Everyone knows the birthplace of tiramisu, but no one really knows the birthplace of tiramisu. As conflicting as that sentence is, the love and obsession for this classic of the most classic Italian desserts is equally simple and uncomplicated for epicureans around the world.

For some of us, it is the too-soft-to-be-real, velvety mouthfeel of mascarpone, while for others it is the hit of coffee that dances on the tongue before satiating the senses. In Italy, they also call it an aphrodisiac, and indisputably so.