Description
Fall in love with this no-bake Italian dessert that looks fancy but comes together in minutes. Skip the bakery and make this showstopper at home tonight!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (240ml) strong brewed espresso or very strong coffee, cooled
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) coffee liqueur (like Kahlúa) or rum
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 16 ounces (450g) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 24–30 ladyfinger cookies (Savoiardi), firm and dry type
- 2–3 tablespoons (15-30g) unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
- 1 ounce (28g) dark chocolate for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Mix cooled espresso, coffee liqueur, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a shallow bowl until sugar dissolves completely.
- In a large bowl, beat mascarpone, vanilla extract, and half the sugar until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whip cold heavy cream with remaining sugar until medium peaks form.
- Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture in three additions using a rubber spatula.
- Quickly dip each ladyfinger in the coffee mixture (about 1 second per side) and arrange in a single layer in a 9×9-inch dish.
- Spread half the mascarpone mixture evenly over the ladyfingers.
- Create a second layer of dipped ladyfingers, arranging them in the opposite direction.
- Top with remaining mascarpone mixture and smooth the surface.
- Cover with plastic wrap (not touching the cream) and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, dust generously with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh sieve.
- Optional: Garnish with grated dark chocolate or chocolate curls.