Classic Tiramisu

Yields: 5-6 servings
Ladyfinger recipe adapted from Martha Stewart, tiramisu recipe adapted from The New York Times

Ingredients
For the Tiramisu
24 savoiardi, or Italian ladyfingers (recipe below)
3 eggs, separated
¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
2 tablespoons Marsala
8 ounces mascarpone cheese (see notes)
1 cup espresso, cooled
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, for dusting

For the Savoiardi (a.k.a. ladyfingers)
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
½ cup granulated sugar, divided
¼ cup powdered sugar

Directions

Make the savoiardi. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt over a piece of wax paper.
Whisk together the egg yolks with ¼ cup of granulated sugar until the yolks become a very pale yellow and double in volume. Fold in the dry ingredients.
Add the egg whites and remaining ¼ cup of sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. For best results, start whisking with the electric mixer set on low speed, and gradually increase speed.
Fold about ⅓ of the egg whites into the egg yolk/flour mixture to lighten. Fold in the remaining egg whites, until just combined.
Spoon the batter into a piping back. Pipe fingers about ½ inch thick and 4 inches long. Sift powdered sugar over the cookies, and let sit for 1-2 minutes until the sugar dissolves, then sift again and let the sugar dissolve again.
Bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through, until golden brown and crispy. Let cool completely.
Make the tiramisu filling. Whisk the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons sugar until they have tripled in volume and become a very pale yellow. Add the Marsala; whisk for 3-5 minutes until pale/thick. Add mascarpone.
In a clean bowl, mix together the egg whites and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
Fold about ⅓ of the egg whites into the egg yolk/mascarpone mixture to lighten. Fold in the remaining egg whites, until just combined.
Assemble the tiramisu. Pour the espresso in a shallow bowl. Quickly dip the ladyfingers in the espresso and line them along the bottom of a 9x5 inch loaf pan, or individual containers.
Spread about half of the mascarpone filling over the ladyfingers, and top with another layer of espresso-dipped ladyfingers. Spread the remaining filling on top. Refrigerate the tiramisu for at least an hour, or overnight.
Dust with cocoa powder and serve.

Print Recipe

Tiramisu Charlotte

Yields: one 6-inch charlotte

Ingredients
For the Ladyfingers
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
½ cup granulated sugar, divided
¼ cup powdered sugar

For the Mascarpone Cream Filling
2 tsp powdered gelatin
3 tbsp water
1 ½ cup heavy cream
½ cup powdered sugar
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp Marsala
1 tbsp espresso

For Assembly
½ cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
¼ cup espresso, cooled
1 tbsp Marsala

For the Chocolate Curls
2 oz. dark chocolate
½ teaspoon vegetable oil

Directions

Make the savoiardi. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Find a 6-inch cake pan or pot to use as your Charlotte mold. Use the pan to draw a 6-inch circle on the parchment paper. Turn the paper upside down on the cookie sheet so that you don’t get ink on your savoiardi.
Sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt over a piece of wax paper.
Whisk together the egg yolks with ¼ cup of granulated sugar until the yolks become a very pale yellow and double in volume. Fold in the dry ingredients.
Add the egg whites and remaining ¼ cup of sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. For best results, start whisking with the electric mixer set on low speed, and gradually increase speed.
Fold about ⅓ of the egg whites into the egg yolk/flour mixture to lighten. Fold in the remaining egg whites, until just combined.
Spoon the batter into a piping bag. Fill in the circle you drew on the parchment paper, leaving a one-inch border from the edge. (You will get a cookie round that is slightly smaller than the base of your pan). Use the rest of the batter to pipe 4-inch long ladyfingers on the other cookie sheet.
Bake the ladyfingers for 25-30 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through, until golden brown and crispy. Bake the cookie round for another 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
Make the mascarpone cream filling. In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and water. Microwave for 15-20 seconds, until the gelatin is liquid and melted. Let cool to room temperature.
Whisk the whipped cream to soft peaks. Whisk in the powdered sugar. While whisking continuously, slowly pour in the liquid gelatin.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the mascarpone cheese, Marsala, and espresso. Fold the the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.
Line charlotte mold you are using with foil or plastic wrap. Trim one end of the ladyfingers, so that the bottom is even and they are all about the same height.
Place the cookie round in the bottom of the pan. Stand up the ladyfingers around the perimeter of the pan. You may need to spread a little of the cream filling on the base first, so that the cookies have something to stick to.
Mix together the espresso and Marsala. Spread about ⅓ of the mascarpone cream mixture on top of the cookie round. Dip a few of the remaining ladyfingers in the espresso mixture, and place on top of the cream. Be careful not to let them touch with the ladyfingers along the edge of the pan, or else the walls of your charlotte will go soggy. Sprinkle with about half of the hazelnuts.
Repeat this process again with the remaining mascarpone cream, ladyfingers, and hazelnuts, finishing with a final layer of cream on top.
Refrigerate overnight to let the filling set.
Make the chocolate curls. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on medium power in 20 second bursts. Mix in the vegetable oil.
Turn a clean baking pan upside down, and spread the chocolate in a thin layer of the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate for about five minutes, until the chocolate is set but not too hard.
Using a metal spatula, press the edge against the chocolate and scrape away from you until chocolate makes curls.
Using the edges of the foil or plastic wrap, gently lift the Charlotte out of the pan. Peel away the foil. Top with chocolate curls and serve!

Print Recipe

Tiramisu Opera Cake

Yields: 8 servings
We developed this recipe by adapting several different opera cake and frosting recipes. We drew inspiration from BBC, The Food Network, Epicurious, The Tough Cookie, and The Cupcake Project.

Ingredients
For the almond joconde
½ cup ground almonds
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3 egg whites
½ cup granulated sugar, divided

For the tiramisu buttercream
3 egg yolks
6 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp espresso
1 tbsp Marsala
½ cup butter, cubed and softened at room temperature
4 oz. mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

For the coffee syrup
½ cup espresso, cooled
2 tbsp Marsala

For the chocolate ganache
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream, divided
1 tsp vegetable oil

For Decoration
1 oz. chocolate, melted

Directions

Make the joconde sponge. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line an 11x17 jelly roll pan with parchment paper or nonstick foil.
Sift together the ground almonds, flour, and salt.
With an electric mixer, whisk together the three egg whites with ¼ cup of the granulated sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk on low speed for two minutes, medium for two minutes, and high until they form stiff white peaks.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the three whole eggs and remaining ¼ cup of sugar until thick and pale. Fold in the dry ingredients.
Mix about ¼ of the whipped egg whites into the flour/egg mixture to lighten the mixture. Gently fold in remaining egg whites, taking care not to knock out the air from the egg whites.
Spread the batter evenly over the pan, and bake for 7-10 minutes, until the top of the sponge is golden. Let cool completely.
Make the buttercream. In a mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water, mix together the egg yolks, sugar, espresso, and Marsala. Take care that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the simmering water. Stir the mixture constantly, to prevent it from scrambling. Heat until the sugar has dissolved; the mixture should be fairly hot, and it should not feel grainy when you rub a little bit between your fingers.
Whip the egg yolk mixture until it is it is thick and pale, and the bowl cools to room temperature. While whisking constantly, gradually add the butter a few cubes at a time, followed by the mascarpone cheese a spoonful at a time. It is important that the butter and mascarpone are at room temperature, so that they incorporate smoothly into the egg yolk mixture.
For the coffee syrup, mix together the espresso and Marsala.
Make the chocolate ganache. Heat ¾ cup of the cream in the microwave or in a pan until it begins to simmer. Add the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds, then stir until it forms a smooth ganache.
Assemble the cake. Peel the sponge away from the parchment paper, and cut into 3 even rectangles, about 11 x 6 inches (11 x 5 ⅔, if you want to get technical).
Generously brush one of the cake pieces with the coffee syrup. Spread about half of the buttercream frosting over the cake.
Top with another cake piece, and brush again with the coffee syrup. Spread with about ⅓ of the chocolate ganache.
Top with the remaining piece of cake, and brush with the coffee syrup. Spread the remaining buttercream in an even layer.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Add the remaining one tablespoon of heavy cream to the remaining chocolate ganache, and reheat until it is melted and smooth again. Mix in the vegetable oil. Pour over the top of the opera cake, using an offset spatula to spread it in an even, smooth layer, if necessary. Refrigerate for another 15 to 30 minutes.
Decorate the cake. Melt the chocolate and pour into a ziploc bag with the tip snipped off, or a piping bag.

Print Recipe