Tiramisu Cake

Traditional Tiramisu is a popular Italian dessert made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee and layered with a mixture whipped eggs, sugar, mascarpone cheese and cocoa powder.  But I personally like to make little changes in recipes and keep it cost friendly too.  Mascarpone cheese is great if you have it but regular cream cheese is just fine too:) So here we go.


Ingredients:

6 egg whites
1/2 teasp cream or tartar lemon juice
1 cup of sugar
6 egg yolks
1 teasp vanilla extract
1 cup + 4 tbsp of all -purpose flour (or cake flour)
Cocoa powder for dusting (unsweetened)

 Filling for the Cake:

8 oz Mascarpone cheese or cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 + 1/2 cup of heavy cream (must be cold)

Coffee Syrup for the Cake:

1 cup expresso coffee (room temp)
2 tbsp dark rum or Bailey's irish cream
lemon zest


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Prepare a round cake pan by buttering the walls of the pan.  Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

2.  Beat egg whites with lemon juice or cream of tartar adding 1 tbsp of sugar until foamy (5 min.) Gradually add remaining sugar and continue beating to form stiff and glossy consistency.  Add vanilla extract.

3.  Lower the speed and slowly add egg yolks.  Beat till well combined.  Stop the mixer and using a spider skimmer gently fold in the sifted flour, adding gradually to the batter.  Just be careful not to over mix your batter, but be sure to reach the bottom of the bowl to well incorporate the flour into it.

4.  Bake until golden brown for about 30 minutes or insert a toothpick to check (has to come out clean).  Remove the cake onto a cooling wrack and let it cool.  Once it's cool transfer the cake to a large tray then divide the cake into two layers.

5.  Stir the rum or irish cream into the coffee and gently brush the first cake layer, then second as shown in the pictures below.  Add lemon zest.

6.  Using a flat rubber spatula, spread the cream on each cake layer and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder over the cream (filling I mean).  Finish up by covering the top of the cake with the remaining cream and the sides as well.  Decorate however you would like or to keep it simple, just dust with some cocoa powder and chocolate sprinkles.

Note: I have seen in some other Tiramisu recipes different unsweetened cocoa powders being used.  Some recommend dark cocoa powder, others use a red dutch cocoa powder, and as for me I use just whatever cocoa powder I have in my house.

Enjoy!