Classic Italian Tiramisu

What's better than finishing my birthday week, and starting a long holiday weekend with this simply amazing tiramisu?
If you don't know, in Italian "tiramisu" means "pick me up", which is exactly what this heavenly dessert will do. Every bite combines the delicate flavor of the mascarpone cream with the bold aroma of the espresso. And I'm sure, after you try this recipe, it will leave you begging for more!
You will be surprise by how easy and fast is to make this classic Italian dessert. The secret for an impeccable tiramisu is in the cookies, perfectly dipped in strong Italian espresso (not too dry and not too soggy), and a rich, silky cream, just like you see in the pictures below, that makes you want to lick your screen ... no, please don't :)

Ready to try this recipe? Prepare yourself for greatness!


* With the quantity indicated below I prepared a 9 x 13 inches tiramisu (that I brought to my boys' school for a teachers' lunch) and 3 individual cups (all for me!!!).
You can use around 3/4 of the amounts indicated if you'd like to prepare just the 9x13 in size: 24oz of mascarpone, 6 egg yolks, 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 3/4 cup of whipping cream,  8 oz of savoiardi cookies, 2 cups of coffee.

Ingredients:  To make a 9 x 13 in cake, and three individual cups *

• 32 oz of mascarpone cheese (I used 4 packages of the Trader Joe's mascarpone)
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 and half cups of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of whipping cream
• about 10 oz savoiardi cookies
• About 2.5 cups of coffee (I used Italian espresso)

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus two hours or more of refrigeration

Directions:
Step 1: Prepare the coffee and let it cool down to room temperature.
In a large bowl, blend the egg yolks and the sugar.

Step 2: Add the mascarpone cheese and the vanilla extract, and blend some more.

Step 3: Whip the whipping cream, and add to the mascarpone cream. Mix using a spoon, not a blender, so the whipped cream will keep.

Step 4: Now that the mascarpone cream is ready, we can assemble the tiramisu. First arrange the cookies in the pan that you will use, so that you can figure out how to fit them.

Step 5: Quickly soak the cookies in the coffee. It's very important that the cookies do not soak for too long. Just dip them really quickly, in and out of the coffee. Do the same for the cookies on the first layer.

Step 6: Spread half of the mascapone cream over the soaked cookies. Cover well!

Step 7: Repeat with one more layer of savoiardi cookies dipped in coffee, and the rest of the mascarpone cream.

Step 7: If you'd like, decorate the top with a fork. And sprinkle with unsweetened powder cocoa! Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or longer!

Enjoy!!