Here’s a good tiramisu story for you. It was one of the best dates I’ve ever had which ended with me eating tiramisu in bed, dressed in a fancy hotel robe, watching Location Location Location (otherwise known as the best show on TV).

Let me explain…

My partner and I met in October 2020, when all the lockdown rules were weird and complicated. Our first date was one of these 10pm curfew situations at the Shoreditch House rooftop, because we still weren’t allowed to meet inside. We had pizza and fries and beer and I loved it.

Fast forward a year or so and everything was open again. I’d been building up my Shoreditch House credits throughout the lockdowns (membership fees became credits while the place was shut) and now had a hefty stash of cash to spend, along with a deadline to spend it by. I hadn’t actually realised this, so when I got an email to say I had a few days left to spend my credits, or they’d be scrapped, my partner and I decided to go back to where it all started and spend it in one go, on a next-level-luxury date night.

It did not disappoint. We had over £400 to spend in one night (!) so we booked a hotel room at Redchurch Townhouse and had basically everything on the menu from the Italian restaurant downstairs, Cecconi’s, plus a whole lot of aperol spritz. To round out the night, the restaurant suggested we take our desserts upstairs, so we donned our robes, hopped into bed and had tiramisu delivered in those posh silver serving thingys (which, after a quick google, I’ve learned is called a plate cloche. Fancy). We watched Kirsty and Phil on catch up and imagined ourselves living a life like this forever. The next day, we went back up to the Shoreditch House rooftop for breakfast and spent a lazy morning there, sipping coffee, and reminiscing about the day we met.

Back in our cosy little east London flat, I like to make cheat’s tiramisu cups whenever I want to be reminded of that day. We hop into bed, watch Kirsty and Phil and eat spoonfuls of sponge, coffee and cream. Delish!

Here’s my quick and easy cheat’s tiramisu recipe.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

150ml double cream, whipped

200g mascarpone, stirred until loosened slightly and completely smooth

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp brandy, marsala wine, or coffee liquer (optional)

12 savoiardi biscuits (otherwise known as sponge fingers, or lady fingers) broken into halves or thirds, depending on the size of the serving cups

200ml coffee, brewed however you like, and cooled

20g chocolate shavings

Cocoa powder, for dusting

METHOD

Combine the whipped cream, mascarpone, vanilla extract and optional alcohol in a bowl and gently fold together until completely smooth.
Pour the coffee into a shallow dish. Get 4 serving cups ready. Dip half of the biscuit pieces into the coffee on either side and divide between the serving cups. Top each layer of biscuits with a layer of cream mixture and dust with a little cocoa.
Repeat this process again for each of the four cups, using the remaining biscuits and remaining cream mixture. Top with the chocolate savings to finish.

If making in advance, keep refrigerated and top with the chocolate shavings just before serving.