TIRAMISU

6 oz/200 gm Mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons/45 ml Cocoa powder
2 tablespoons/30 ml Icing or Confectioners Sugar
5 tablespoons/75 ml Kahlua, any coffee flavored liqueur or very strong coffee
1 teaspoon/5 ml Pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup/125 ml Whipping cream
12 Lady Fingers

Beat the cheese, cocoa powder, icing sugar, 3 tablespoons of the Kahlua, 1/2 teaspoons of the vanilla extract in a large bowl with a wire whisk until well blended.

In another bowl whip the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture.

Combine the remaining Kahlua and vanilla in a small bowl.

Cut the lady fingers in half length-wise. Using either a 1 quart glass dessert bowl or 6 individual glass bowls, place one layer of lady fingers on the bottom. Brush with some of the Kahlua/vanilla mixture.

Spoon 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the lady finger layer. Repeat two more times until there are three layers of both lady fingers and cheese mixture. If there are lady fingers left, use them to decorate the top of the dessert, drizzling any left over Kahlua/vanilla mixture over the fingers.

Dust the top lightly with cocoa powder and serve with sweetened whipped cream if desired.

Servings: 6