Coffee has long tickled our taste buds and awakened our sleeping senses with the drink's distinct aroma. Today it may make an appearance at your table in many forms and flavors other than the traditional cup of black coffee of days gone by. Delicious cappuccions, caffe lattes, iced coffee drinks, and delightfully tasty desserts, such as Italian born Tiramisu, show the wonderful versatility of the beverage.
The following recipe is for a three layer cake with a filling and frosting based on the Italian dessert, Tiramisu.
TIRAMISU CAKE
Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks of softened, unsalted butter (12 Tablespoons)
1 1/2 Cups sugar
2 Cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 large egg whites
3/4 Cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1/4 Cup brewed coffee
5 Tablespoons Kahlua, Tia Maria, or other coffee flavored liqueur
3/4 Cup confectioner's sugar
1 eight ounce container mascarpone cheese
2 Cups heavy cream
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 one ounce square of semi-sweet chocolate
Directions:
Grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a seperate small bowl, stir flour, salt, and baking powder together and set aside. In another seperate bowl, combine egg whites, milk, and vanilla extract. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and half the milk mixture to the large mixing bowl containing the butter and beat on medium speed. Continue adding flour and milk mixtures alternating between the two, beginning with and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape the bowl and beater often to make sure it mixes well.
Pour one third of your cake batter into one of the cake pans. Pour another third of your cake batter into the second cake pan. Set pans aside. Mix the instant coffee into the reamining 1/3 batter and pour the batter into the third cake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the layers comes out clean.
Remove cakes from oven and let cool in pans about ten minutes. Turn cakes out onto a wire cooling rack. Invert cakes so that their bottoms rest against the cooling rack. Let cool completely.
In a cup, combine the brewed coffee and 1 tablespoon of the coffee flavored liqueur. Set aside.
To make the filling, set your mixer on low speed. In a small bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the coffee liqueur. Beat just until smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
To make the frosting, set your mixer on medium speed. In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream, 1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the coffee liqueur until stiff. Fold 1/2 cup of this cream mixture into filling mixture.
You are now ready to assemble the cake. Place one of the plain cake layers on a cake plate. Take a thin skewer and poke holes about an inch apart in the cake. Pour one third of the coffee mixture you set aside earlier over the cake. Spread with half the filling mixture.
Place the coffee flavored cake layer on top of the first one. Use the skewer to poke holes in the coffee flavored cake layer. Pour another one third of the coffee mixture on this layer and spread with the remaining filling.
Place the remaining plain cake layer on top of the other two layers. Poke holes in this layer with the skewer. Pour the rest of the coffee mixtue on the top cake layer.
Spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Place the cocoa powder in a sifter shaker or sieve and lightly dust the top of the cake with the cocoa.
Make a garnish of chocolate curls for the top of the cake by using a Julienne peeler or running a vegetable peeler down the edge of the square of chocolate.