Tiramisu

""Tis the Season" , it's celebration time over at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). "This week is all about celebration..... food or drink for holiday parties and entertaining". 

I have made some lovely Tiramisu and it was so easy and simple. Recipe calls for store-bought sponge cake, if you are pressing for time, it would be sensible to buy some. But since I have some time, I made a sponge cake using Donna Hay's basic sponge cake recipe, which is really easy and takes just minutes. 

I've made only half a recipe of the Basic Sponge Cake for one round cake. When the cake is cooled, I used a round cookie cutter to cut through the cake and sliced them in half horizontally. And I have made my own mascarpone cheese, which I've made the day before. Will share that next year, which is next week! There's a Little Thumbs Up event featuring "Cheese" as the ingredient for the month, and I'll be posting the Mascarpone Cheese then!  To make the cream, beat mascarpone cheese, cream and icing sugar until thick.

To make the Tiramisu, one half slice of sponge cake, is placed at the bottom of the glass which I'm serving in. The sponge slice is spooned over with a mixture of espresso coffee and Kahlua. Spoon some of the Mascarpone-Cream mixture over, then repeat with the other half of the sponge cake, the Coffee-liqueur mixture and the Mascarpone-Cream mixture. Refrigerate for about an hour to chill.

Sprinkle with some grated dark chocolate before serving.

Yum! Smells wonderful with the Kahlua!

Tiramisu
(adapted from donnahay.com)
400gm store-bought sponge cake, sliced and torn
1/3 cup (80 ml) espresso coffee, cooled
1/3 cup (80 ml) coffee-flavoured liqueur (I used Kahlua)
2 cups (500 gm) mascarpone
1/2 cup (125 ml) single (pouring) cream
1/2 cup (80 gm) icing (confectioners' sugar), sifted
finely grated dark chocolate, to serve

Press half of the sponge pieces into the bases of 4 x 1-1/2 cup-capacity (375 ml) glasses. Combine the coffee and liqueur and pour half over the sponge. Place the mascarpone, cream and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk until thick. Spoon half into the glasses. Repeat with remaining sponge, coffee mixture and mascarpone mixture. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate to serve.

Basic Sponge Cake (*I've made half a recipe for one cake, using 60gm sugar)
(adapted from donnahay.com)
1-1/4 cups (185 gm) plain (all-purpose) flour
6 eggs
3/4 cup (165 gm) caster (superfine) sugar
60 gm butter, melted

Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Sift the flour 3 times. Set aside. Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 8-10 minutes or until thick and pale and tripled in volume. Sift the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold through. Fold through the butter. Grease 2x20-cm round cake tins and line the bases with non-stick baking paper. 

Pour half the mixture into each tin and bake for 25 minutes or until the cakes are springy to touch and come away from the sides of the tin. Cool on wire racks. 

To view what my friends are serving, drop by I Heart Cooking Clubs.

And I'm sharing this post with :

Aspiring Bakers #38 : Boozy-licious (December 2013) hosted by Jasline of Foodie Baker

"Baby Sumo's Christmas Recipe Collection 2013" event hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out