My Best Tiramisu 提拉米苏

Literally translated to 'pick me up' or 'lift me up', tiramisu is an all-time favorite dessert you can find in almost any cake shop. It is made with alternate layers of sponge fingers and creamy sabayon. The sponge fingers are dipped in a mixture of coffee and liquor, rendering a bitter taste that balance out the sweet sabayon.

I used to make super simple version of tiramisu. Mixer is not required, and it is a breeze to whip up those little gems. However, I couldn't help but felt that certain taste is missing, or lacking. Remember those killer tiramisu that you had in Italian restaurant? Those tiramisu are simply not quite there yet.

This recipe, however, requires more work, more bowls to wash, you may also need to use the mixer twice. Since the egg yolks are not fully cooked, I even took the effort to find pasteurized egg. The results? Totally worth it! I don't think I will be going back to the easy version of tiramisu any time soon.

What to do with those egg whites, you may ask. Well, try this baking powder free coffee butter cake, risen only by the air incorporated into the whipped egg white. It will get rid of your 5 egg whites in one go!

My Best Tiramisu
Make 9 inch square cake

Ingredients

Sabayon/ Mascarpone mixture

5 egg yolks
150g sugar
250g mascarpone
200ml whipping cream

Coffee Mixture (for dipping)

1 cup espresso
1/2 cup coffee liquor

Others

2 pack of 7 oz sponge fingers
cocoa powder, for dusting

Cooking Directions

In a pan combine egg yolks and sugar, stir and cook over low heat until 71C (if you are concern about Salmonella) or until the sugar dissolved, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove egg yolks from heat, whip until thick and light in color.
Add Mascarpone to whipped yolks, beat over low speed until combined.
In another bowl, whip whipping cream until stiff.
Fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture and set aside.
In another bowl, mix the cold espresso with the coffee liquor.
Dip sponge fingers into the coffee mixture and arrange them on a container.
Dust with some cocoa powder.
Spoon half of the mascarpone cream over the sponge fingers. Spread the cream evenly.
Repeat process 7-9.
Dust with some cocoa powder.
Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight before serving.