Mae's Classic Tiramisu
When I heard the lockdown news on Monday, I knew I had to dig back into my trusted coping mechanism - you know what it is!
So I thought “you know what? I’m gonna make my very most favouritest dessert!” Yup! The one that needs to be in the fridge for 24 hours before consumption so that on the first day of homeschooling, I’d be ready with my coffee-based mild-alcohol-laced sweet and satisfying dessert in lieu of my mug of coffee or any mundane breakfast.... and can I just say? This was the BEST tiramisu I’ve had that wasn’t made by an Italian (small fine print).... and I’ve had a lot of tiramisu so far 😁
Somehow Day 1 has gone well. I guess they had some practice in the first phase of the lockdown and now know what to expect? Or maybe because the term is ending, the content isn’t overwhelming? Or my calendar wasn’t as full? You know what? It’s none of that! It’s the tiramisu! It’s really good tiramisu, okay?
Good thing I have a recipe for you, no? Yes.
I’ve tried tiramisu recipes for years and it’s always somehow tricky. The ladyfingers are either too soggy, or the cream too thick or too light, or the coffee-sugar balance, not just right. So that’s where this one comes in…. Don’t dip the ladyfingers in the espresso liquid for more than 2 seconds. Seriously, I even did 1 second this time…..
This recipe is all about balance, nothing should be overwhelming. There’s no star of the show here. So coffee should be just mild enough to not be overpowering and just deep enough to be noticed. The cream and zabaglione mixture as well. We don’t want the mascarpone too thick, or else you have a tiramisu that doesn’t quite respond to your fork as well, or melt in your mouth the way you know you want it to. So cooling down the broiled zabaglione and keeping the cream soft but not over-whipped avoids that disintegration we all hate so much; and keeps things fluffly.
Can you tell I’ve put a lt of thought into this? Yeah that’s how seriously I take my tiramisu!
So, try it, and let me know. I’d love to hear how you get on, and how these tips have helped you.
Prep Time: 40 mins
refrigeration Time: 8-24 hours
yield: 8 portions
Ingredients:
6 large egg yolks
1 cup (200 g) sugar, to be divided per recipe
6 tablespoons coffee liquor, to be divided per recipe
1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese, cold
1 cup heavy cream, cold
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 (175g) package ladyfinger biscuits
Cocoa powder for serving
Instructions:
Lightly grease a square baking dish (about 8x8 size)
Start making the zabaglione by whisking the eggs and 3/4 cup of sugar in a bowl set over a pan of boiling water (creating a double broiler effect), making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the surface of the water.
Continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the colour changes to a light yellow.
Whisk in half of the coffee liquor and continue whisking for about 5-6 more minutes until the zabaglione appears thicker. Once this happens, take the bowl off and let it cool to room temperature.
In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, whip the mascarpone for a few seconds until smooth. Make sure not to over whip, so stop as soon as the mascarpone is smooth.
Gradually add the cream in a slow and steady stream while mixing. Let mix until it’s well incorporated. Not more than 60-90 seconds. At this point, the mixture should hold, like soft peaks.
Fold a quarter of the whipped cream mixture into the zabaglione to thin it a bit, and then fold in the remaining whipped cream into the thinned mixture
Whisk the remaining sugar and coffee liqueur with the boiling water, and the espresso powder in a flat wide dish until sugar and espresso are dissolved.
Dip one of the ladyfinger biscuits at a time in the espresso liquid, and remove very quickly. Anything more than 2 seconds will cause the ladyfingers to disintegrate due to too much liquid content.. Arrange the dipped ladyfingers in rows on the bottom of the baking dish.
Then spread 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over the top of the layer of lady fingers. Repeat this process for a second layer of dipped ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture on top of the first layer.
Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 24 hours. This allows the ladyfingers to soften and also firms up the cream mixture.
Dust with cocoa powder to serve.
And…. Enjoy!!!!
Did you try this recipe? Let us know in the comments or continue the conversation on Instagram, using the hashtag #goodlivingwithmae
