DecafTiramisu

Ingredients

 3 eggs
 500g Mascarpone
 2 tsp Vanilla sugar
 Decaffeinated Expresso Coffee
 Savoiardi (sponge fingers)
 Vodka
 Carob flour
 Carob bar (for grating)

Utensils

 Two large mixing bowls
 One shallow dish
 Large serving dish
 Electric Mixer
 Small sieve
 Cling film
 Tablespoon
 Fine grater
 Newspaper

Preparation Time

 5 minutes (1 week before)
 1 hour (1 day before)
 5 minutes (just before serving)

Complexity

 Easy

Method (one week in advance)

One week in advance, put some decaffeinated expresso coffee in about 1/4 pt of vodka. Cover it with cling film.

Method (one day in advance)

Make some decaffeinated expresso coffee (about 1/4 pt) and let it cool. Let the mascarpone warm up to room temperature.

Separate the eggs.

Mix the mascarpone, vanilla sugar and eggs yolks, and whisk until properly combined.

Clean and dry the mixer blades thoroughly. Whisk the eggs whites until it forms stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture. (Use the tablespoon - it has a sharp edge.)

Spread some of the mixure into the serving dish to cover the base.

Mix the cold coffee and vodka/coffee mixture in a shallow dish. (If you pour the vodka/coffee carefully, you won't need to filter out the grounds.)

Working quickly, dip the savoiardi in the coffee/vodka mixture, rotate it to cover the both sides of the finger, and place the finger in the serving dish. Spend only a second or two per finger - any longer and the finger may disintegrate. Repeat until the first layer of fingers is complete.

Cover with the mascarpone mixture.

Repeat so that you have a second layer of savoiardi covered with mascarpone. Smooth the top surface.

Sift carob flour over the surface. Cover with cling film and refridgerate overnight.

Method (5 minutes in advance)

Sift more carab flour over the surface. Grate some of the carob bar over the surface.

Tips

The mixing for the egg white should clean and perfectly dry before use.

Don't leave the whisked egg whites for long before folding them in.

If you need to break the savoiardi into bits to completely fill a layer, do so. Don't leave large gaps or it'll taste boring and you'll run out of mascarpone.

When smoothing the top surface, use a different spoon if the one you were using is covered in dinsintegrated savoiardi. If there are a few bits still visible, it doesn't matter - you can hide them under the carob flour.

When sifting the carob flour, load the seive away from the tiramisu, then hold the seieve high up and gently tap the edge. That will spread the carob over a large area without leaving large clumps. Put some newspaper underneath to catch the flour the misses the dish.

You can get carob flour and bars at a health food shop.