Tiramisu: The Cake of Homeliness and Love

Many of my friends have been asking my recipe for tiramisu. It looks like the secret is not longer one!

Known for it's ability to kick one's moral with its strong coffee flavour, or to soothe people's distress with the suave effect from coffee liqueur,* tiramisu is one of the most appreciated dessert in the world.

Different legends about this delicious treat has been conceived. Among the many that I have heard, my favourite one is the cake of home and love: at a time of war, a wife prepared a treat with mascarpone cheese, coffee and alcohol for her husband before he leaves for service. Prepared in a long rectangular shape, the husband would cut out a piece and eat the cake each day, thinking and missing his wife.

Although I cannot assert the genuineness of the legend, it fundamentally carries the etymological meaning of "Tiramisu," which according to many sources, is translated as "pick me up" in English from Italian. Whether it is a soldier consuming it before its assignment, a customer chugging it as a "ritual" in a café before engaging with a prostitute, or a husband savouring it while missing his wife, this cake strengthens the eater's mental and physical state and builds up the romantic conception of "homeliness." 

Alright, less talk.

Ingredients:
(Coffee mix)
4 tsp instant coffee
10 tbsp hot water
6 tbsp milk/cream
3 tbsp coffee liqueur

(cheese filling)
500 ml whipping cream
8 tbsp sugar
450-500 g mascarpone cheese
6 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp coffee liqueur

600g (1 1/2 bag) Lady fingers

1. Boil water and prepare the coffee. When it is all mixed, let it cool down to room temperature.
2. In a mixer, beat the whipping cream. Add in 4 tbsp of sugar in three separate times. Ideally, the first time when the cream is not whipped. The second time when the cream reaches a thicker consistency and the last time when the whipped cream reaches soft peak. In total, it should take about 6 or 7 minutes at maximum speed to reach the ideal consistency, which is hard peak. Remove it and let it sit in the fridge.

3. Place the mascarpone cheese in the mixer and beat until it becomes creamy. then add in 4 tbsp of sugar. When the sugar is incorporated, add in coffee liqueur. After the coffee is well mixed with the cheese, it is time to add cocoa powder.

4. After mixing well the cocoa powder, add in the whipping cream in 3 separate times. When all is incorporated, it is ready to prepare the cake.
5. For a circle shaped cake, cut 1/4 of each lady fingers to define the edge.

6. Dip one side of each cookie in the cooled-to-room-temperature coffee mix and place the dipped part facing up. This will ensure that the cookie is not too mushy when serving. Make the first stack.

7. Add the mascarpone cheese filling and spread.
8. Repeat step 6-7 as needed for each layer.
9. When you finish all the layers, sprinkle a generous amount of cocoa powder -- for the aesthetic and for the taste.
10. When it is ready, let it sit in the fridge overnight for the alcohol to settle down.

Best serve with a dark espresso without sugar.

Good luck and enjoy!

* Please do not consume alcohol when distressed.

Of Whipping Cream and Sponge Cake: The Classic Fruit Birthday Cake

Kids like me who grew up eating the stereotypical Asian fruit birthday cake would feel nostalgic about it. I remember envying other kids who got a chocolate cake or a cake full of buttercream icing for their birthday, I told myself that I would get that one day. And when it happened, well, things have changed! Thereafter, never again, I envied those kids. I started to have a strong liking for that typical American Asian birthday cake.

The recipe itself contains 2 parts, one is a sponge cake and the other is the whipped cream.

I completely forgot to take a picture of a slice of cake, but I'm sure you can imagine how it looks, or at least, try to do it to see how it looks! For your information, it has two layers of sponge cake with a filling of fruits and whipping cream in between.

Ingredients:

For sponge cake:

120 g all-purpose flour

2 g baking powder

2 g vanilla sugar

4 large eggs (separated into egg white and egg yolks)

130 g granulated sugar (separated into 45 g and 85g)

50g milk

25g vegetable oil

1 g cream of tartar

For whipping cream:

500 mL heavy cream

100 mL granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder and vanilla sugar and sift them.

2. Then prepare a meringue: separate the egg white from the egg yolk. With a mixer, start beating the egg white. In a bowl, combine 85 g of granulated sugar with the cream of tartar. When the egg white starts to turn white, gradually add in the mixture of sugar and cream of tartar. Do not add it at once, add it in 3 or 4 times to let the dried ingredients mix well with the egg white. This will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes, until the meringue reaches stiff peak. Let it aside.

3. Now beat the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar (45 g). When it is well mixed, add in the vegetable oil. Let it beat for several minutes until the egg yolk mix becomes pale yellow and fluffy.

4. Preheat the oven at 375°F.

5. Add the milk and lightly beat it. Then by hand, mix the dried ingredients from step 1. When the batter is well mixed, add some meringue. The meringue must be added in at least 3 times. Gently fold in one direction. This step is very delicate, changing directions of folds or overdoing the mixing could cause the sponge cake to lose its volume while baking. Once the batter is mixed well, pour it in a 12 inches cake pan.

6. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown. Once you take it out, do not forget to tap it from the bottom so that the hot air can escape and prevent the cake from flattening. Let it cool for an hour before manipulating it.

7. Meanwhile, wash some strawberries and kiwis and wipe them dry. You can use other fruits than strawberries and kiwis, it is all up to your taste. Select the best looking strawberries to decorate them on top. Slice the rest of the strawberries and the kiwi. Take some paper towel and tap on the sliced fruits to remove the extra moisture.

8. Now, let’s prepare the whipping cream. Pour the heavy cream in a mixer to beat it. Add in some vanilla extract and start adding sugar when the heavy cream gradually thickens. Add the sugar in several times. Beat until the whipping cream reaches the consistency that you desire and put it in the fridge until the cake is completely cool.

9. When the cake is cool, slice it horizontally. Spread a thin layer of whipping cream on the top of the bottom slice of cake. Then place the sliced strawberries. Then before placing the other slice of cake, spread some more whipping cream. When placing the second slice, gently pat to make it even. Now spread the rest of the whipping cream and decorate it with the rest of the fruits on top. To make it even better looking, sprinkle some powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

Good luck and enjoy!