Tiramisu Cake and Le Petit Brioche's first birthday!

I starting food blogging as a way of documenting the recipes I enjoyed making and eating. Along the way, I've developed friendships with many talented home bakers and cooks who share the same passion for food and food pornography photography. They've inspired me to try new dishes and be more creative with my own.

Thank you to my blog followers and friends who stop by to check out the new recipes. Your kind comments always make my day a little brighter.

In honor of this occasion, I made one of my favorite desserts in cake form. Tiramisu cake. Layers of sponge cake are soaked with a coffee-sugar syrup spiked with Kahlua then topped with mascarpone filling.

Heavenly!

European Sponge Cake
from the galley gourmet

1 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour, sifted
6 extra large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 extra large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup granulated sugar

For the Sponge Cake

Preheat the oven to 325ºF.  Line a 9 1/2-inch spring form pan with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the yolks,  1/4 cup sugar and vanilla.  Beat in high speed until thick and pale yellow, 2-3 minutes.  Scrape into a large bowl and sift the flour evenly over the top, but do not mix in.

Clean and dry the bowl of the stand mixer.  Add the egg whites and cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.  Gradually add the 1 /3 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry.  Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/2 the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.  Fold in the remaining whites.  Gently fold until no streaks remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed.  Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.  Slide a thin knife around the cake.  Remove the sides of the pan.  Gently invert the cake to peel the parchment paper and place on a rack right side up to cool completely. 

Tiramisu Filling by: Dori Greenspan
1 8-oz. container mascarpone cheese
½ cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbs. amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy
1 cup cold heavy cream

For the espresso extract:
2 tbs. instant espresso powder
2 tbs. boiling water

For the espresso syrup:
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs. amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy

2 ½ oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about ½ cup store bought mini chocolate chips
Cocoa powder, for dusting



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 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; 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.

Assembly:
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 – use about 1 ¼ 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. Top with remaining filling and dust with cocoa powder.