Tiramisu

It’s finally time to share my take on a tiramisu – although it may not be the most traditional method or serving, it still yields a super tasty recipe, believe me.

I have been working on this recipe for some time and in January I decided to start spreading a little more positivity, in the form of something baked – this time it was a tiramisu. Something I’d only made in practice and not really shared with friends, well this in showtime.

I made this tiramisu after having a chat with Nic about what sort of baked good did he like etc, the one I had been working on and hadn’t yet shared was for a tiramisu – I finally put my creation into fruition.

For this recipe, I have made each element from scratch, which isn’t something you have to do but it really helps to make it that bit extra special – believe me. People really do appreciate when you make the something homemade (and if they don’t, don’t waste your time on them again).

I made the sponge fingers from scratch, which aren’t super difficult but are 100 times better than buying them ready made at there store (although these can be used, not an issue).

Anyway, lets get started, shall we?

 

Ingredients:

Sponge Fingers:

6 eggs, separated.

190g granulated sugar.

180g plain flour.

Icing sugar (for dusting).

 

Tiramisu Mix:

500g mascarpone cheese.

4 eggs.

100g granulated sugar.

300ml espresso (for the best flavour and results).

2 tbsp marsala wine (if you’re using alcohol).

Unsweetened cocoa powder (I used one with gold lustre in for added finish).

 

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. I like to start by weighing up all of my ingredients, lining my baking trays with parchment and getting any other equipment such as a stand mixer and whisk ready. Preheat your oven to 220˚c.

Sponge fingers:

To start, take your yolks and roughly 3/4 of the granulated sugar, then whisk until they are thickened and reached a stage known as the ribbon stage (this is where you can take the whisk and write the letter ‘R’ with the mixture and it’s still there once you’ve made it), if its not, continue to mix until its at this stage.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until you reach soft peaks. Then you can add the sugar in small amounts, whisking until it’s fully incorporated in-between each addition. The end result should be a thick, smooth and glossy meringue.

Into the yolk mixture, add around 1/3 of the whites, fold using a metal spoon (this is thinner compared to a spatula and if mixed correctly, shouldn’t knock as much air out), until its fully incorporated.

Now you can go ahead and add in the flour, thats been sieved to ensure theres no lumps at all. Fold the flour in until its fully incorporated into the mix – it should have thickened the consistency considerably.

Add in the remain egg white mixture in 2 more additions, being careful not to knock the air out of the picture – otherwise you will need to start again.

Transfer the cake mix into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm round piping tip. pipe your fingers about 4 inches each, leaving some space in-between each as they will spread while baking – I used two baking trays but you may need more or less.

 If you’re looking too get that crackly top on the fingers, generously dust them with icing sugar and then place them into the preheated oven and bake for 4-8 minutes – they should only be lightly coloured and not too dark.

Tiramisu mix:

Before you get started on making the tiramisu mix, you’ll want to make your coffee – so a lot of espresso (around 300ml roughly). If you’r using marsala wine, add it directly into the coffee, mix and set aside until needed later on.

Start on the mix, simply separate eggs into white and yolk. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks and set aside until needed later on.

Whisk your egg yolks and sugar together until smooth and light – around 3-5 minutes should be perfect.

Into a separate bowl, add the mascarpone cheese and mix it around to soften it – once you’ve done this, add the cheese into the egg yolk mix a little at a time, whisking until everything is fully incorporated and well combined – the mixture should be smooth in the end. For this around 2-3 minutes would be ideal.

Add the stiff egg whites into the mixture – don’t forget to incorporate the whites well – get right into the bottom, ensuring its all well combined.

Assembly:

Got start the assembly of the tiramisu, you will want to make sure you have your tray ready (I used a small one and made some minis for the rest of the people at work).

Dip your sponge fingers into the coffee mixture for 1-2 seconds, don’t allow them to become super soggy or to break, thats not what you want. Place the fingers into the base of the tray you’re using, arrange their fingers into the neatest formation you can – consistency is key for a dessert like this. Top the sponge fingers with the mascapone picture, ensuring there is good coverage – then repeat the layering of coffee soaked sponge fingers and mascarpone mix – you may have many layers but mine had two, which was perfect.

Once you have it layered, finish it quite simply by dusting generously with a layer of unsweetened cocoa powder -make sure you get even coverage all over.

I then recommend you chill in the fridge fort a minimum of 3 hours bit overnight would be better and more idea. Now serve and enjoy!