Made for a birthday this recipe made one large Tirimi Su (11 x 9 inches) with enough left over for a 1 portion bowl (for testing purposes of course!)

The recipe has been taken from the most amazing Italian cookbook The Silver Spoon (that everyone should own, it is an encyclopaedia of all Italian cooking up to and including ‘Il Quinto Quarto’ – offal) though it has been modified slightly.

NB – This recipe contains raw eggs and as such should not be eaten by the pregnant, elderly, small children or anyone else with low immune systems.

Whisk 4 egg whites to stiff peaks

In a separate bowl whisk 8 egg yolks with 300g icing sugar until pale and fluffy.

Fold in 1kg Mascarpone Cheese and then the egg whites.

Brew some strong coffee and add the liqueur of your choice (Amaretto or brandy is traditional, Baileys or Tia Maria work well.. experiment! Find what you like!)

Dip the sponge fingers (lady’s fingers) into the coffee and layer on the bottom of the dish. Cover with a layer of the mascarpone mix and sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Add another layer of dipped fingers and then finish with a top layer of mascarpone.

Sprinkle with some more grated chocolate.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.