Chocolate is Way Better Than Coffee

I used to like the smell of coffee. I thought it was relaxing and rich. At my very first job, one of my duties was to change out the coffee to keep it fresh. One day, this was my first task just after signing in. And I proceeded to spill the entire thing all over me. Unfortunately, it was a Saturday and we were completely slammed so there was no chance for me to go home and change. I smelled like stale coffee for my entire six-hour shift.

So, I don't much like coffee anymore.

Then, when I was 16, I shared a yummy dessert with a friend during a double date. It was called tiramisu and was deliciously creamy but there was this weird, tangy taste that I didn't much like. Coffee. Such a tragedy that a treat like this was ruined by the coffee. Surely there had to be a better way.

Now, officially, you can't call it tiramisu without the coffee. And it's virtually impossible to find a recipe the omits the coffee, because, like I mentioned, it's "essential." Using a few recipes from online, I put together my own. I'm trying on other names, like TiraMormon, or TiraMissYou (but I don't miss the coffee).

Not Tiramisu

1 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup sugar, divided

4 egg yolks

1 lb mascarpone cheese

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

24 ladyfingers

1 cup hot water

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 oz chocolate, finely grated

• Whip the cream with a tablespoon of sugar until stiff peaks form. You're done with this for a bit but keep it away from heat.
• In a larger bowl, beat together the egg yolks and remaining sugar. Switch the mixer to low and then scoop the mascarpone cheese in a little bit at a time until fully combined.
• Take 1/4 of the whipped cream and mix it into the cheese. Then fold in the remaining amount of cream, careful to not over beat it, along with the vanilla.
• Spread 1/2 cup of this mixture in the bottom of a 2-quart dish.
• In a small bowl, stir together hot water and cocoa powder.
• Dip ladyfingers in this mixture but don't let them soak! Carefully place in the bottom of the dish in a single layer.
• Scoop half the cheese mixture over the top and gently spread over the cookies. Sprinkle half the grated chocolate evenly on top.
• Now, repeat the last two steps!
• Cover and pop into your fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.

Here are a few tips:

• The only ladyfingers I could find were in the bakery and were almost like an angel food cake. These would completely fall apart if soaked in the hot chocolate mixture. So don't be concerned if there's a lot of that chocolate leftover.
• Some recipes call for cream cheese. I prefer mascarpone. You can usually find it in the deli section of your local supermarket.
• I used dark chocolate because I like it and it has a stronger taste. Use whatever you'd prefer.
• This would look pretty in a trifle dish!