A cliché it may be, but the Sardinians are no less fond of this 1950s Italian classic than I am, and I see no reason not to be, because when done well, it can be one of the nicest things to eat. Don’t be put off by mediocre tiramisu experiences – this recipe is totally fool-proof, and I have fed it to many Sardinians, who declared it is the best they have ever tasted.

Literally translated as ‘pick-me-up,’ tiramisu is not only delicious as a dessert: it is the perfect thing for breakfast after a heavy night, the booze and coffee providing both the hair-of-the-dog and the caffeine necessary. There is no time of any day, in fact, when a little pick-me-up is not welcome. For me the key is the quantity of alcohol. Like a good trifle, it is this boozy kick that elevates the childhood nostalgia of a custardy cream and cake combo into something a little more adult and refined.

I like to make mine in a big dish or trifle bowl for serving by the generous scoopful, rather than in individual portions. A traditional tiramisu has only two layers of biscuit, but you can scale this recipe up quite easily, or use a tall but narrow vessel, as I have done here, to create more layers.

Find more recipes from ‘Bitter Honey’.

A recipe from Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from Sardinia by Letitia Clark (Hardie Grant). Buy a copy here.