Tiramisu **Daring Bakers**

Tiramisu has always been the most heavenly dessert and still is. Yes, this month the Daring Bakers did Tiramisu. I have eaten several versions of this dessert but only a certain have impressed me. I have never made one owing to the fact that the process is very long. However, I was proved wrong after this challenge. All you need is some planning and the process is smooth.

Tiramisu means "pick me up" and is a layered cake. According to Wikipedia, The original recipe comprised savoiardi (ladyfinger biscuits), eggs, sugar, mascarpone, cocoa powder, honey and club soda. There was no liquor as it was targeted mainly at children and the elderly. The original shape was round and the word "pick me up" is in reference to the effects of sugar and espresso.

There is a lot on the history of this dessert and is worth a read.

For this challenge, the zabaglione, pastry cream, whipped cream and mascarpone was made from scratch. I made the mascarpone and the zabaglione and the pastry cream on the same day giving it enough time for refrigeration for more than 24 hours. It was only a further couple of days that I was able to make the biscuits. So a little planning helped a lot.



Mascarpone Cheese ? Vera?s Recipe (Baking Obsession) for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

Zabaglione, Vanilla Pastry Cream and the Whipped Cream- (Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )

Both the above recipes worked well with me.Alcohol wasn't used in the recipe in keeping my daughter in mind. I had no problems so there's nothing much to mention.

I made the lady finger biscuits an early morning. I should have made more because I felt the need for more. They were good to eat on their own. Probably that is why I was short of these while assembling the tiramisu.





With the above I made a 6" round cake using a ring mould and one in a glass. The recipe for the tira misu is (Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 ).

Bottom: A layer of broken espresso-soaked Savoiardi
I Layer-Zabaglione+Vanilla Pastry Cream+Whipped Cream
II Layer- Sugar-syrup soaked sliced strawberries+ espresso-soaked Savoiardi
III Layer-Zabaglione+Vanilla Pastry Cream+Whipped Cream

Chilled overnight resulted in 1 person eating it on his own without sharing.







The recipe in itself is a great working one.The ladyfingers are very crisp on the outside and have a spongy texture on the inside. A great snack on its own.Like it was mentioned in the recipe that they tend to get soggy easily when soaked was not true when I did it. It did maintain its shape well.Making Mascarpone was uneventful too. I dont own a thermometer, so the stages were by instinct and this time it worked. The 24 rest in the refrigerator really did firm it up. Beating it with a spoon before mixing the others into it made it smooth. I wasn't as adventurous as most others on the forum. Stuck to two of my favourite flavours, chocolate and strawberry. Assembled and refrigerated well gave me neat slices. Ultimatel this recipe is a keeper!



The February 2010 Daring Bakers? challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.