Tiramisu Charlotte Cake

Who does not like surprises? Well I know one person, and that is my husband. Knowing the fact, I kept him informed that he could expect a Tiramisu on his birthday. Who would want to annoy him on his birthday by doing what he does not like(surprise).

We both are not a fan of Italian. However, surprisingly he is very fond of Tiramisu. I remember our courtship days when we used to chat to get to know of our likes/dislikes. Every time while the conversation moved into the dessert section, his favorite would turn out to be Tiramisu. And he once actually asked me if I knew to make it. I was like - hello, you would be grateful to me if I cook you proper rice and dal :). It took me 2 years to give it a try.





Getting the lady fingers was a task, I must say. It seemed to be an impossible task as I sat and called or emailed the grocers/exporters to know if they had it but in fact landed up explaining what a lady finger is. And then I would go around explaining whatever I had understood about it from the internet. After all that trouble, we got it from a store just close by :). Usually Tiramisu contains raw egg and hence I had been hesitant to make it. But this recipe is different and does involve cooking of eggs - Another strong reason that motivated me to go for it.

Simple to make but elegant in its looks, this dessert has now caught my heart. Let me introduce you to the recipe that I used in this Tiramisu.

Ingredients

For the cream filling

1. 2 cups of milk
2. 3/4 cup of granulated white sugar
3. 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
4. 6 large egg yolks
5. 1/4 cup of sherry/marsala/dark rum
6. 2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
7. 1/4 cup of unsalted butter @ room temperature and cut into pieces
8. 8 ounces of mascarpone cheese @ room temperature
9. About 30 ladyfingers/ savoiardi
10. Cocoa powder for garnishing

 For the coffee syrup

1. 1 1/2 cups of very strongly brewed coffee/ espresso
2. 1/3 cup of granulated white sugar
3. 1/4 cup of sherry/marsala/dark rum

Method

Making of the cream filling

• In a heatproof bowl, whisk in the 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of flour and egg yolks.
• In another saucepan, add 1 3/4 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of sugar and bring it just to boiling. Then gradually add it to the egg yolk mixture, while you whisk continuously. 
• Transfer it into another saucepan and cook it on medium heat, stirring constantly. It would get a texture of custard.
• Remove it from the heat and strain it into a bowl to make it lump free.
• Add sherry, vanilla extract and butter and whisk it well.
• Let it cool and then place it in the refrigerator for about 2 hrs.
• In a bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese to make it smooth.
• Add the chilled cream to the mascarpone cheese in portions and give a thorough mix.

Making of the coffee syrup

• In a shallow bowl, combine the coffee, white sugar and sherry. The coffee should be a bit warm.

Assembly of Tiramisu

• Take a cake pan that has its bottom detachable.
• Line the sides of the cake pan with the lady fingers.
• Soak the lady fingers in coffee mixture and line it on the bottom of the pan.
• Spread a layer of the cream on top of it.
• Continue this process, to the desired number of layers.The top most layer should be cream.
• Refrigerate it for atleast 8 hrs or preferably overnight.
• Garnish it with cocoa powder and strawberry.

Tips

1. While making the cream, to avoid any lumps keep stirring it continuously. 
2. A quick dip and a roll is all what we want the ladyfingers to soak the coffee mixture. Do not soak it for too long else they would get dissolved in the coffee mixture.

Recipe Courtesy : Joy of Baking
Inspired by: Happy Home Baking