Tiramisu!

Tiramisu is an Italian layered desert which literally means ‘pick me up’ and metaphorically ‘make me happy’ referring to the caffeine in the espresso and the effect of cocoa used in the recipe. This dessert consists of alternating layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers (soft biscuits) and a sweet mixture of mascarpone cheese, eggs and sugar.

You must be wondering what I mean by ‘ladyfingers’. Well they are sweet little fairly dry finger-shaped sponge cakes. They are more commonly used in trifles, charlottes and tiramisu.

But, the sad part is (as long as I’m aware) you do not get them here! Still, there’s no need to worry. I’ve always got substitutes! J

In my recipe of tiramisu, I’ve substituted the ladyfingers with my ultimate vanilla sponge cake (trust me this is going to be the best sponge cake you’ve ever tried – so mushy and melts in your mouth!).

The original recipe also contains mascarpone cream cheese (the major ingredient), but once again, it’s so hard to find that I have decided to use Philadelphia cream cheese instead.

Even with all these replacements, your tiramisu is going to be as rich and indulgent as the original and once tasted, will leave a tenacious impression on your taste buds!

I had first made this desert at a family gathering and it was an absolute winner! The demand for the recipe was rising like gas bubbles trying to break free when you crack open a can of soda. I was in a state of never-ending delight! After all, appreciation nourishes our psyches just as food and water nourish our physical strength. This was the inspiration that lead me to do what I am doing right now J

Alright then, let’s all venture into the heavenly journey of making this ravishing dessert!

1. The sponge cake

       Ingredients 

(you will have to make 2 such cakes since the tiramisu consists of 2 layers. You can make both cakes one at a time or at once if you've got 2 baking trays and a bigger oven)

·         190 g egg                       

·         110g sugar

·         70g flour

·         20g corn flour

·         30g butter

·         20g milk

Method

·         Line a cake tray with parchment/oil paper. I used an 8”x 6.5” rectangular tray.

      Mix the egg and sugar using an electric beater in a large bowl over a double boiler, until the temperature reaches 38-40 °C (just check with your finger if the temperature is slightly above body temperature). Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.

           

     Take off from heat and keep mixing until color changes from yellow-orange-almost white. This will take some time

so  be patient!

Sift the flour and corn flour and add to the egg mixture and fold well. Do not over mix because we want the batter to retain its foamy consistency. At the same time preheat your oven to 190°C

Then add the milk and melted butter and mix well gently. Pour the cake batter into your lined cake tray and bake for about 15-20 minutes in your preheated oven or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Immediately turn the cake onto a wire rack to cool. Bake the second cake in the same way. I had to make the cakes one at a time since my conventional oven had stopped working! Once cooled, cut each cake into little rectangular pieces (fingers).

2.     The tiramisu

Ingredients

50g egg yolks

118g egg whites

100g sugar

250g Philadelphia cream cheese

250g heavy cream

300 ml coffee (10g instant coffee, 30g sugar, 300ml water)

Sponge cake fingers

Cocoa powder (for sprinkling)

Method

Add the egg yolks and half of the sugar in a bowl and mix with an electric beater until creamy.

Mash the cream cheese first with a spoon and then add it to the egg mixture and mix until no lumps. Keep this mixture aside.

Add the egg whites into a separate bowl and beat. When the egg whites become foamy, add half of the remaining sugar and continue beating. Stop beating when soft peaks form and add the rest of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks appear.

Add the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture and fold well. Keep it aside.

Prepare the coffee. Add the sugar and instant coffee into water and stir until everything dissolves. Keep this aside.

Now whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. This will take several minutes.

Add the whipped cream into the egg mixture and fold in well.

Assembling the dessert

Soak the sponge cake pieces into the coffee and lay them at the bottom of a Pyrex dish.

On top of the cake layer, pour half of the custard mixture and level it. Sprinkle some cocoa powder on top of the cream.

Repeat the same steps with the second layer of cake. Refrigerate the dessert for 24 hours or overnight before serving.

Sprinkle with more cocoa powder when serving.

You could also be creative and serve tiramisu in individual cocktail glasses. For ex: at a party, it’ll be more convenient since all you have to do is take the individual glasses out of the fridge and hand them out to the guests . :)