Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Step 1: Prepare the soak and chocolate. First, make the cocoa milk for the ladyfingers. Pour milk into a pot and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in cocoa powder and sugar until dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, roughly chop the milk chocolate. Gently melt it over a warm (not boiling!) water bath. Let the melted chocolate cool slightly as well, but don't let it solidify. Remember to cut the ladyfingers to roughly fit your glasses in advance. A sharp knife helps here!
- Step 2: Prepare the heavenly chocolate cream. Now for the cream! Put cold mascarpone, liquid cream, and vanilla sugar into a bowl. Whisk until smooth using a hand mixer or whisk. Beat the mixture until it is nice and creamy and holds stiff peaks – similar to whipped cream, but firmer due to the mascarpone. Once the cream has the right consistency, add the melted, slightly cooled chocolate all at once and quickly stir until a homogeneous, light brown chocolate cream forms. Don't overmix, or the cream might become grainy!
- Step 3: Layer in the glasses. Now it's time to layer! Grab your glasses (approx. 200 ml capacity). Place a layer of cut ladyfingers at the bottom of each glass. Now, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the cooled cocoa soak over the biscuits so they can soak it up nicely.
- Step 4: Alternate cream and biscuits. Now add about one-third of the chocolate cream over the soaked biscuits. Spread it evenly. This is followed by another layer of ladyfingers, which you soak again. Continue until the cream and biscuits are used up. Typically, this results in 3 layers of ladyfingers and 3 layers of cream – the top layer should be cream.
- Step 5: Chill and enjoy! The almost finished tiramisu now needs some time in the refrigerator to set and for the flavors to meld. Let it chill for at least 1 hour, but preferably 2-3 hours or overnight. Shortly before serving, dust the surface of each glass with some cocoa powder. I prefer doing this through a small sieve for a nice, even layer.
Notes
Variations & Additions: Instead of milk chocolate, try dark chocolate for a more intense flavour or white chocolate for an extra sweet version. For the soak, you can use cold coffee (decaffeinated if children are eating), espresso, or even a splash of amaretto (for adults only!). Stir in some chocolate shavings for more chocolate power. Add fresh raspberries or strawberry pieces between layers for a fruity note. Sprinkle chopped nuts or hazelnut brittle on the cream layers for some crunch.
Tips for Perfect Success: Ingredients like mascarpone and cream should be well chilled for the cream to set nicely. Don't let the melted chocolate be too hot; let it cool slightly before adding it to the cream. Don't overmix once the chocolate is added. Ladyfingers should be moist but not completely soggy. The tiramisu tastes even better if it chills overnight.
Storage: Covered in the refrigerator, the chocolate tiramisu in a glass keeps for 2-3 days. Cover the glasses with cling film or lids so the cream doesn't absorb foreign odours.
FAQs: Freezing is not recommended as the texture might change. If your cream isn't setting, check if ingredients were cold, if the cream/mascarpone mixture was whipped enough, and if the melted chocolate was too hot. While ladyfingers are classic, you can use other suitable biscuits or even cake scraps that soak well.