The tiramisù was also for Lacey's birthday party. Lacey has always loved tiramisù so I thought it might be a fun addition. I couldn't exactly take it out of the pan at the party to take a picture of a slice so you just get the whole thing:
I had baked for a few days and had completed the other four cakes for the party already. I woke up on the morning of the party and decided that tiramisù was a must. It's a crowd pleaser and Lacey loves it. I had already bought the ingredients in case I felt like getting around to it so I just hopped out of bed and went straight in the kitchen.
My best friend Alyssa was in town to visit for a few days (sadly she lives in Missouri now) so I happily put her to work too.
She was put in charge of the eggs. Putting someone else in charge of eggs is a pretty big deal for me because I am very OCD about eggs but I knew she'd do a great job. Her job was to whisk the yolks, sugar, and sweet marsala in a bowl on top of a pot of simmering water while holding a candy thermometer. She also had to make sure the bowl stayed balanced on the water because you have to put the wooden spoon between the two pots in order to let the steam out (think back to the explosion from Zach's la Bomba). I sound like an evil friend right? Maybe I was just letting her get or hands dirty or maybe I just didn't want to do it myself.... mwah ha ha.
Anyway, whatever the reason, Alyssa is awesome and did it beautifully.
So while she was busy whisking away, I was working on the expresso part. I used the Medaglia D'Oro instant espresso powder because I didn't have any fresh, hot brewed espresso sitting around my house.
You dissolve the espresso powder in a cup of boiling water and add the sugar (instead of just dissolving the sugar in the fresh, hot espresso).
And then you pour half of it in a shallow pan:
Next step: Whip the mascarpone cheese and combine it with the egg mixture. Here's where I realized that I only bought half the amount of mascarpone cheese that I needed. Insert quick trip to the grocery store here.
Whip the cream and sugar:
Then fold it into the Mascarpone mixture.
To compose the tiramisù, dip the ladyfingers into the espresso mixture on both sides, making sure to leave the inside dry (dip for about 1 second on each side). I used the pre-packaged ladyfingers instead of making a batch since I was short on time. Then align them in a pan. (Yes, if you're looking at the picture, I know I have obnoxiously pink hands)
Then spread the cream on top of the ladyfingers:
Repeat the last two steps until you have stacked the layers as many times as you wish. Finally, sprinkle with cocoa powder and refrigerate!
Finally, the time came. I cut the cakes and basically stalked the first few people who got tiramisù to see what they thought. What I saw: bite number 1, smile, bite number 2, another smile, and voila a clean plate. ahh....
I finally tried a piece and it wasn't bad at all. The coffee flavor was definitely present and it tasted like tiramisù! It should have stayed in the refridgerator for a few more hours to become more stiff but it was really good.
I had a few people come up to me and tell me that he or she was a "tiramisù person." That means (as they explained) that tiramisù is their favorite dessert and so they know what they are talking about when they try tiramisù. I was told it was one of the best ones they'd ever had and that it was better than all of the ones at the fancy restaurants around town.
Ok, so I was definitely complimented (or rather Rose was because she made up the recipe) but I really don't think it's the best one I've ever had. Granted it was good but the best one ever? Maybe they had too much to drink? Alas, we will never know.
So the conclusion is this: It was a great recipe. It was the only cake that was completely eaten by the end. People liked it.
Rose's Heavenly Cakes
tiramisù- page 267
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