Midnight Espresso Tiramisù with Amaretto

⏱ 40 min · Serves 8

Silky mascarpone cream layered over savoiardi drenched in strong espresso and almond-scented amaretto, dusted with bitter cocoa. It takes twenty minutes of work and a night in the fridge to become the best thing on your table.

Per serving: 492 kcal · 9.5g protein · 40.0g carbs · 31.0g fat

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 100g caster sugar
• 500g mascarpone, at room temperature
• 300ml hot strong espresso (about 8 shots), cooled
• 60ml amaretto, plus 1 tbsp for the cream
• 1 tbsp dark rum (optional)
• 250g savoiardi (Italian ladyfingers), about 28–30
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
• 20g dark chocolate (70%), for grating
• Pinch of fine salt

Method

1. Brew the espresso and stir in the 60ml amaretto and rum, if using. Pour into a shallow dish and leave to cool completely — warm coffee will collapse the biscuits.
2. Whisk the egg yolks with 70g of the sugar in a large bowl for 4–5 minutes, until pale, thick and ribbon-like.
3. Beat in the mascarpone a spoonful at a time, plus 1 tbsp amaretto, until smooth and glossy. Don't overwork it or it can split.
4. In a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks, then rain in the remaining 30g sugar and whisk to firm, shiny peaks.
5. Fold the whites into the mascarpone in three additions with a large spatula, cutting down and lifting over, keeping as much air as possible.
6. Dip each savoiardo into the coffee for one second per side — quick, they drink fast — and line the base of a 20x25cm dish in a single snug layer.
7. Spread over half the mascarpone cream and level. Repeat with a second layer of dipped biscuits and the remaining cream, smoothing the top with a palette knife.
8. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, so the layers set and the flavours marry.
9. Just before serving, dust generously with cocoa through a fine sieve and grate over the dark chocolate. Cut with a hot, dry knife.