I love sweets, but some more than others. On my top 5 favorites comes Tiramisu, I once made a big batch and ate it all in 2 days…about 2.5 lb worth of it. Ha! I’m a bit of an addict. Yes, I’m aware of the dangers of eating sugar and I try to keep myself in check and have a balanced diet, but once in a while a binge.

So, enought talking about me, let’s have a look at those recipes and get cooking ( if you’re feeling inspired).

Number 1 — Mille Feuille Tiramisu

INGREDIENTS Crepes

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour ¼ cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons kosher salt 4 large eggs 5 large egg yolks 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 2 cups whole milk 3 tablespoons Armagnac or cognac Tiramisu Filling

1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar 4 cups mascarpone cheese ½ cup sweet Marsala wine (or half as much rum or coffee liqueur) ¼ cup natural cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS 1. Make the crepe batter: In a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour and sugar. Whisk in the salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth and webby (it will be very thick). In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the butter, then the milk and the Armagnac, until the batter is smooth (if there are any lumps, strain the batter through a fine-mesh sieve and into a medium bowl). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Gently stir the crêpe batter, then pour ¼ cup of batter into the skillet. Holding the skillet by the handle, tilt and turn the skillet to quickly disperse the batter. Cook the crepe until the underside is golden-brown, about 1½ minutes. Lightly jerk the skillet to loosen the crepe, then flip the crepe over using a spatula, a more vigorous jerking motion or your fingers. Cook on the other side until golden-brown, about 30 seconds, then slide the crepe onto the parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all of the batter is used (you’ll end up with about 20 crepes total, and will need 18 for the cake). Refrigerate the crepes on the baking sheet until completely chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. 3. Make the tiramisu filling: In a fine-mesh sieve set over the bowl of a stand mixer, sift the confectioners’ sugar. Add the mascarpone cheese and the Marsala wine. Use the paddle attachment to combine the mixture on low speed until well combined. 4. Remove the crepes from the refrigerator. Add 1 crepe to the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan so it lies flat. Add ¼ cup of the tiramisu filling to the center of the crepe and use a small offset spatula to evenly spread the filling over the crêpe. Repeat with the filling and 17 more crêpes. Refrigerate the leftover filling; you’ll use it to finish the cake. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. 5. Remove the cake from the refrigerator, undo the springform pan and set set it on a cake plate or platter. Spread the remaining tiramisu cream on top of the cake. Add the cocoa powder to a fine-mesh sieve and sprinkle it over the top of the cake. Slice and serve.

Number 2 — Classic Tiramisu

This is the recipe I used for my 2.5lb binge session, I used white sweet wine for the cream (Chateau Suau – Sauterne 2011).

INGREDIENTS

Cream

3 eggs

90 g brown sugar

35 ml Marsala wine

250 g mascarpone cheese

400 ml heavy cream

Coffee Syrup for Soaking the Ladyfingers

200 ml strong coffee (instant, espresso, filter)

50 g brown sugar

50 ml Marsala wine

25 ml dark rum

And more: 20 italian ladyfinger biscuits cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the coffee syrup first. Put all the ingredients for syrup in a small pot and let boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes. Let cool. Now prepare the cream. Put egg yolks, sugar and Marsala into a heatproof bowl and put the bowl over a small pot filled with some water. Bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Let boil and start mixing with a hand mixer, on low speed for 4­5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. In the meantime beat heavy cream and egg whites each in a different bowl. Stir in mascarpone, heavy cream and egg whites into a cooled zabaglione. You can do this with a mixer too. Prepare baking dish that is 25x20cm. First determine how many biscuits you actually need: you need to have enough for two layers; for my dish I needed two times ten lady finger biscuits. So, first soak ten biscuits on both sides into coffee, arrange them on the bottom of the dish and spread half of the cream over. Dust with cocoa powder. Repeat for the remaining ten biscuits and the rest of the cream. Let it stay in the fridge overnight and do not dust it with cocoa. You don’t have to do this, of course, as you can eat tiramisu right away, only if you leave it in the fridge, it will be easier to cut nicely. Dust with cocoa before serving.

Number 3 — Tiramisu Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

For the Coffee Mixture (for dipping ladyfingers):

1/2 cup Hot Water

2 tablespoons Sugar

1 tablespoon Instant Espresso or strong Coffee

2 tablespoons coffee-flavored Liqueur

For the Cheesecake:

3 (8 oz.) packages full-fat Cream Cheese, at room temperature

2 large Eggs

2/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 1/3 cups Sugar

1/4 cup Cornstarch

1 tablespoon Hot Water

1 tablespoon Instant Espresso or strong Coffee

1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract

24 Ladyfingers, divided

For the Tiramisu:

1 (8 oz.) carton Mascarpone Cheese

1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cups cold Heavy Whipping Cream

2 tablespoons Sugar

DIRECTIONS

Coffee Mixture:

Combine the water and espresso in a small saucepan until dissolved. Add the sugar and coffee liqueur, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 3 minutes, uncovered, stirring a few times.

Cheesecake:

Stir the water and instant coffee together in a small cup until dissolved. Let cool. Stir coffee into the heavy cream. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8 or 9-inch springform pan (oddly, mine is 8 1/2-inch). Dip 12 ladyfinger cookies into the coffee mixture just long enough to get them wet, do not soak them! Arrange the ladyfingers on the bottom of the pan. (break or cut the last one to fit and fill the gaps). Wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending up the sides.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat one package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch on low speed until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beaters with a spatula as needed. Blend in remaining cheese, one package at a time. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Beat in the remaining sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed just until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the heavy cream mixture until blended; take care not to over whip! Spoon the batter into a springform pan.

Place the pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about halfway up of the springform pan. Bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes – the outside of the cake will set but the center will still be loose. Remove the cake from the water bath and let cool in the pan, on a wire rack, for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cold, preferably overnight or at least 4 hours.

Top the cold cheesecake, still in the pan, with a layer of 12 ladyfingers dipped in the coffee mixture. Transfer the cake to the freezer until completely frozen, 3-4 hours or overnight.

Tiramisu:

In a medium-size bowl, whip the cream with the mixer on high speed until it thickens and soft peaks begin to form. With the mixer still running, add the sugar and beat until the stiff peaks form. Do not over mix! Beat in vanilla. Gently fold in the mascarpone with a rubber spatula.

Remove the cake from the freezer and let it stand at room temperature about 10 minutes. Spoon the 2/3 of the mascarpone mixture on the top of the cheesecake and even out with a frosting spatula. Since the cheesecake is still very cold, the mascarpone cream will set fast. Release and gently remove the sides of the springform. Spread the remaining mascarpone cream around the sides of the cake.

To decorate, sprinkle with cocoa powder or chocolate curls. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, until the mascarpone layer is cold and cheesecake layer has defrosted. Slice cake with a sharp straight-edge knife cleaning it with a paper towel between each slice. Keep leftover cake covered in refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to one month.

Number 4 — Tiramisu Mousse

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee (I use the Starbucks Via packs)

1/4 cup hot water

1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold (see note)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (see note)

8 ounces marscarpone cheese or cream cheese (low fat cream cheese is fine)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ounce semi-sweet baking chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Place the instant coffee in the hot water and stir. Let cool for 5 minutes. Beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to use. (Alternately: you can use an 8 ounce carton of whipped topping. See note.) Mix powdered sugar and marscarpone/cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of the coffee. Add up to the entire amount of coffee, depending on how strong you want your tiramisu. (I added all of it because that’s how I roll.) Mix in vanilla. Fold whipped cream into coffee mixture gently. Place the tiramisu in a gallon size ziploc bag that is fitted with a large round or 1M tip. Pipe a small amount the bottom of each of 4 serving glasses (my glasses were 6 ounce size). Top the layer with a dusting of cocoa powder. Continue layering the tiramisu and cocoa powder. Once you get to the top layer, grate the 1 ounce of semi-sweet baking chocolate over the tops of the serving dishes (instead of the dusting of cocoa powder). This gives a sweet first taste instead of being bitter from the unsweetened cocoa. Chill, covered, in the fridge until ready to serve.

NOTES:

Whipped cream note: you can substitute whipped topping for the 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. Use about 8 ounces, no whipping needed. Just skip step 2.

I used cream cheese because I can’t always find marscarpone at my store. It’s often in the specialty cheese section and is basically an Italian cream cheese. Use whichever you can find!

Coffee note: mine was strong instant coffee and I added a lot. Taste as you go and make this as strong as you like it. The color will vary depending on the amount of coffee used.

Powdered sugar note: if you use whipped topping and/or less coffee you may need less powdered sugar. Start at 1 cup and increase as needed.

Number 5 — Red Velvet Tiramisu Brownies ( OMG!!)

INGREDIENTS

For the red velvet brownies:

1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

⅓ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter

2 oz. dark chocolate

¾ cup (170 g) granulated sugar

1½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon red food coloring (or as needed)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

For the tiramisu:

4 egg yolks

⅓ cup (67 g) sugar

⅓ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (225 g) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

½ cup (125 ml) heavy whipping cream

½ cup cold-brewed coffee

3 oz. (85 g) soft ladyfingers

cocoa powder, for topping

chocolate shaves, for topping (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Red velvet brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another small bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Set aside. Melt the butter and chocolate in a large microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until melted. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder. Carefully whisk in the food coloring (to desired color) until combined. Sir in the vinegar. Slowly stir in the eggs, then fold in the flour mixture until it is all combined. Do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place on wire rack to cool completely. Prepare a strong espresso coffee. Tiramisu: Place the egg yolks and sugar in the heatproof bowl, and whisk together until they become pale yellow. Set a heatproof bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Cook on low, stirring and whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and forms a ribbon trail on the surface when the whisk is lifted (for about 5-7 minutes). Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in vanilla. Beat in the mascarpone until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the cheese mixture. To assemble the tiramisu brownies: Pour a quarter of the tiramisu mixture over the brownies and spread evenly over the top. Arrange the ladyfingers on top of the tiramisu mixture. Using a pastry brush, brush tops of ladyfingers with coffee until they are saturated. Pour remaining tiramisu mixture on top and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and grated chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Number 6 — Tiramisu Dip

INGREDIENTS

275 g Mascarpone cheese

½ cup 35% cream*

3½ Tbsp granulated sugar

1½ Tbsp Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur)

Cocoa powder, for dusting

Ladyfinger biscuits, to serve

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, whip the mascarpone for about a minute until creamy. Beat in cream, sugar, and Kahlua until thick, about 2 minutes. Divide mixture into 4 small ramekins or other serving dishes. Dust generously with cocoa powder and serve with ladyfingers on the side.

NOTES You can easily prepare this ahead of time. Simply make the mixture, divide into cups, and store in the fridge until ready to eat. Dust with cocoa powder right before eating. Depending on where you live, cream may vary. If you can’t find cream that’s specifically 35%, don’t worry! Any cream with a fat content within the range of 30-35% will give you the desired results (basically just cream you would use to make standard whipped cream).

Well I don’t know about you, but now I’m hungry and I’m off to the kitchen to try one of these yummy beauties. Let me know what you thought about them and if you came up with some of your own.

Till next time!