Nontraditional Tiramisu

Recently I checked out my high school friend's food blog and was motivated to try out her tiramisu recipe after she did a step by step video on her insta. Here's her egg-less, alcohol-free tiramisu recipe. I'm not a huge coffee or even chocolate person but this turned out amazingggg and was finished by my family within a couple of days.  

Ingredients

• 4 tsp instant coffee
• 1-3/4 cups hot (but not boiling) water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened — leaving it out an hour or so before makes life so much easier
• ½ cup (preferably caster, but granulated works fine too) sugar
• 20-24 lady fingers (Got mine from Sprout's) 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• Cocoa powder, sifted, for dusting

Chocolate Ganache (optional but really perfects the recipe in my opinion!) 

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Combine instant coffee + hot water in a bowl. Place in refrigerator to cool completely (needs to be at least room temperature by the time we use it).
2. Prepare the chocolate ganache now: Place chocolate chips in a bowl, set aside. Heat heavy cream on medium heat until it simmers but does not boil. Then pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute. Afterward, whisk thoroughly until the cream and chocolate combine to form a ganache. Set aside.
3. Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks, but careful not to overbeat.
4. Combine cream cheese, sugar, optional vanilla, and 4 Tablespoons of the brewed coffee. Stir until smooth and creamy. (If your coffee was hot, your cream cheese might separate a little but it’s fine, because after it sets overnight everything should consolidate together perfectly).
5. Gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream (or vice versa).
6. Place pound cake slices in an 8×8 baking dish and cover the bottom. (You may need to tear some slices in half to fill all the crevices and corners). Then ladle half the brewed coffee over it.
7. If using chocolate ganache, spoon half of it over the coffee soaked pound cake slices and spread evenly.
8. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture evenly on top, and dust with cocoa powder.
9. Repeat another layer of the pound cake slices, rest of the coffee, other half of the ganache (if using), and the rest of the cream cheese mixture. Dust with a final sprinkling of sifted cocoa powder. Decorate with chocolate shavings if desired!
10. Refrigerate overnight (or at the very least 6 hours). Enjoy!