on medium high. Slowly add 1/4 cup of sugar while beating the egg whites. Continue beating until they form soft peaks.

3. Transfer the beaten egg whites to a dish or bowl and set aside.

4. Add the egg yolks and 6 tbsp of sugar to the same (empty) stand mixer bowl and beat on medium high until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture has a creamy texture.

5. Add the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and beat on medium until combined.

6. Add the mascarpone cheese and beat on medium until well combined and fluffy.

7. Spread a thin layer of the mascarpone mixture on the bottom of a 10 by 12 inch rectangular deep dish. Use about 1/4 of the mascarpone mixture.

8. Use a fine sieve or a powdered sugar shaker to sprinkle cocoa powder evenly over the mascarpone mixture.

9. Quickly and completely dip two lady fingers in the coffee mixture and remove. Note: Don't let the fingers sit and soak in the coffee.

10. Place the two lady fingers end-to-end at one end of the dish on top of the layer of mascarpone.

11. Repeat the last two steps, in rows of two fingers at-a-time, until a full layer of lady fingers covers the bottom of the dish.

12. Spread about 1/2 of the remaining mascarpone mixture over the layer of lady fingers.

13. Use the sieve or shaker to sprinkle cocoa powder evenly over the new layer of mascarpone mixture.

14. As in previous steps, dip lady fingers in the coffee and cover the mascarpone layer with another layer of coffee-dipped lady fingers.

15. Spread the remaining mascarpone mixture evenly over the new layer of lady fingers.

16. Sprinkle cocoa powder evenly over the last layer of mascarpone cheese mixture.

17. Refrigerate the tiramisu for one day or even for two days before serving.

Recipe Notes

• Ideally, this recipe should be prepared at least one day in advance in order for the lady fingers to become moist.
• We used a rectangular serving dish for our recipe, but feel free to make this recipe in any other shaped vessel or even in single serving dishes if you prefer.
• 25 minutes prep time doesn't include the 1 day refrigeration time.
• We love this tiramisu with less of the creamy layer. If you happen to enjoy the extra cheesy layer, feel free to multiply the cheese, eggs and sugar by 1.5. Leave the rest the same.

Nelson Cardoso