Tiramisu Cake

I had such a craving for tiramisu, but somehow never got around to making it. Then M.'s birthday came up, and he asked for a coffee cake, so I had no choice but to make a tiramisu cake. Readers who follow me on Facebook have surely already seen the last slice of the cake.

I love tiramisu, but the store-bought kind is usually too sweet or too boozy for me. So there's nothing left to do but make this dessert in my own kitchen. I'm sure the time for a traditional tiramisu dessert will come soon, too :)

This cake is incredibly aromatic. Besides, I don't need to write much to tiramisu lovers. The sponge reminds me a bit of the ladyfingers used in tiramisu, and soaked really well in coffee syrup it is amazing. Then again, as a big fan of coffee, I couldn't say otherwise.

The original recipe didn't seem quite perfect to me, but thanks to the comments, which I luckily took the time to read (something I unfortunately don't always do), I managed to create a cake that I think is absolutely delicious. The fact that it vanished in 5 minutes and some of the guests went back for seconds is enough confirmation for me. I baked 2 sponge cakes, as the author instructs, but they are not very fluffy. So remember to prepare a double, or even triple, amount of syrup. The sponges need to be soaked very generously. I had a double amount of syrup, but I had to make more to add to the cream. (So I'm giving the ingredients in a triple amount, but you don't need to use all of it.) The sponges still weren't fully saturated with syrup. So I recommend pouring on plenty of it, and ideally soaking both sponges on both sides. The edges of my cake got a bit more browned, so I had to soak them even more.

Tiramisu Cake

I also made the cream with a double amount of ingredients. I always prefer to have a little left over rather than run short. You can always make some delicious dessert out of the leftovers, right?

I was a little worried that after adding the syrup to the last part of the cream it would be too runny, but it spread on the cake with no problem, and after chilling it set beautifully.

I decorated my cake with unsweetened cocoa and ladyfingers cut in half. You can also decorate it with just the cocoa or with chocolate-covered coffee beans.

Tiramisu Cake

I added non-alcoholic amaretto syrup to the syrup. But you can use alcoholic Amaretto, Kahlua or brandy. It will surely be delicious.

The cake should rest for at least 3 hours. It's best to make it a day ahead. I baked the sponges on Friday and assembled the cake on Saturday morning.

Before I get to the recipe, one more thing. Forgive the chaotic post, but the birthday party is basically still going on and I'm a bit distracted by what's happening around me, as well as by a glass of whisky-cola ;)

I'm giving the ingredients in the proportions I used.

Tiramisu Cake

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Grease 2 springform pans, 24 cm in diameter, with butter and dust them with flour.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Beat the butter with a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 minutes. Beating constantly, add the eggs one at a time, then the yolk, beating for about 1 minute after each addition. Add the vanilla (the batter may look a little curdled at this point, but don't worry about it). Lower the mixer speed a bit and add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk (in 2 portions), beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (3 portions). Don't mix for long. It's enough once the ingredients just come together. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans, smooth the tops and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cakes are golden and springy. A knife inserted into the cake should come out dry. Take them out of the oven, and after 5 minutes gently remove them from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

While the cakes are baking, prepare the syrup. First pour the boiling water over the espresso and stir thoroughly. Briefly bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl, and stir in the espresso mixture and the amaretto. Set aside to cool.

Prepare the frosting. Mix the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla extract and amaretto thoroughly until smooth. Whip the cream until stiff. Add 1/4 of it to the mascarpone and mix well, then gently but thoroughly fold in the remaining cream.

Now you can assemble the cake.

If necessary, level the tops of the sponges (cut off the dome that formed while baking). Soak the first sponge with syrup and place it soaked side down on a cake stand. Soak the top as well. You should use (or can use) about 1/3 of the syrup. Spread half of the cream evenly over the sponge and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Soak the second sponge, place it soaked side down on the layer of cream, and soak the dry top again, using another 1/3 or so of the syrup.

For frosting the cake, mix about 2-3 tablespoons of the syrup into the remaining cream. If it turns out too runny, you can set it aside in the refrigerator for a while to thicken (chill the cake as well in that case). Frost the cake with the cream. Sprinkle the top with sifted cocoa and arrange ladyfinger halves around the sides.

Chill the cake for at least 3 hours.

Enjoy!

Additional information:

If you have some cream and the cut-off top of the sponge left over, don't throw them away. Crumble the cake and mix it with the cream. Roll it into balls and you'll get delicious cake pops.

I'm editing the post again, because after eating the last slice a day later I decided that if the cake is going to be made a day ahead, it's best to cover the sides with ladyfingers just before serving. The ladyfingers unfortunately soaked up moisture overnight, but they were still tasty. Just soft.

Source: Smittenkitchen