Tiramisu

Tiramisu is one of the most popular Italian Cakes. It is made of biscuits dipped in coffee, layered with a mixture of egg yolks and mascarphone and flavoured with liquor and cocoa. It is considred to be a 'desert made in heaven'. Some made it into a cake and some in cocktail glasses.

I made this tiramisu with a chocolate sponge cake base This recipe is taken from Agnes Chang's "Baking made easy" with slight alteration. Please forgive me for the decoration. I ran out of chocolate flavoured whipped topping and had to add some vanilla topping. I didnt blend them together as I wanted to have some 'colours' :-)

Chocolate Sponge Cake

110g Self Raising Flour
20g Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 Eggs, separated
1/4 tsp Cream of tartar
pinch of salt
180g Castor sugar
60g Butter, melted
60ml Water
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

- Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder 3 times. Set aside.
- Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar & salt until soft peak formed. Add sugar gradually and continue whisking until stiff peaks.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolk with melted butter, water & vanilla essence. Fold into egg whites & combine well.
- Finally fold in the sifted dry ingredients & pour batter immediately into an 8 in round cake tin lined with greaseproof paper.
- Bake in preheated oven of 170 degree C for 30 - 40 mins.
- Remove from oven & let it cool. Slice into 2 layers.

Coffee Liquor Syrup
250ml boiling water
2 tbsp instant coffee
4-5 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp Kahlua

- Mix boiling water, instant coffee & sugar til dissolved.
- Leave to cool and add in Kahlua.

Cream Cheese Layer
500g Mascarphone Cheese
80g castor sugar
120g whipping ceam, whipped

- Beat Cream cheese & sugar till light.
- Add whipping cream and mix well.

* Extra ingredient: Sponge fingers
                                Whipped Topping

To assemble:
1)  Place 1 layer of chocolate sponge cake at the bottom of the cake tin.
2) Sprinkle/ brush coffee liquor over the cake.
3) Spoon half of the cream cheese layer to cover the cake.
4) Dip the sponge fingers into coffee liquor and place on top of the cream cheese layer.
5) Spoon the remaining cream cheese on top of the sponge fingers.
5) Place the last layer on top and chill in fridge for at least 3 - 4 hours.
6) Remove cake from the tin and decorate as you like with whipped ceam.