No ladyfingers? Make tiramisu with another Filipino biscuit: otap, the sugar-coated puff pastry snacks from Cebu. When soaked in coffee, the crunchy cookies yield into a soft, flaky, almost pull-apart texture that contrasts with the fluffy cream cheese filling. If you want to stir your tiramisu into a mocha-flavored direction, mix some melted dark or bittersweet chocolate into the coffee soak.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 cups cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 2 cups strong brewed espresso or dark-roast coffee
- otap
- cocoa powder, for dusting
Prepare cream cheese layer: Combine cream cheese, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip on low speed, scraping down sides of the bowl, until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the whipping cream, increase speed to medium, and whip to medium peaks. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
Assemble tiramisu: Prepare a 9x13-inch serving dish. Pour espresso into a wide, shallow bowl.
Add otap to the espresso and let soak, flipping once, until moist but not soggy and falling apart. Arrange soaked otap in a single layer at the bottom of the serving dish, breaking or overlapping pieces as necessary. Spread half of the cream in an even layer over the otap. Dust a thin layer of cocoa powder over the cream.
Use remaining otap, espresso, cream, and cocoa powder (make this top layer a little thicker!) to make a second layer.
Refrigerate: Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 hours. Slice into squares, then dust with a fresh layer of cocoa powder on top before serving.
