Tiramisù

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 100 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 500 g mascarpone, at room temperature
• 300 ml strong espresso, cooled
• 250 g savoiardi (about 24 sponge fingers)
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Before you cook

• Brew the espresso and leave it to cool to room temperature.
• Take the mascarpone out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so it softens.
• Have ready a dish about 20 by 28 cm.

Steps

1. Put the egg yolks, sugar and water in a heatproof bowl and whisk them together.
2. Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the base does not touch the water.
3. Whisk for 6 minutes, until the mixture is pale, thick and hot to the touch.
4. Lift the bowl off the pan and keep whisking for 3 minutes, until it cools to room temperature.
5. Beat the mascarpone briefly with a spatula to loosen it.
6. Fold the mascarpone into the egg mixture in three additions, until the cream is smooth and holds its shape.
7. Pour the cooled coffee into a shallow bowl.
8. Dip each savoiardo into the coffee for one second a side — any longer and it will collapse.
9. Lay the soaked biscuits side by side to cover the base of the dish.
10. Spread half the mascarpone cream over the biscuits.
11. Cover with a second layer of dipped biscuits, then spread the rest of the cream on top and smooth it flat.
12. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
13. Dust thickly with cocoa through a sieve just before serving.