Whip egg yolks with 1/4 cup of sugar in a medium-size bowl until they become light, fluffy, and tripled in volume. To get the best results, you should use an electric mixer. Once you achieve the said texture, transfer the mixture into a large bowl.
Use the same bowl to whip the cream with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. At this point, you want to get medium-soft peaks. Once you do, add the mascarpone into the cream and whip the two together until you get a soft cream you can easily spread. Finally, fold the mascarpone mixture into the egg yolks very lightly to ensure that they do not lose their airy, fluffy texture.
At this point, you can combine the espresso and your preferred liqueur in a shallow bowl or a plate and set it aside.
Use a fine sifter to dust the entire bottom of a 2-quart baking dish with 1 tablespoon of dark cocoa powder. If you do not have such a baking dish, you can use an 8x8-inch dish or a 9-inch round cake pan too.
Now it's time to start assembling the cake. Dip ladyfingers into the espresso mixture, one at a time, and place them on the bottom of your dish or a cake pan (keep the rounded side up). Repeat this until you use up half the amount of the ladyfingers. Note that you can (and probably will need to) break the ladyfingers into smaller pieces to fill the gaps.
Once you have an even layer, spread half of the mascarpone mixture evenly onto the ladyfingers. Now, repeat the process with the remaining ladyfingers, espresso, and mascarpone.
Now that you have a completed cake, dust its top with the remaining tablespoon of cocoa powder. Use the same sift to ensure that you can spread it evenly.
Finally, use either shaved or grated chocolate to decorate the cake.
At this point, cover the cake with plastic wrap and leave it to chill in your refrigerator (the plastic wrap ensures that the cake does not pick up any odors). Leave it as it is for 24 hours or overnight. If you can not wait this long, give it at least 4 hours before you cut into it.
Servings 0