Tiramisu – a quick recipe

This is a quick and easy recipe for tiramisu, a classic Italian dessert made with layers of sweetened cream, coffee-soaked sponge fingers (also known as Savoiardi), and finished with a dusting of cocoa. Tiramisu literally translates to pick-me-up or bring-me-up in Italian, the caffeine from the coffee provides a lift in one’s energy. In my humble opinion, this dessert is a delicious flavour combination and I find myself returning to the fridge for just another spoonful!

Like most layered desserts, tiramisu benefits from being prepared several hours in advance, or the day before, to allow the flavours to mingle and meld, and for the consistency of the dessert to be just right.

Prepare the coffee like an Italian and use a stovetop coffee maker and try locally roasted Botero coffee for a rich and flavoursome brew.

Mascarpone is available in most supermarkets and grocers however it’s easy to make using cream and lemon juice. If you’d like to make your own, heat 600ml of pure cream in a saucepan until it reaches 90C on a thermometer, or just under the boil, then stir in 30ml lemon juice. Reduce the heat to low and cook the cream mixture for 5 minutes at a very gentle simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the cream mixture to cool to room temperature, then line a sieve with a couple of layers of muslin and place it over a bowl, then pour the cream through. Cover and place in the fridge overnight or for at least 12 hours after which time you’ll be left with thick and creamy mascarpone contained in the muslin, and the whey will have strained into the bowl. The whey can be used in place of other liquids in baking recipes, or add it to a smoothie, it’s high in protein.

This quick recipe for tiramisu does not contain eggs making it safer to eat. Raw eggs need to be handled with utmost care as they can be the cause of food poisoning. In this recipe, eggs are replaced with whipped cream making the dessert safer to eat, however, as it contains dairy products it should be stored in the fridge at temperatures between 1C to 5C.

This recipe is based on one by Adam Liaw on SBS Food.

Tiramisu ... a quick recipe

This is a quick and easy recipe for tiramisu, a classic Italian dessert made with layers of sweetened cream, coffee-soaked sponge fingers (also known as Savoiardi), and finished with a dusting of cocoa. Tiramisu literally translates to pick-me-up or bring-me-up in Italian, the caffeine from the coffee provides a lift in one's energy. In my humble opinion, this dessert is a delicious flavour combination and I find myself returning to the fridge for just another spoonful!

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 0

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Equipment

Whisk
mixing bowl
Serving dish 17 x 22 x 6 cm, approximately

Ingredients

250 ml thickened cream
125 g mascarpone or creme fraiche, or sour cream
100 ml condensed milk
1 cup strong espresso coffee cooled
30 ml liqueur e.g. Frangelico, Kahlua
250 g sponge finger biscuits known as Savoiardi
1 tbsp cocoa approximately, for dusting

Instructions

Place the cream, mascarpone, and condensed milk into a mixing bowl and whisk until soft, billowy peaks form.
Place the coffee and liqueur into a bowl.
Place a thin layer of the cream mixture (about 1/4 of the cream mixture) in the base of the serving dish.
Dunk the sponge finger biscuits into the coffee mixture - just a quick dunk is all they need otherwise they can become soggy. Place a layer of sponge fingers over the cream layer.
Add another layer of the cream mixture (about 1/2 of what's remaining).
Add another layer of coffee dunked sponge fingers.
Finish with a layer of the cream mixture.
Dust with cocoa powder. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.