Cooking 101: Tiramisu

Daniel Pfyl, hospitality management lecturer at Otago Polytechnic, demonstrates some professional techniques to make your cooking easier. In this series he shares recipes for some of the dishes he ate on a recent trip to Europe.

Tiramisu is a popular cafe dessert, both here and in Italy. This easy version is conveniently made ahead, and is a good way to use up stale cake.

150ml cream
4 Tbsp icing sugar
250g mascarpone
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp Bailey's or coffee or chocolate liqueur such as Kahlua
100ml strong coffee or espresso cooled to room temperature
170g unfilled sponge or sponge fingers
Dark chocolate, finely grated, for topping.

1) Whip the cream with three tablespoons of the icing sugar until thick and spreadable. Beat in the mascarpone, vanilla and one tablespoon of Bailey's.

Stir the remaining one tablespoon of icing sugar into the coffee to dissolve and add the rest of the liqueur.

2) Line a tray which fits the sponge cake with cling film.

Cut the sponge cake into two layers. To ensure the slices are even, cut around the edge first, then slice through the middle.

3) Place one layer in the prepared tray, skin side down. With a brush, spread half the coffee mixture generously over the cake, allowing it to soak in.

If you are using sponge fingers, dip them briefly in the coffee mixture and lay them side by side in the tray. You may need more coffee.

4) Spread half the cream and mascarpone mixture over.

Place the other layer of sponge on top, skin side down. Repeat with the coffee and the mascarpone mixture, smoothing the top. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight to allow the coffee to soak through and the flavours to develop.

5) When ready to serve, lift the tiramisu out of the tray. Smooth the top and sides, sprinkle with finely grated chocolate, and cut into slices to serve. To cut the cake easily, dip the knife in hot water, then dry it. Garnish with piped chocolate decorations, a strawberry or other fruit, and cream if you like.

6) To make chocolate decorations, melt dark chocolate in the microwave a minute at a time, until there are no lumps and the chocolate is smooth and liquid. Don't overheat.

To make a small piping bag, cut a square of baking paper, fold in half diagonally and cut into two triangles. With the pointed end of the triangle towards you, bring one of the other corners to the point, then the other corner.

Adjust so there is a fine point. Fold over the paper at the top to hold the piping bag in place.

7) Put the melted chocolate in the bag, and cut a tiny piece off the end so the chocolate can flow out freely in a thin stream. Pipe decorative shapes on to a piece of baking paper and leave to set.

• Mascarpone is a rich, Italian cultured cream cheese and can be found in good supermarkets.

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If you would like to request to a particular technique we haven't already shown, please let us know. Write to Cooking 101, Editorial Features, Otago Daily Times, PO Box 181, Dunedin or email odt.features@odt.co.nz with cooking 101 in the subject line.

More information on cooking from Otago Polytechnic can be found on www.otagocookeryl4.blogspot.com

 

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