The traditional tiramisu recipe is a popular Italian dessert made with layers of savoiardi soaked in espresso coffee and a creamy mixture of mascarpone cheese, eggs, and sugar.
Place half of the sugar in a small saucepan, add half of the water, and place over medium heat.
Simmer for a few minutes, long enough to allow the sugar to dissolve and form a light syrup.
Place egg yolks in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer for a minute at medium speed. Set the speed to the highest and pour the syrup slowly.
Keep beating until you’ll achieve a soft and fluffy cream. Add marsala and mix for a couple of seconds to combine.
Add mascarpone cheese to the bowl and combine well with the egg yolk mixture.
Cover the bowl and keep it in the fridge until needed.
Repeat the steps to make the light syrup with the remaining sugar and water.
Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and whisk them at high speed while pouring the hot syrup until stiff peaks form.
Add egg whites to the bowl with the mascarpone cream and carefully combine everything into a creamy mixture.
Assemble
Scoop one or two spoons of the cream on the bottom of a baking dish and spread it all over.
One by one, dip lightly the savoiardi cookies into the coffee and make a first layer arranging them side by side.
Add half of the cream and spread it evenly to nicely cover the biscuits, press down a little to allow the cream to fill the gaps between the savoiardi.
Use a fine sieve to sprinkle ⅓ of the cacao powder over the cream.
Repeat the layer with savoiardi cookies and add the remaining mascarpone cream on top, spreading in a single and even layer.
Wrap the dish tightly with cling film to prevent the dessert from absorbing odors. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
Before serving dust with the remaining cacao powder.
Notes
The syrup will be ready when white and small bubbles start to form. If you have a kitchen thermometer it should read about 250°F (121°C), so don’t exceed this temperature or the syrup will start to caramelize.
You will reach the stiff peak stage when the tips can stand straight up and won’t fall off if you turn over the bowl.