Ingredients:
A round (we use a 9 inch, non-stick springform cake pan)
2 round sponge cakes or enough lady fingers to cover round cake plate with 2 layers (about 2 packages)
2 cups Mascarpone cheese—or, easier and less costly, use 2 parts whipped cream to 3 parts cream cheese. Warm cheese for easier mixing.
¼ cup whipped cream (in addition to above if you choose to mix your own "generic" Mascarpone)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
¼ cup shaved German chocolate,
¼ cup shaved white chocolate
¼ cup espresso or strong coffee, leftover from the morning is very okay
½ cup Kailua or similar liqueur
½ can of Coco Casa (Cream of Coconut) You can find this in larger supermarkets. Check out the section where they display mixers such as margarita, Collins, etc. Coco Casa, I guess, could be used to make a pinà colada. It is very sweet!
Preparation:
Separate eggs in 2 bowls
Add the sugar to the yokes in a metal bowl or pan
Place this bowl into another pan with bowling water, or use a double boiler. If you insert a bowl into a sauce pan, for example, make sure it doesn't touch the water. (all you are trying to do here is kill any possible bad microscopic organisms in the raw eggs).
Whisk until fully blended and slightly cooked—about 5-7 minutes.
Mix the egg whites vigorously until they are frothy (use an electric mixer, ideally).
Add mascarpone to whipped yokes and sugar—whisk until combined
An optional hint: If you like the liquor taste, add Kailua, Grand Marnier, flavored brandy, whatever you think will taste the best. We've tried all of these and all greatly add. You only need to use one of these per dish, however.
Add the egg whites to the yoke mixture.
Layer the bottom of a 9x13 round cake disk pan with sponge cake that fits snugly or with the lady fingers. (The sponge cake is tasty and easy for this, but our stores only have these in the summer when there are fresh, local berries.)
Soak this cake layer with ½ of the coffee.
Add 1/2 of the egg/mascarpone mixture.
Sprinkle with ¼ of the shaved chocolate.
Add another layer of cake or lady fingers. Soak with the rest of the coffee.
Add the other half of the egg/mascarpone mixture and smooth it out.
Whip the whipped cream until it peaks, then add the Coco Casa to the whipped cream and mix it in well. You can add the Coco Casa before you beat the whipped cream but it takes much longer to peak this way.
Cover the top of the cake with the whipped cream mixture and sprinkle it with the rest of the chocolate.
Refrigerate this sumptuous Italian dessert recipe for a minimum of two hours. (We like to put it in the freezer until it is well set).
And, that's it. A wonderful, special occasion Italian dessert that anyone would love. Don't even hesitate to serve this to your most "discerning" guests.
