Irish Cream Tiramisù

Spiked with Baileys, Irish-style tiramisu is one of the best. Done correctly, a classic tiramisù can be transcendent. A creamy dessert of espresso-soaked ladyfingers surrounded by lightly sweetened whipped cream and a rich mascarpone, tiramisù relies heavily on the quality of its ingredients. If you don’t have a barista setup at home, pick up the espresso at a local coffee shop, or use strongly brewed coffee. As for the ladyfingers, make your own or buy them, but keep in mind that store-bought varieties can range from soft and spongy (like angel food cake) to hard and crunchy (like biscotti). Both kinds will work here, but if you're using the softer variety, stick to a light brushing of espresso, instead of a deep dip.

With layers of espresso- and Baileys-soaked ladyfingers and light mascarpone cream, it looks and tastes impressive yet is almost ridiculously easy to make. You spend 20 minutes putting it together, if that, then just pop it in the fridge overnight.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups espresso or very strong black coffee, cooled
• 1 cup Baileys Irish Cream, divided
• 14 oz (or two 7-ounce packs) Savoiardi cookies or ladyfingers (see note), although you won't use all of them
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup superfine sugar (to make your own, process regular granulated sugar in food processor for 30 seconds until fine)
• 1 pound mascarpone cheese
• 2-1/2 teaspoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Hershey's