Tiramisu

Can anyone tell me when Tiramisu became passe, a joke of 80’s dinner parties, resigned to the supermarket dessert aisle or chain Italian restaurants? Maybe if that’s the version you’re used to your distaste could be understood but for me tiramisu has never left my group of all time favourite desserts. Coffee and chocolate, a winning combo. Add some booze and a rich mascarpone custard and you’re on to a guaranteed winning dessert. Thats no to say I don’t have my own personal qualms regarding tiramisu, mainly those pesky whisked egg whites. Traditionally when you make the mascarpone custard you fold through whisked egg whites, to lighten the rich custard, to make a mousse like texture. There is nothing wrong per se with this but for me it also lightens the flavour and thats definitely not a good thing.

As the saying goes, when in Rome…eat gelato? Pizza? Pasta? tiramisu! I couldn’t go all the way and not try it at least once, right? On a recent trip I was determined to find a brilliant version, the best, my ultimate, but the truth is I was so hooked on my daily dose of gelato I often had no room for dessert at the end of the day. Whilst waiting a ridiculous one and half hours for dinner at Da Enzo in Travestere (the food is amazing but try and avoid the wait and book) I built up an appetite that was calling out for dessert. They only serve two dishes, both using the same mascarpone custard as their base. Served in tiny shot glasses, they might look a little insignificant but they are so rich, so creamy, there is no way you could eat more than one. The wild strawberry version was the simplest, just the mascarpone custard topped with wild strawberries, little intense nuggets of sweetness. Desserts don’t really get simpler than this but I would happily eat this any time I was in the restaurant. The second version, the tiramisu, must jump to the top of my top five tiramisu list. True, there’s nothing else on the list at the moment but this is a contender for all time favourite none the less. The reason it’s so good is the lack of whipped egg whites, the mascarpone custard is just that, a custard. The yolk based custard is dense and creamy and super concentrated in flavour, to my mind it’s just a better way of making tiramisu. I should also point out that hiding in the tiramisu was also a few little spoonfuls of nutella, yes you heard me right, nutella. Now don’t get me wrong I like Nutella as much as the next guy, and you know I ordered this tiramisu the second time we went to the restaurant, but when I make this at home I leave it out. In an attempt to convince myself that leaving it out makes the dessert a little healthier, I sadly forgo the nutella. Making my version with the added nutella could be a risky move, starting an obsession I’d struggle to break, plus their version certainly didn’t need any help being more rich. No my version is a little more classic but does takes inspiration from the restaurant and the resulting dish is a true delight. Yes its a bit 80’s, yes every dinner party once served it, but you know what? Thats rightly so, it’s a delicious dessert and it deserves to be back on the dining room table. Next time you come to my house for dinner, I might even make it for you.

Before the recipe a quick note on the ingredients. The alcohol traditionally called for is Marsala which is something I don’t regularly have on hand. I went with rum because, a) I have it in the house regularly and b) I think it makes a better pairing with everything else in the dessert. For the sponge fingers I went with the traditional, savoiardi biscuits, but these can be a little tricky to come by if you don’t have a good Italian deli near by. You can also you the French sponge fingers, boudoir, which most UK supermarkets sell but be a little more careful when dipping them in the coffee as they tend to end up a little soggier. 

Tiramisu
Serves 4

200ml espresso (or very strong coffee)
2-4 tbsp rum
3 large egg yolks
50g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
250g mascarpone
85g savoiardi biscuits
Cocoa powder for dusting

To make the tiramisu mix together the espresso and rum in a shallow bowl then set aside whilst you make the custard. Place the yolks, sugar and vanilla into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and using an electric mixer whisk until the yolks are pale and fluffy, not unlike the finished texture of homemade mayonnaise. Remove from the heat and whisk for a couple minutes until cooled. Add in the mascarpone and whisk to combine. 

To assemble break the biscuits into smaller pieces and dip briefly into the coffee mixture. Layer the biscuits into small glasses and gently pack them into a flat layer. Top each one with a couple spoonfuls of the custard and dust with a little cocoa powder.

Repeat the process a second time but finishing with a more liberal dusting of cocoa to create a thin layer. Pop the desserts in the fridge for about 2 hours before serving. The benefit of not whipping the egg whites is the dessert is ready to serve a lot sooner. 

Serve straight from the fridge

Mocha Marble Bundt Cake

This Post Is Sponsored by Billingtons Sugar

Can we talk about the term coffee cake? I think in the US its generally understood that the cake doesn’t actually contain coffee, it’s a cake to be served with coffee, definitely a tad confusing. To my fellow brits coffee cake brings to mind that old fashioned British classic, coffee and walnut cake, a cake that I actively dislike and also had to make for my final audition all those years ago (hmm maybe there is a correlation there somewhere). No, ‘coffee cake’ is an umbrella term for cakes that are served alongside coffee, which is good as todays post is sponsored by Billingtons and there new Barista range of sugars. You know them as the makers of brilliant unrefined sugars and now they’ve launched a range of sugars perfect for your morning coffee. Aside from being great in coffee you could also bake with them. The crystal variety of the sugar has a larger crystal size than most UK sugars and is actually a little bit like a US ‘sanding’ sugar which would be great sprinkled on a cake for texture, like a larger brother to demerara. The classic coffee cake is the cinnamon crumb cake, normally made with sour cream and is the perfect accompaniment to a coffee. My favourite of the genre is a bundt cake and todays recipe, whilst not a cinnamon or a crumb cake, is my take on the coffee cake. White and dark chocolate swirled together to make a very tender, very simple cake that doesn’t need much adornment. I have left it naked, but you could add a simple icing sugar glaze or maybe a drizzle of chocolate, but for me this is the thing I want alongside my mid afternoon coffee, not too sweet and makes my break from work all the more enjoyable.

Mocha Marble Bundt Cake

Base Cake Mix
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
500g golden caster sugar
8 large eggs

White Chocolate
225g self raising flour
100g white chocolate, melted and cooled
100g sour cream
2 tbsp instant espresso powder, mixed with 1 tbsp boiling water

Dark Chocolate 
100g dark chocolate, melted and cooled
200g self raising flour
25g cocoa powder
120g sour cream

Use a spray oil to lightly grease a 10-15 cup capacity bundt pan, making sure the entire surface of the pan is coated, especially the central column as this is the part people often miss and it leads to a cake that will not release from the pan in one piece. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan).

Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl and using an electric mixer beat together until lightly and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Don’t underestimate the time this takes, creaming the butter and sugar together is one of the most important steps, make sure you the mixture really is almost white in colour and light in texture. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding the next. Divide the batter equally between two bowls and set aside for a moment.

In a small bowl mix together the white chocolate, sour cream and espresso mixture. Add the flour to the first portion of batter and mix until combined. Add in the white chocolate mixture and then set aside for a moment.

In a small bowl mix together the cocoa with a couple tablespoons of the sour cream, mixing to make a smooth paste. Mix in the remaining sour cream and the melted chocolate. As before mix the flour into the batter followed by the chocolate mixture.

Dollop in alternate spoonfuls of the two batters into the pan then using a butter knife gently swirl the batters together. I find it’s best to do this very briefly and less aggressively than you think. The more you swirl the batters together the less definition the finished cake will have. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Set onto a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before inverting the cake to release it from the pan. Allow to cool fully before serving. Kept covered the cake will keep for 3-4 days

Dark Chocolate Espresso Loaf Cake

This post is sponsored by Doves Farm

Dark Chocolate Espresso Loaf Cake
Serves 10-12

Not every occasion calls for a layer cake, but every occasion definitely calls for cake, and since it’s Easter that cake deserves to be a rich chocolate cake. This cake? Well, this cake is good for any occasion, simple enough for when the family pops by at the weekend and impressive enough it could happily be a birthday cake. Of course the cake tastes amazing; rich and dark, dense and moist like all the best chocolate cakes. It is made with a mixture of Doves Farm Organic Stoneground Wholemeal Spelt Flour and ground almonds, which give the finished cake an enviable texture that keeps incredibly well (4-5 days at least) but also a much deeper flavour than with regular flour. The glaze is the final flourish that makes this cake so special, a milk chocolate glaze infused with espresso and cardamom, a combination that might be a little unexpected but is truly delightful. My friends like to joke that I have an overly enthusiastic love of cardamom, an enthusiasm they say sometimes goes too far…finding a way to sneak it into any recipe I can and to them I say hush now…But if it’s not your thing the cake is just as good without it - a simpler coffee and chocolate cake. 

Sour Cream Chocolate Loaf Cake 
150g unsalted butter, room temperature
300g light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
200g Doves Farm Organic Stoneground Wholemeal Spelt Flour
100g ground almonds
75g cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt
150g sour cream
185ml hot coffee (see note)

Espresso Cardamom Milk Chocolate Glaze 
100g milk chocolate, finely chopped
125ml double cream
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp instant espresso powder

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C Fan) and lightly grease a 2 lb loaf pan, lining with parchment paper. This is a large sized loaf pan, if the one you have is smaller (a 1lb / 450g sized pan is very common) you can happily half the recipe, or use the excess batter to make cupcakes.

In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar, for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for a few seconds to combine. Add the egg one at a time, making sure you’re beating fully between each addition. 

Meanwhile mix together the flour, almonds, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, then pass it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps of cocoa. Add the dry goods to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with sour cream. Finish by mixing in the hot coffee, until you have a smooth cake batter. Scrape the finished batter into the prepared loaf pan, gently smoothing out the top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the loaf pan for about 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze place all of the ingredients into a large bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until everything has melted and you have a smooth silky ganache. Pour the ganache over the cooled cake, allowing it drip down the sides of the cake. Set aside for about an hour or so until the ganache has a chance to set.

Note: for this cake, unlike other chocolate cakes that use coffee for depth, we want to taste the coffee so feel free to use the strongest coffee you can make

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Whipped Salted Caramel Ganache Frosting

If you’ve never made a one bowl cake let me introduce you to the easiest chocolate cake you’ll ever make. You can get this cake in the oven in under ten minutes and it uses ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now. To make it easier the cake is oil based although I’ve made butter versions with lots of success as I know some people don’t like oil based cakes. I will say this though in defence of oil cakes, they keep incredibly well. I recently made a layer cake version of this recipe and it was perfect five days later (thats before I cut into it obviously, as once you’ve cut into the cake it will start to stale slowly.

Now the cake is great but boy the frosting I have used is ridiculously good, I challenge to get it all onto the cake with eating at least a few tablespoons of it straight from the bowl, like you did when you were a child, or like you do every time you make a cake if you’re anything like me. I have been making caramel ganache for years, I have a truffle based on this idea in my second book, but I haven’t made any in years. Thankfully my friend Erin from Cloudy Kitchen made a batch for some doughnuts recently and it reminded me how good it was. I followed her lead and made it with milk chocolate but I wanted it as a frosting so whipped the finished ganache which gives it a lighter texture, almost like Swiss meringue buttercream. To really crown the cake I have topped it with with a sprinkling of cocoa nibs and salted peanuts. The nibs give a nice texture and add a great depth of chocolate flavour. The peanuts obviously give more texture and a little saltiness that balances the sweetness elsewhere in the recipe, plus it also happily gives the finished cake a snickers vibe which is no bad thing. 

Chocolate Sheet Cake
Makes a 9x13 cake that serves 12-18 people

250g plain flour
75g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
300g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
100ml oil (you can use something neutral tasting or olive oil)
225g sour cream
225ml hot coffee

Whipped Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate Ganache
200g milk chocolate, finely chopped
400ml double cream
200g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp flaked sea salt
50g unsalted butter

salted peanut and cocoa nibs, for garnish  

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan and lightly grease a 9x13 inch brownie pan, lining with a strip of parchment paper. The excess parchment should hang over the sides of the pan which will make removing the cake a lot easier later.

Make the ganache first as it needs a couple hours to chill before whipping. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl and set near the stove. Place the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Place the sugar into medium sized saucepan and place over medium heat and cook until melted and caramelised to the colour of a rusty penny. Once caramelised add the butter and salt and stir to combine. Add the cream in two additions, being careful as it will bubble up viciously. Once the bubbling has subsided you should have a smooth caramel, if the cream wasn’t hot enough you may have a couple lumps which will melt if you just pop it back over low heat and stir for a couple minutes. Stir in the vanilla and then pour the hot caramel over the chocolate, set aside for a couple minutes before stirring together to form a smooth ganache. Pop the bowl in the fridge for a couple hours or until thickened. Make sure you don’t leave the ganache in the fridge for too long as it will become too firm to whip, it still needs to be spreadable.

For the cake sieve the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar into a large bowl and use a whisk to combine so everything is evenly combined. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and pour in the remaining ingredients and whisk together until a smooth cake batter is formed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the cake springs back to a light touch and it is slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan. 

Because the cake is quite large it is a little harder to manoeuvre than a traditional round layer cake so allow it cool in the pan for 30 minutes before using the excess parchment to lift it from the tin to a wire rack to cool completely. 

To frost the cake remove the ganache from the fridge and use a hand mixer to whisk until pale and fluffy. This only takes a couple minutes,  but be careful not to overdo it as whisked ganache can sometimes go grainy. Spread the ganache over the cake and sprinkle with a handful each of salted peanuts and cocoa nibs. 

Kept in a sealed container this cake will be fine for 4-5 days.