Tiramisu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiramisu is an Italian phrase which means “Pick me up” or “Lift me up.” Just like it’s name, this coffee flavored dessert is sure to comfort you and pick you up when you are down. Traditionally, Tiramisu is an Italian dessert made by layering coffee soaked lady fingers or sponge cakes with a whipped mixture of mascarpone cheese, eggs, sugar and whipped cream. There are however many variations of this dessert. In this recipe, I have left out the raw eggs from the filling and added some cream cheese to give the filling a more prominent taste. I have also used a baked sponge in place of ladyfingers. This is my No. 1 choice for dessert because it is soooo good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

Sponge Cake (See Note 1)

(1) 100 Grams Cake Flour (3/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon)

(2) 3 Large Eggs (Yolks and Whites Separated)

(3) 100 Grams Granulated White Sugar (1/2 Cup)

(4) 1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Cream Filling:

(1) 1 Cup Whipping Cream

(2) 8 Oz (226 Grams) Mascarpone Cheese (See Note 2)

(3) 4 Oz (113 Grams) Cream Cheese (See Note 2)

(4) 40 Grams Icing Sugar (1/3 Cup)

Coffee:

(1) 1.5 Cups Strongly Brewed Coffee

(2) 1 Tablespoon Rum (Use any Liqueur of your choice) (Optional)

Topping:

(1) 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder

(2) Shaved Chocolate (Optional)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTES:

(1) Ladyfingers can be used in place of sponge cakes. Ladyfingers are light sweet sponge cakes which are shaped like large fingers. They are readily available in large grocery and Italian stores. They can also be made at home using the sponge cake recipe that would be used here.

(2) Traditionally, mascarpone is the only cheese used to make Tiramisu. It is a very mild tasting Italian soft cheese. In this recipe, I have substituted 1/3 of the mascarpone cheese with cream cheese because I want a sharper tasting cream filling. Feel free to use all mascarpone cheese, all cream cheese or different ratios of each. As an aside, mascarpone is quite expensive when compared to other soft cheeses.

(3) Layers of lemon curd can be introduced into the cake for a more complex flavor. A recipe for lemon curd can be found here.

PROCEDURE:

Tiramisu should be made the day before it is to be served. This is because it needs time in the fridge for structure and flavor maturity.

Baking the Sponge:

(1) Grease an 8 x 4 x 2.5 OR an 8.5 x 4.5 x. 2.5 Loaf pan and set it aside.

Note: Though Tiramisu comes mostly loaf shaped, they can be made in any pan shape of your choice. You can thus go for circular or square pans of the same volume capacity. The cake below is a Tiramisu cake made with double this recipe and baked in two 9 inch round cake pans. The cake was frosted with a Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Separate the egg whites from the yolks and bring them to room temperature.

(3) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

(4) In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at medium high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. With the mixer still running, add the sugar a tablespoon at a time and beat unto stiff peaks form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5) Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the egg yolks one after the other. Beat until incorporated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6) Using a ribber spatula, fold in the flour carefully in 2 additions. Be gentle while folding in the flour so as not to deflate the eggs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7) Pour the batter into the prepared pan, level the top with your spatula and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a tested inserted into the middle comes out clean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8) Unmold the sponge from the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven and leave the sponge to cool completely before assembling the dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee:

(1) Brew 1.5 Cups of strong coffee. The coffee should be as strong as possible. Do not be scared about the dessert tasting bitter because it wont. All the flavors have a “miraculous” way of balancing out each other. You can also make the coffee using instant coffee. Add the liquor to the coffee if using.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making the Cream Filling:

(1) In a large bowl, whisk the mascarpone and cream cheese together. These cheeses will whisk better if they at at room temperature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cold whipping cream and icing sugar at high speed until whipped to stiff peaks. Be careful not to over whip the cream or it might separate into butter and buttermilk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tip: Place the cream in the mixing bowl and place both along with the whisk attachment in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before whipping. Unlike egg whites in which everything has to be at room temperature, whipping cream whips better and faster when everything is cold.

(3) Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assembly:

Assembling this dessert can be tricky as each layer has to be placed in the right order. Please follow the order I will give below.

(1) Line the inside of the same loaf pan in which you baked the sponge with cling film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Using a serrated knife, divide the sponge horizontally into 3 equal parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Place 1/3 of the cream filling in the loaf pan. Use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly in the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4) Place the first sponge in the loaf pan, cut side facing up. The sponges should be placed according to how the loaf was baked, starting from the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5) Soak the sponge with 1/3 of the coffee. Trust be, the sponge will soak it all up so do not be scared and use less coffee. Your tiramisu will not be soggy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6) Next, place another 1/3 of the cream filling on the soaked sponge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7) Sift enough cocoa powder over the sponge to cover it completely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8) Next, place the second sponge on the cocoa powder covered cream filling and soak it with another 1/3 of the coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9) Next, spread the last 1/3 of the cream filling over the sponge and sift cocoa powder over it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(10) Soak the last sponge with the remaining coffee and place it on the dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(11) Cover the top of the dessert with cling film and press it down a bit so there are no large spaces between each filling. Place the dessert in the fridge until the next day or for at least 8 hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unmolding the Dessert

(1) Remove the cling film from the top of the dessert and invert the loaf pan over your serving platter. Gently lift off the pan and peel the cling film away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Sift some cocoa powder over the top of the dessert. You also have the option of topping the dessert with shaved chocolate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served cold. This dessert is sure to pick you up!