Make the coffee syrup: In a small bowl, combine hot coffee, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons liqueur, if using. Mix until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.

For the filling: In a large bowl, whisk mascarpone vigorously by hand until creamy and smooth. Whisk in vanilla extract and alcohol, if uding. In a different mixer bowl, whisk together heavy cream and sugar using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mascarpone in 2 additions until mixture is smooth.

Assemble the tiramisu in individual glasses: Spoon a dollop of the mascarpone cream mixture into the bottom of the glass. Break each ladyfinger into 4 pieces, soak in the coffee and place on top of the cream. You don’t have to use all 4 pieces at once; it depends on the size of the glass. Repeat with layering filling and ladyfingers, creating 2-3 layers in total. For each ladyfinger, add about 2-3 heaping tablespoons of cream. It doesn’t have to be exact – if you like more cream, go ahead and add more. For each serving, use 2-3 ladyfingers in total. For individual servings, you might need fewer ladyfingers than what the recipe suggests.

To assemble in an 8x8-inch baking dish: Dip ladyfingers very quickly (less than a second) into the coffee syrup and line them in one layer in a baking dish. If necessary, break a few ladyfingers to fit them in the dish. Spoon half of the filling over the ladyfingers and smooth the top. Repeat with a second layer of coffee-dipped ladyfingers, then with the rest of the cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days. I don’t suggest freezing tiramisu since it will ruin its texture.