while you're ahead…

How ‘mamma’ makes it.

500gr of mascarpone (or 250gr mascarpone and 250gr ricotta, for a lighter version)

5 eggs

5 tbs of sugar (I use caster sugar)

cocoa powder

4/5 cups of coffee (with milk)

 

Whisk the egg whites till you ‘cut them with a knife’…

In another bowl mix the yolks and the sugar:

then add the mascarpone cheese (and the ricotta if going that route), and mix really well till totally smooth.

Try not to eat it all at this stage.

By now your egg whites should be like snowy stiff peaks… gently fold them into the mixture

Gently.

A little at a time.

Oh boy.

This stuff is seriously good now.

In fact… you can put it into little bowls (I like the champagne cup look) and refrigerate for a few hours… then sprinkle a little cocoa powder and serve.

It’s delicious!

Or you can go the full shebang and take your ‘savoiardi biscuits’ or your sponge fingers or your lady fingers (I hate that name)  if you can’t find the real thing…

… soak them in milky coffee… and layer them into your dish.

Biscuits/mascarpone cream/biscuits/mascarpone cream….

I normally do a couple of layers only, but you can do as many as you like… or even only one, why not!

(Just make sure those babies are well and truly drowned in coffee… don’t want a dry middle… equally… you don’t want a soup either… so… well use your common sense…)

Refrigerate your masterpiece for a couple of hours.

The top layer of mascarpone cream will be covered in cocoa powder just before serving.

Simple eh?  No strange liqueur, no bits and bobs and weird variations… no chocolate chips or raisins or god knows what else people ruin it with.

 

Don’t blame me when you can’t stop eating or you need to loosen that top button in your jeans…