First I'd like to thank Matty (Matty's Bistro) for being the inspiration for these cakes. Having a chat pre-choir it was discovered that we share a love of tiramisu. Quite frankly, if I see it on the dessert menu in a restaurant not only do I find it damn near impossible to choose anything else, but I often make sure my main meal will allow me room to squeeze in the tiramisu without feeling all bloated and icky afterwards. Yes, I do indeed love a good tiramisu!
I knew I'd have a full weekend ahead of me, but I also knew my Monday would be mostly free so the plan was formed. I've never attempted tiramisu before but I'd tasted enough to know what I needed to do. So, a few different recipes were inspected and I made my shopping list.
Now then, I didn't use a regular sponge recipe. I used a recipe for white cake instead (sponge made only with the whites of eggs, so giving a much paler colour) because I knew it would be a little more moist and dense, which was exactly what I wanted.
There are plenty of white cake recipes out there to choose from but I stuck with what I already knew worked from a previous cake experiment, here. This time I replaced the almond extract with a little extra vanilla. Before spooning into the cake cases I split the mixture in half and in one of them also added a small amount of VERY strong coffee. I then swirled them back together to try to achieve a marbled effect, which worked to some degree but would be much more effective on one large cake.
So, cakes in the oven it was time to get on with the icing.
I say icing, but what I really mean is indulgent topping. Don't expect to see any butter icing here. To stay as true as possible to the delectable taste of tiramisu I used a tub of mascarpone, some (sifted) icing sugar, a little coffee liqueur and a little of the VERY strong coffee. I again kept a little to one side and added more liqueur and coffee. All in all I'd say there's about 1 tablespoon of alcohol in the topping for 12 cakes, so not at all likely to get you squiffy (apologies, I'll try harder next time!).
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| Tiramisu Cupcake |
Today was the first time I used one of my posh new icing nozzles, so each cake is topped with a flower (hence wanting a darker coloured topping, to contrast in the centre of the 'flower'). Then I finished it with some grated chocolate, because of course no tiramisu is complete without grated chocolate!
I have to admit I'm a little bit in love with these cakes. If I wasn't planning to give most of them away I'd be currently making myself very, very sick by devouring the whole friggin' lot!
These cakes are as close to tiramisu as I've tasted without actually eating tiramisu. Yes, I'm blowing my own trumpet today because I actually believe I should. They're a resounding success! I only hope the person who gets to eat the rest agrees with me. Time will tell...
Accidental Lime Ice Cream
Okay, time to own up. Last weekend I had a tiny disaster while trying to make chocolate lime cupcakes. The cakes themselves were fine, but I wanted something special for the icing. What I found was a recipe for no-bake key lime pie filling that promised to set beautifully. Unfortunately it didn't set at all. It remained a runny, if delicious, tub of "now what?"
I had an epiphany. I shoved it in the freezer and promptly forgot about it!
The result is this:
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| Accidental Lime 'Ice Cream' |
It's not ice cream. There's no cream in sight. The recipe is:
- 1 tin of condensed milk
- 1 x 300g tub of cream cheese
- zest and juice of 4 limes
Both the cakes and the ice cream are lovely. I know I'm blowing my own trumpet but sometimes I just have to; if I want to bury my face in something I've made, even I have to admit it's good!
Now, how many of you are wondering if the tiramisu cakes are meant for you???
Nope, you're wrong.
Next!!!!
