Daring Baker’s Challenge: Tiramisu
The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.
Savoiardi
75 g (6 tbsp.) granulated sugar
Confectioner's sugar
95 g (3/4 cup) flour)
3 eggs, separated
Instructions
Beat the egg whites using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Add granulate sugar and continue beating until glossy and smooth. Add beaten egg yolks and mix them for a couple seconds. Add the flour, sifted, and incorporate into the egg white mixture with a folding motion. Be sure to fold the mixture gently, maxing sure the whites don't deflate.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into circles, working in a spiral motion from the center towards the outside. Sprinkle confectioner's sugar over the savoiardi, let rest for five minutes and sprinkle again.
Bake the savoiardi at 175 ºC (350 F) until lightly golden brown but still soft. Cool on a wire rack and reserve. This recipe makes 25 6 cm diameter round savoiardi cookies.
Mascarpone Cheese
500 ml (2 cups) whipping cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Instructions
Heat cream in a double boiler, stirring often until it reaches 88 ºC (190 F). Add the lemon juice, and maintain the temperature until the cream thickens. Let cream cool for twenty minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheesecloth or press on its surface. Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese
Zabaglione
60 ml (1/4 cup) Marsala wine
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
50 g (3 tbsp.) sugar
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
2 egg yolks
Instructions
Mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the mixture looks smooth. Heat on a double boiler and cook, stirring constantly until it thickens. Let cool and reserve.
Vanilla Pastry Cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tbsp. flour 1 egg yolk
55 g (1/4 cup) sugar
175 g whole milk
1 vanilla bean
Instructions
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract with the egg yolk and half the milk. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling. Add the remaining milk a little at a time, stirring constantly until thickened. Cool cream and reserve.
Whipped Cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.
Assembly
5 tbsp. cocoa powder
100 g sugar
100 g water
Boil water and sugar and set aside to cool. Add one tablespoon of cocoa and reserve. In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon zabaglione and pastry cream, and gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.
Dip one savoiardi in the cocoa syrup and fill the bottom of the mold. Cover with the cream mixture with a pastry bag. Repeat, finishing with cream. Level with a spatula and freeze. Remove from freezer, sprinkle with cocoa powder, unmold and serve when completely thawed.
Source:
Tiramisu: The Washington Post
Savoiardi: Cordon Bleu At Home
Mascarpone: Baking Obsession
Acknowledgements: I have to thank Silvia, my food stylist and sister and Sol, my food photographer and mom. I wouldn't have been able to get these beautiful results without them.
Chocolate Love Cake
This wonderful three textured chocolate cake will make any chocoholic fall in love. It's extremely rich, so a tiny portion is more than enough for all of you with a sweet tooth. The outer layer is so shiny I had trouble taking pictures without my camera showing up on the surface (hence the weird angle). Anyway, less talking, more baking. Here's the recipe.
Chocolate Brownie
70 g (2.5 oz) chocolate (70 % cocoa)
60 g (2.1 oz) walnuts
100 g (3.5 oz) sugar
115 g (4.1 oz) butter
60 g (2.1 oz) flour
2 eggs
Instructions
Beat the eggs with the sugar until whitened. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate with the butter. Combine the chocolate mix with the eggs. This cake should be baked in an ungreased bottomless pan directly on top of the oven tray in order to obtain best results. The mixture should be between 35 and 40 ºC (95 and 104 F) when poured into the pan. If the mixture is colder, the cake will turn out too hard, whereas a hotter mixture will seep trough the bottom of the pan, creating a big chocolate mess. Pour half of the mixture into the pan, place the chopped walnuts and pour the rest of the mixture. Bake at 180 ºC (356 F) for about five minutes (until the cake starts to rise and loses its shine). The brownie should be half the height of the pan. (The recipe is intended for a 16 cm diameter [about 6 in] round pan)
Chocolate Cream
100 g chocolate (70 % cocoa)
250 g (8.8 oz) cream
40 g (1.4 oz) sugar
1 gelatin leaf
3 egg yolks
Instructions
Hydrate gelatin in cold water for ten minutes and meanwhile beat egg yolks and sugar until foamy. Heat the cream and add the egg and sugar mixture. Heat until the mixture reaches 84 ºC (183 F). Pour on top of the chocolate in order to melt it and add the gelatin leaves. Cover the brownie with the chocolate cream (this is why we needed the brownie to be half the height of the pan) and level the surface. Wait for the cake to chill and put it in the freezer until thoroughly frozen.
Chocolate 'Gelée'
60 g (2.1 oz) pure cocoa
120 g (4.2 oz) cream
140 g (4.9 oz) water
180 g (6.3 oz) sugar
4 gelatin leaves
Instructions
Hydrate the gelatin leaves for then minutes in cold water. Heat water, sugar and cream. Add cocoa and bring to a boil. Let the mixture simmer for about a minute. Pat the gelatin leaves dry with paper towels, as any water will make the gelée lose shine. Add the gelatin to the chocolate mixture, strain it through a fine sieve to prevent lumps and reserve. Final Touches When the cake is frozen, remove from freezer and unmold it with the help of a knife. Smooth out the cake with a spatula and place it on a rack (the cake should still be completely frozen. If you are a slow worker like me, you may have to reintroduce it in the freezer after smoothing it out). Place a container under the rack to collect the chocolate that will drip off the cake when we bathe it in chocolate. Bring the gelée to a temperature of 20 ºC (77 F) and pour it over the cake until totally covered. Place the cake on the serving plate and reserve. Do not put the cake in the fridge, because the gelée will lose its shine. Take into account that the cake is frozen, so even though you will want to eat it right away, you will have to wait a couple of hours until it is completely thawed. The gelée is delicate and will lose shine as time passes, so you can prepare the cake in advance and bathe it the same day you intend to eat it. Also, it never solidifies completely, so any sneaky fingers trying to touch the cake will leave an ugly mark. That's about it. Sounds time consuming, but it is not as hard as it sounds. Try it and enjoy!
Source: Hofmann cooking school recipe book
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