Indulgent Tiramisu
Tiramisu is a popular Italian layered dessert cake. The name tiramisu literally means “pick-me-up” in Italian, referring to the two caffeine-containing ingredients; coffee and cocoa.
- 7-8 ServingsServings
Ingredients
- 1 cup strong coffee (1 tablespoon instant coffee disolved in 1 cup boiling water)
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, for dusting
- 1 ounce semisweet chocolate
Pound Cake
- 2 cup sugar
- 2 cup flour
- 1 cup oil
- 6 eggs
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Cheese Mixture
- 1 1/2 cream cheese bars, brought to room temperature (8 ounces each)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation
1. To prepare the pound cake, first preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2. Line a 12 x 17 1/2 inch baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Combine the sugar, flour, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Mix until very well combined. This can easily be done by hand, or in a mixer.
4. Spoon the batter onto the lined baking sheet. Gently even out the batter over the surface of the baking sheet with a spatula.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
(To use this recipe to make a classic pound cake, pour the batter into a greased bundt pan, and bake at 350˚F for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before inverting onto cake platter.)
6. To assemble the tiramisu, pour coffee onto a clean baking sheet and set aside to cool.In a blender, food processor, or mixer, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract, and process until uniform, but do not over mix. Set aside.
7. Use a 3” round cookie cutter to cut out 16 rounds of pound cake. (You should be able to get 16 circles, but might only get 15.) Working very quickly, dip the cake pieces into the coffee, turning over immediately to just about coat.
8. Arrange 8 coffee dipped cake rounds on a platter. Evenly spread a slightly rounded tablespoon of cheese mixture over each piece. Top each one with another coffee dipped cake circle, and then another rounded tablespoon of cheese mixture. Dust tiramisu with a light coating of cocoa.
9. Run a vegetable peeler down the edge of the chocolate bar to make chocolate curls for garnish.
Refrigerate the Tiramisu for 2 hours before serving.
Yield: 7-8 servings
This recipe can also be made in a 10” springform pan.
