Coffee and Chocolate Tiramisu

Ingredients:

1 Pan di Spagna or 20 boudoir biscuits or savoiardi
2 tsp espresso coffee
8 tbsp weak coffee
100g 80% cocoa solids chocolate, broken into small pieces
50g butter
250g mascarpone cheese (or use this site's recipe for home-made mascarpone) or very rich cream cheese (or you can use my home-made cream cheese recipe to prepare your own)
4 eggs, separated
4 tbsp caster sugar
6 tbsp rum, brandy, amaretto, Tia Maria or other liqueur
2 tsp cocoa powder
2 tsp instant coffee powder

Method:

Whisk the cheese until soft and manageable. Beat the egg yolks until pale, then whisk them into the cheese. Very gradually add the sugar to the cheese mixture, stirring and whisking constantly. Pour in the espresso coffee and mix thoroughly. Beat the egg whites until very stiff, then fold them into the egg mixture. Meanwhile melt the butter and chocolate together in a bain-marie (double boiler). When the chocolate has melted, stir to mix with the butter then gently fold into the egg mixtures. (You can either mix thoroughly or you can be more gentle to create a 'marbling effect' with the chocolate.

Mix the weak coffee and liqueur together then cut the Pan di Spagna into fingers 2cm thick by 3cm wide by 8cm long. Dip half these (or half the biscuits if you're using them) into the coffee mixture one at a time and use them to line the bottom of a bowl. Pour in half the cheese mixture. Dip the remaining cake fingers (or biscuits) in the liquid and cover the cream layer with soaked biscuits. Pour over the remaining cream. Bang the dish down lightly to settle the layers. Mix the cocoa and coffee powder and sieve over the dessert. Chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight then serve.

Pour into the serving dish, smooth out the top and chill for several hours. Before serving, dust the top with a layer of finely sifted cocoa powder and/or chocolate shavings.