Tiramisu Cake

Ding Ding. The first “punch” was served. If you remember I had a post about “A Sweet Punch” sometime back. In the first round, our challenge was Tiramisu. The recipe was selected by Ria from “Baking: From My Home to Yours” by Dorie Greenspan. Though I got scared after seeing the recipe, Ria assured me that it was easy. It certainly did turn out to be an easy one. Please dont shy away from this after seeing the lengthy recipe! It’s just detailed instructions to make it easy for you :)

I baked this cake twice. First I used the wrong cream and my frosting turned out to be too too liquidy. Second time I used the right cream and the frosting came out well. But then I literally bathed  the cake with the moistening syrup that my cake was drenched with the coffee & rum. So when I started frosting the cake, the crumbs of the cake got mixed with the frosting. No complaints, it was super duper moist cake, that tasted great ;)

So here’s the recipe, again, don’t be scared.  It’s actually easy. After all if I can make it, I’m sure you too can :)

Btw, let me share some happy news with you. Hetal & Anuja of Show me the Curry made Malabar Chicken Curry using a recipe that I’d posted here. I’m really excited to see the video – check it out! Thank you so much Hetal & Anuja – you’re doing great stuff :)

1. 2 Cups Cake flour
   2 teaspoons baking powder
   1/8 teaspoon baking soda
   1/4 teaspoon salt
2. 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons, 142 gms) unsalted butter, room temperature
3. 1 cup sugar
4. 3 large eggs (room temp)
   1 large egg yolk (room temp)
5. 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6. 3/4 cup buttermilk (room temp)

For the espresso extract:

1. 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
   2 tablespoons boiling water

For the espresso syrup:

1. 1/2 cup water
2. 1/3 cup sugar
3. 1 tablespoon amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (refer notes)

For the filling and frosting:

1. 1 8-ounce container mascarpone (store-bought or homemade)
   1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
   1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
   1 tablespoon amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (refer notes)
2. 1 cup cold heavy cream
3. 2 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about 1/2 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
4. Chocolate-covered espresso beans, for decoration (optional)
5. Cocoa powder, for dusting

Getting ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9×2 inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess, and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To make the cake:

• Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.
• Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
• Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them, and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right-side up.

To make the extract:

• Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.
• To make the syrup:
• Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.

To make the filling and frosting:

• Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth.
• Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.

To assemble the cake:

• If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right-side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer – user about 1 1/4 cups – and gently press the chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake layer on the counter and soak the top of it with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.
• For the frosting, whisk 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone filling. Taste the frosting as you go to decide how much extract you want to add. If the frosting looks as if it might be a little too soft to spread over the cake, press a piece of plastic wrap against its surface and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so. Refrigerate the cake too.
• With a long metal icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. If you want to decorate the cake with chocolate-covered espresso beans, press them into the filling, making concentric circles of beans or just putting some beans in the center of the cake.
• Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours (or for up to 1 day) before serving – the elements need time to meld.
• Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with cocoa.

Dont forget to check out our website for the Tiramisu round up.

Substitutes for Cake Flour: 1 Cup cake flour = 3/4 Cup Plain Flour (maida) + 2 tbsp cornflour
Notes: When I baked it the first time, I didnt use any liqueur  and still the cake turned out to be moist. Second time I used Rum in the moistening syrup but the flavor of coffee was more outstanding. I made the cake one day in advance and tightly wrapped it in clingfilm and stored at room temp. I made the frosting the next day and kept the frosted cake in the refrigerator. I served the cake straight out of the fridge and it was soft and moist. I used Nescafe for making the espresso extract.

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MariasMenu is a popular food blog written by Maria Jose with its no nonsense simple, tasty and delicious recipes – all tried and tested by readers, family and friends alike. Read more about Maria and her venture.