Tiramisu

It's been quite a while since I've had this fabulous Italian dessert. For months I had sponge fingers readily bought sitting in my cupboard, ready to be unleashed. What kept me at bay was that I was determined to make my own mascarpone cheese.

I love mascarpone cheese. Such a smooth and light texture that's suitable for any dessert. One of the downsides is that it's expensive. A small standard tub in the supermarket costs approximately $5.50 down in Melbourne. I couldn't afford to have it all the time at my expense. I was astonished to find that mascarpone cheese is cheap and quite easy to make yourself. So, never again will I let the supermarket take me for a ride in ripping me off.  

I got a bit hasty in the process in making the mascarpone cheese that I only ended up with a 50% yield in the end. Half of the poor cream was wasted but luckily it was just enough for me to make the tiramisu.

Tiramisu is such a common dessert in the western countries but my parents were only exposed to it last year. They had no clue about this well-known dessert to my utter surprise. My jaw dropped when my sisters were also quite clueless about it. I think I got a bit enthusiastic and even told them the romantic love story behind this lovely dessert. There's so much sentimental value in this dessert. No one is a coffee fan in my family but we've all embraced the love for tiramisu. 

Tiramisu

(recipe adapted from tiramisu pots of VideojugFoodandDrink)

 3 egg yolks

100g caster sugar

250g mascarpone cheese

400g thickened cream, whipped

500ml strong espresso or 6 teaspoons instant coffee in 500ml water 

20 sponge fingers (lady fingers)

unsweetened cocoa powder for sprinkling on top

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream at high speed until stiff peaks form. Leave it aside until ready to use.

2. Using a heatproof bowl, place egg yolks and sugar over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until it's slightly cooked, with a smooth and runny consistency. Remove bowl from the saucepan and allow it to cool.

3. Add the mascarpone cheese to the egg mixture and whisk until the cheese is fully incorporated and lump free.

4. Add in the readily whipped cream and combine well with the whisk.

5. Build the tiramisu. Dip the sponge fingers into the coffee and place horizontally on a 20cm square cake tin. Spoon over half the creamy cheese mixture in and spread evenly. Sift cocoa powder across the whole layer. Place the rest of the dipped sponge fingers vertically down the tin and add in the remaining mixture. Spread evenly and dust with cocoa powder on top.

6. Allow it to set in the fridge for a few hours before eating it.