¾ cup (180ml) strong brewed black coffee, room temperature
3 tablespoons coffee liqueur (I use Kahlua, you could use brandy, cognac, or Amaretto)
250g (8.8 oz) mascarpone or cream cheese (full fat)
1 cup (250ml / 8 fl oz) sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup (180ml) heavy whipping cream (at least 35%)
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ladyfingers (savoiardi)
2-3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting (I use Dutch-processed cocoa)
For the optional topping
½ cup (125ml) heavy whipping cream (at least 35%)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
Lightly grease your pan with some oil and then line it with 2 layers of plastic wrap. Set it aside.
In a small bowl, mix the coffee with 2 tablespoons of the coffee liqueur. ( If you like it boozier, you can add another tablespoon of the coffee liqueur.) Set it aside.
Pour the whipping cream into a medium bowl. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the coffee liqueur and whip to stiff peaks. Set it aside.
In another bowl, beat the mascarpone/cream cheese with the sweetened condensed milk until it’s creamy and there are no more lumps, about 2 minutes. Scrape the side of the bowl as needed.
Pour the cheese mixture into the whipped cream and fold everything together with a spatula.
Spread about ⅓ of the cheese mixture into the prepared pan and smooth it out.
Very quickly dunk the ladyfingers into the coffee, one at a time, and place them on top of the filling. I like to do this horizontally so that I fit 6 cookies in each layer. If you want you could place them vertically.
Spread another ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the ladyfingers and smooth it out.
Repeat with the remaining ladyfingers and then spread the rest of the cheese mixture on top.
Cover with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freeze for at least 5 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap that you put on top to cover the dessert. Then place a serving platter or plate on top and flip the dessert over so it inverts onto the plate. Remove the plastic wrap that lined the pan and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder or top with the optional whipped topping.
For the optional topping
To a medium bowl, add the heavy cream, vanilla and powdered sugar and whip to stiff peaks.
Spread the whipped cream over the frozen dessert or scoop it into a piping bag fitted with a tip and pipe stars on top. I use a Wilton 1M.
Dust with cocoa powder.
Enjoy!
Notes
This dessert can be stored in the freezer for up to a month.VARIATIONS & SUBSTITUTIONS
Instead of coffee liqueur, you can use cognac, brandy or Amaretto.
For a kid-friendly version without alcohol, you can dip the ladyfingers in chocolate milk or cooled hot chocolate.
If you don’t want to dust the dessert with cocoa powder, you could pour melted dark chocolate on top!
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
If you want a boozier dessert, feel free to add more coffee liqueur to the coffee before dipping the ladyfingers.
You have to be really quick when you dip the ladyfingers in the coffee, otherwise they will get very soggy and fall apart. All you need to do is dunk them really fast.
Don’t refreeze the dessert once it has completely thawed. When I’m ready to serve, I always slice it and immediately put the remaining dessert back in the freezer. If it has thawed, you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to about 4 days.