Mini Tiramisu Cups with Warninks Advocaat

Close-up of a glass of tiramisu dessert topped with golden stars.

5 from 1 vote

Mini Tiramisu Cups with Warninks Advocaat

Mini tiramisu cups are a stylish and mess-free way to present this classic Italian dessert. A splash of Warninks turns this quick and easy recipe into advocaat tiramisu, which is a great way to elevate this dessert for Christmas and other times a showstopping celebration dessert is called for.

Prep Time30

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian, Worldwide

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 417kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Equipment

6 Individual serving glasses (medium sized - those picture hold around 125ml liquid)

Ingredients

250 g Mascarpone cream cheese
3 Eggs large, free-range
2 tablespoons Caster sugar
90 ml Espresso coffee (strong)
90 ml Warninks advocaat
175 g Ladyfingers (Savoiardi biscuits)
1½ tablespoons Cocoa powder
1½ tablespoons Dark chocolate (grated)
1 tablespoon Sprinkles (optional)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Brew the espresso coffee and stir the Warninks Advocaat into it.
Roughly break the ladyfingers into smaller pieces to fit your serving glasses.
Separate the egg whites and yolks then use electric beaters to whisk the egg whites until fluffy and firm.
Use the same beaters to whip the egg yolks and sugar until very thick, creamy and pale (around 3-4 minutes). They are whipped sufficiently when a trail remains for a few seconds after the mixture falls off of the whisk (this is the ribbon stage).
Add the mascarpone to the egg yolk mixture and gently beat it in – put the electric mixer on the lowest speed setting and mix until just smooth.
Use a large metal spoon to gently fold the whipped egg white into this mixture.
Spoon a small amount of this creamy mixture into the bottom of each serving glass.
Dip a piece of ladyfinger into the coffee mixture for approximately 2-3 seconds and lay it on top of the creamy layer in one of the glasses. Repeat until the base layer is covered.
Repeat for the remaining glasses.
Now add another layer of the mascarpone mixture (aim for around a 1cm thickness).
Add another layer of biscuits dipped in the coffee mixture.
Top with another 1cm layer of mascarpone mix.
Add a third layer of ladyfinger biscuits dipped in the coffee.
Top with the remaining mascarpone cream and level the top of each dessert using the back of a teaspoon.
Transfer them to the fridge to rest for 24 hours.
When ready to serve dust with sieved cocoa powder and scatter the grated chocolate and sprinkles over the top.

Notes

You may find that you have a few ladyfingers left over. They generally come in packs of at least 175g. Leftovers store well if wrapped and stored in an airtight container.
With this in mind perhaps break up two-thirds of the biscuits to begin with and only break up more if they are required.
The coffee needs to be strong to carry a good flavour through the dessert. Use either:
- 40g-50g espresso powder to make 100ml espresso coffee
- Or 4 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee granules dissolved in 100ml water that has been boiled and left to stand in the kettle for 5 minutes.
Don’t soak the biscuits in the coffee and advocaat mixture for too long otherwise, they will get too soggy and disintegrate. Aim for 2-3 seconds maximum.
This dessert does need to sit in the fridge to firm up for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight. The resting time allows the flavour and texture of the advocaat tiramisu to improve, so, whatever you do, don’t skimp on the resting time.
Make sure your serving cups or glasses are not too large or too small. Mine hold around 150ml liquid and the ingredients listed are enough for 6 individual tiramisu desserts in these size glasses.
You can make smaller portions to make tiny desserts should you desire – this is handy if you’re presenting several options for diners.
Alternatively, use the ingredients to make one large Christmas tiramisu. The recipe listed will fit a 6×8-inch oblong serving dish (around 2 inches deep). Use 2 layers of ladyfingers.
Once assembled do keep your mini tiramisu cups in the fridge. Cover each one (to avoid fridge odours penetrating the dessert) and they will store for up to 3 days.

How to avoid split mascarpone

Mascarpone is more likely to split if it is whipped with other ingredients of a higher temperature. Avoid this potential pitfall by making sure that the eggs and mascarpone are well chilled before you start. Granted, the temperature of the eggs will rise as they are whipped, but it’s a step towards keeping the difference in temperature between the two ingredients at a minimum.
The older the mascarpone is, the more likely it is to split, so use a pot that is well within its use-by date.
Similarly, low-fat versions are more prone to splitting than the full-fat version. So, I recommend using only full-fat mascarpone for this recipe.
Even following the above advice there is still a risk of splitting. Think of mascarpone as being a little obtuse! The best way to reduce the risk of curdling is to beat the mascarpone using electric beaters on a low-speed setting. Beat in 15-second bursts until just smooth. At this point stop beating.

Nutrition