Monday 7 June 2010

Tiramisu Cake

Like many other bloggers out there, even I have a dream to join The Daring Kitchen someday..But, I feel I still need to learn a lot about baking, before I can join or atleast come close to those amazing and expert bakers. So, when I heard about Sweet punch , which was started to teach Novice bakers like me about baking...I knew that this group is for me :) And I am sure, I will love baking yummy goodies every month.

'A Sweet punch' is a new baking group started by Ria, Divya and Maria. This group is for all those people out there who are still learning to bake (like me) and Sweet Punch is for all those whose have a passion for baking because the mission of this group is to make baking easy for EVERYONE. And thus, our first baking challenge by Ria of Ria's collection was to bake this Tiramisu cake.

Tiramisu- I am sure everyone one knows about this famous Italian dessert. Traditionally Tiramisu is made using savoiardi (lady finger biscuit), which are dipped in coffee or rum and then layered with mascarpone cheese and whipping cream mixture and then, dusted with cocoa powder. And this Tiramisu cake is easy to bake and assemble and tastes Yummmmm.

Though I had never tasted this dessert before, I had heard a lottt about this dessert and I always wanted to make this at home. And Now,I have just fallen in love with this dessert and I am definitely going to try this again and again. TIRAMISU CAKE
For the cake layers:
2 cups cake flour,
2 teaspoons baking powder,
1/8 teaspoon baking soda,
1/4 teaspoon salt,
1 1/4 sticks/10 tablespoons unsalted butter(room temperature),
1 cup sugar,
3 large eggs,
1 large egg yolk,
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and
3/4 cup buttermilk

For the espresso extract:

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons boiling water.

For the espresso syrup:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar

For the filling and frosting:
1 8-ounce container mascarpone,
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar- sifted,
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about 1/2 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips,
Chocolate-covered espresso beans, for decoration (optional)
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 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.

Notes:
The cake can be cut into small rounds and can be made as cakelettes or you can assemble them in a glass for individual servings.
I didn't use the whole syrup to moisten the cake, thinking it would become soggy. But I think the quantity given above should have been used to make the cake more moist.
And I have skipped using Kahlua or brandy for the extract and the syrup for obvious reason.
And as I didn't get chocolate covered express bean, I used choco chips to decorate.

45 comments:

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Mouthwatering......... great effort.

Suji said...

Faiza.No words dear..excellent and perfect tiramisu..Irresistable ..Gorgeous pictures..

Love
Kairali sisters

Indian Khana said...

Looks so gud n perfect..yummy..nic pics

Parita said...

Tiramisu is one of my favorite! Cake looks gorgeous! Send across that plate pls!

Soma Pradhan said...

Hey Dear.. The cake has come out superbly well...Cant imagine me cooking this someday

Aruna Manikandan said...

looks perfect and delicious dear :-)

Divya Kudua said...

Tiramisu cake has come out yum Faiza..lovely pic of the slice!!

sangeeta said...

yummy tiramisu cake....and a nice start.

the layers looks very tempting and the pictures classy.

Priya Suresh said...

Cute and elegant cake...

Kanchan said...

Looks awesome !!
So new group seems interesting, will give it a try when i plan to bake :)

Life is beautiful !!! said...

I have tasted this wonderful cake after coming to Germany. I just love it :) Beautiful clicks and as usual a gr8 bake from you :)

Priya dharshini said...

Nice...and perfect tiramisu, beautiful icing,cant take my eyes off the cake..

Unknown said...

wow.. looks so soft & nice.. fantastic entry..

Shabs.. said...

Oh my god, u have baked it so perfectly faiza.....Becoming a pro now....yday was just thinking about u.....wanted to call u, but was so busy so cudnt ring:(

Menaga Sathia said...

wowww lovely n yummy cake....

Shanthi Krishnakumar said...

Looks perfect and tempting

Anu Nandu said...

The pics look so dreamy Faiza! I love that you got a nice thick layer of the cream in the layers!

Ria Mathew said...

Perfectly done, Faiza! I love the way you have decorated it, subtle but very pretty!

Thanks for being a part of Sweet Punch!

Umm Mymoonah said...

Hi Faiza, If you don't mind, have you used alcohol in your recipe?

amna said...

i see the similarities in our posts too :)

shifa firoz said...

perfect Faiza! :) but what us amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy?? well i know what brandy is just wondering about the other 2!

Nitha said...

This looks perfect and delicious... Great one Faiza..

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Faiza
How are you?
Tiramisu..very new name for me , even if I was in Italy for last 3 months. I am going there soon and will eat.
I am off baking for many years ( daughters are no longer kids ha ha )

And hats off to you on this dish...and I dont accept that you are new to baking I mean you are quite modest..ha ha
Have a nice week

Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) said...

dear faiza...divine.....tiramisu.....my favorites...to cope of with the heat i made ithis cake some days before.....was over before taking th epics..hihi....u hv done a great job...looks wonderful and simply awesome....

San said...

Oh! how much I love it..... Looks perfect.... I cannot control my taste bud if i look at tiramisu faiza .Sometimes i go to olive garden just to eat tiramisu :D .. Classic tiramisu dear.

Faiza Ali said...

Thanks you all for the encouraging comments :)
@ Umm Mymoonah: No dear..of course I didn't use any alcohol.

@Shifa: Even I don't know shifa, maybe it other typrs of alcohol..but anyways I haven't used any alcohol in this recipe.

Rachana said...

Delicious Tiramisu! It looks perfect!

Unknown said...

Thats a really perfect and delicious tiramisu!!! Love it!! Great job, Faiza..

FoodLovers said...

Faiza wonderful Tiramisu yaar gr8 job ...looks gr8

Swathi said...

Nice Tiramisu cake looks really good.

Satya said...

Hi Faiza, I also dream of baking but never tried ,by seeing ur blog post i feel i should try baking too :)Hopefully i will learn soon...Tiramisu cake looks delicious!!!

Unknown said...

Faiza, thanks for visiting my blog. Your Tiramisu has come out perfectly. I baked something big like this for the first time and actually baked like may be 4th time in my life...lol

Lovely blog dear, am following you :)

Deepti said...

wow, it came out very well...luks amazing.

Suja Manoj said...

Excellent dear...looks gorgeous.

Saju Sharfu said...

wow..this came out soo well..i have never tried this at home ..but have to..yours have come out just delicious

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Wow looks soooo perfect and the frosting is very good. Wonderful job !!!

Krishnaveni said...

looks perfect and beautiful

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Cake looks fantastic and yummy. Great job.

Nithya said...

Ohhh sooo yummm :)

Priya said...

this is so lovely and delicious :)

Hamaree Rasoi said...

Hi Faiza
Just shared few awards with you. please accept those...
Hamaree Rasoi

Yasmeen said...

Perfectly done :D

Anonymous said...

Hi ..Ur cake looks tempting.. im sure gonna try tis at weekend.. can u clear my doubt on the qty of Mascropone Cheese..is it 18 oz of 1 8th of oz.. i hv not understood. pls let me know.

Faiza Ali said...

Hi dear, thanks for your precious comment. Its 8 ounces of mascarpone cheese( I have written 1 container(box) of 8 ounce cheese) Hope I have answered your question :) Do let me know how it turns out.

Hasna said...

wow...luk so luvly...tiramisu in any form is ma favorite...i've tried one lik this...its Pound Cake tiramisu frm martha's kitchen...& also tiramisu cup cakes...do visit ma blog..

http://hasnasdelights.blogspot.com/

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