Tiramisu

Instructions

1. In a shallow bowl, combine 1 cup coffee or espresso and 2 tablespoons dark rum.
2. In a separate, heat-proof bowl, add egg yolks, 2 tablespoons rum, ¼ cup of sugar, and vanilla.
3. Set the bowl with the egg yolk mixture on top of a saucepan filled with about 1 inch of water. Bring the water to barely a simmer, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
4. Vigorously whisk the egg mixture until it is light and foamy, and nearly triples in volume, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the mascarpone cheese to the egg mixture and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk the heavy cream and ¼ cup sugar on medium speed until medium peaks form.
7. Gently fold ⅓ of the whipped cream mixture into the mascarpone mixture. Add the remaining whipped cream, and fold until just combined.
8. Quickly dip enough ladyfingers (about 2 seconds per side) in the coffee mixture to cover the bottom of an 8-inch square dish. Feel free to arrange the cookies anyway they best fit in the dish.
9. Add half of the mascarpone mixture to the dish and evenly spread it over the dipped ladyfingers.
10. Dip the remaining ladyfingers in the coffee, arrange them on top of the cheese mixture.
11. Spread the remaining mascarpone cheese over the ladyfingers in an even layer.
12. Sprinkle some of the cocoa powder evenly over the tiramisu. Clean the edges of the dish. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.
13. Allow tiramisu to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with more cocoa powder right before serving.