Tiramisu tart

An irresistible tiramisu tart featuring everything you love about the classic Italian dessert in a new and elegant form. A crisp, buttery shortcrust pastry is filled with silky mascarpone cream, layered with coffee- and Amaretto-soaked ladyfingers, then finished with another layer of creamy tiramisu filling and a generous dusting of cocoa. It’s the perfect dessert to enjoy with coffee. Serve with fresh raspberries for an extra-special touch.

Ingredients for shortcrust pastry:

• 200 g plain flour
• 90 g cold butter, diced
• 30 g lard*, cold and diced
• 60 g icing sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 2–3 tablespoons cold water

Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the butter and lard, then rub them into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Alternatively, prepare the pastry in a food processor. Add the icing sugar, salt and cold water, then quickly bring the dough together. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film, and chill for 30–60 minutes.

Grease a 24 cm tart tin with butter and lightly dust with flour. Roll out the chilled pastry to about 3 mm thick and line the tart tin. Chill again for 30 minutes. Lightly dust the pastry with flour, line it with baking paper, then fill with baking beans or dried beans/rice.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Reduce the temperature to 190°C and bake the pastry case for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and baking beans, reduce the temperature to 180°C, and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until golden and fully baked. Leave to cool completely.

Ingredients for tiramisu cream:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 large egg whites
• 70 g caster sugar
• 500 g mascarpone, chilled
• 30 ml Amaretto

Place the egg yolks and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until pale, thick and creamy. Gradually add the mascarpone in several additions, mixing until smooth. Add the Amaretto and mix until incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold them into the mascarpone mixture.

To assemble:

• about 120 g Savoiardi (ladyfingers)
• 200 ml strong freshly brewed coffee, cooled
• 15 ml Amaretto
• cocoa powder, for dusting

Mix the cooled coffee with the Amaretto. Spread half of the tiramisu cream over the cooled pastry case. Dip the Savoiardi briefly into the coffee mixture until well soaked but not falling apart. Arrange them over the cream, trimming them if necessary to fit the tart. Spread the remaining tiramisu cream over the biscuits and smooth the surface. Refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, dust generously with cocoa powder, sifted through a fine sieve. Slice and serve, ideally with fresh raspberries.

* Lard gives the pastry an especially crisp, crumbly texture, but you can replace it with the same weight of additional butter if preferred.

Enjoy!