Feathers & Figs

 

This week I added a new customer to my list of cake-loving clients!

A wonderful lady who comes into my work everyday (and we always end up chatting for a good 20 minutes or  so!) had seen me bringing in cakes and other goodies for my lucky cafe crew and asked if I would make her a simple cake for her birthday. Nothing fancy or extravagant, just something to stick some candles in and taste delicious.

I feel pretty confident in saying that this cake nailed both criteria. Plus, as an added bonus, it wasn't too hard on the eyes either!

Inspired by the dessert found in many city cafes and Italian restaurants, this Tiramisu cake is a coffee lovers dream! Layers of delicate sponge soaked with a sweet coffee/rum syrup, sandwiching a layer of coffee tinted cream mascarpone and surrounded by the delightful crunch of almond praline. Ahhhhh... Seriously, remembering the taste of that mascarpone filling it giving me feelings no dessert should be able to!  

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**Note!**

If you are making this cake and want it to be child friendly (we all know what happened when Maggie Simpson got her hands on coffee ice cream... enough said!) you can simply swap the coffee for decaf and the liquor for a teaspoon of rum essence or some chocolate flavouring.

Tiramisu Cake

*Serves 8-10*

For the Sponge

2 tsp plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
Cornflour
4 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced) and grease two 20cm round cake tins with spray oil. Line the bottom and sides of each tin with baking paper. 

In a one cup measuring cup place the flour, bicarb soda and cream of tartar. Fill the remainder of the cup with cornflour (so you have a total of 1 cup of dry ingredients!) 

In an electric mixer whisk the eggs and sugar for 10min. It will become incredibly aerated,creamy looking and at least doubled in volume. Add the vanilla and beat for a further minute.

Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, being careful not to knock the air from the mixture, until smooth.

Divide the mixture between the two prepared cake tins and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until sponge springs back when touched. 

 
 Place baking paper on wire cake racks to cover and turn the sponges onto the wire racks but don't  lift off the cake tin!  (this will allow the resulting trapped steam to keep the cake moist!). Leave the  sponges to cool completely.

For the Coffee Syrup 

90g caster sugar
75 ml strong coffee
50ml rum (you could instead use Frangelico, Kahlua, Marsala etc.)


Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to make sure the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

For the Vanilla Cream 

300ml whipping cream

4 tbsp icing sugar 

1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk the cream until it just starts to thicken then add the sugar and vanilla. Continue whisking until the cream is at the firm peaks stage then set aside in the fridge. 

 

For the Mascarpone Filling

250g mascarpone cream

5 tsp of cooled coffee syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

50g icing sugar

1 cup of the pre-whipped vanilla cream

Whisk the mascarpone in a medium mixing bowl until smooth then add the sugar, coffee syrup, and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Add one cup of the earlier-made vanilla cream and use a spatula to fold into the mascarpone mixture until smooth and even. 

For the Almond Praline 

1 tbsp Vegetable oil

150g slivered almonds 

1 cup caster sugar

Grease a baking tray lightly with the oil and pour over the nuts in a single layer. 

Place the sugar in a large fry pan over a low/medium heat and allow the sugar to heat and caramelise (you may want to agitate the pan occasionally but try not to stir it too much or you may end up with crystallisation). Once the sugar is fully melted and has turned a light amber colour remove it from the heat and pour it over the almonds, trying to cover them as evenly as possible.

Allow the caramel to cool then use your hands to break the praline into small chunks. Process the praline in a food processor until slightly larger than breadcrumbs. 

To Assemble

Use a pastry brush to lightly brush each sponge layer with coffee syrup (don't go overboard and make your whole sponge soggy though! Just brush it onto the top). 

Place one layer onto your cake board or serving plate (with the syrup brushed side facing upwards) and spoon the mascarpone mixture over the top, spreading it so that it is even and flat. Top with the remaining cake layer with the syrup-brushed side facing downward. 

Use your remaining vanilla cream to coat the top and sides of the cake, using a pallet knife or spatula to get it as smooth as possible. 

Use your hands to press the praline around the sides of the cake, using the cream as your glue. 

And that's all folks! 

I piped some extra cream into small blobs and stuck a chocolate disk on top for a little extra decoration and gave it a light dusting with chocolate powder but that it totally optional! 

Enjoy with a cup of coffee if you can handle the extra coffee buzz and, as the name Tiramisu literally means, enjoy the "pick me up."

 Seriously, crumbs will be all that's left!