Tiramisu

A delightful italian dessert... I have made it several times with eggs.. but not being a great lover of the yolk flavour.. decided to give it a go without the zabaglione. The pudding has set like a cake good enough to slice.. :)

Ingredients

36 ladys finger biscuits
100 g chocolate

Soaking mix:
300 ml boiling water
2 tblsp instant coffee granules
6 heaped teaspoons of sugar
1 tblsp vanilla extract
3 tblsp baileys Irish cream

Cheese filling:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
10-12 tsp sugar
500 g cream cheese
1 tblsp vanilla extract
3 tblsp baileys irish cream

Prepare the coffee soaking syrup by dissolving the coffee granules and sugar in boiling water. Cool and add vanilla and irish cream.

Beat the cream cheese with half the sugar and irish cream.

Whip the cream with sugar and vanilla till soft peaks form.

Fold 1/3rd of the cream into the cheese mix to lighten. Then the rest in two batches folding in gently each time.

Refrigerate until use.
Prepare a 10 inch springform pan lined with cling film. (it will help in the easy removal of the ring.)

Dip the biscuits in the coffee syrup one by one and arrange at the bottom.(just dip..  Do not drench)

Spread half the cheese mix over the biscuit layer.

Grate some chocolate over it.

Layer the biscuits dipped in the coffee syrup again.

Spread the cheese mix over it... decorate with more grated chocolate. Refrigerate for atleast 6 hours. Remove the ring and cling film gently.

Serve cold... and enjoy!!

Coffee Cake

That is my coffee flavoured cake made with custard powder..as I said I would be trying... a variation of the plain Custard powder Cake. I added an egg after creaming the butter and sugar and what I got is a super-moist cake...which was delicious. The only snag is that I used only the original quantity of sugar mentioned in the earlier recipe and so it was less sweet than usual but nevertheless delicious. I think it would be wonderful to layer it with vanilla buttercream after soaking it with some orange juice and finally topping with chocolate ganache... :) A perfect dessert...try it.

Coffee Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup vanilla flavoured custard powder
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 tsp cocoa powder 
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar ( you can add 1-2 tablespoons more if you want to)
• 1  tsp vanilla extract
• 150 gm butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup strong coffee

This recipe makes one 9” cake or 8 to 10 servings.

• Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease a 9" cake tin with butter and line the base with wax paper.

• Put the dry ingredients except sugar in a bowl. Use a wooden spoon and mix well.

• Beat the butter until light in a large bowl and then add the sugar and beat well until fluffy.Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again. 

• Now combine the milk with coffee. 

• Add the dry ingredients to the butter mix (in 3 batches) alternating with the coffee-milk mixture(in two batches).

• Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake at 180C (350F) for about 45 minutes to an hour or till the cake is done and a skewer poked into the cake comes out clean. Sometimes, depending upon your cake tin and the oven, this cake might take about an hour to cook especially in the middle.
• Cool on a rack and serve.

snack

Buttercream Frosting

This is a 'no fail' plain buttercream frosting... you could use it to decorate your cakes as it is or add some flavouring of your choice.. This makes about 1 cup frosting/icing.

Vanilla Buttercream frosting:

(20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup)

• 75g butter, softened (unsalted butter)

• 1/4 tsp (1.25ml) vanilla extract

• 145g  icing sugar, sifted or superfine powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon (20g) cream (35-40 percent fat)

•  a pinch of salt 

Using an electric mixer or electric hand-held beaters, beat butter and vanilla with a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until creamy. Add the icing sugar in three batches, beating for about one minute after each addition, and stopping the machine a couple of times to scrape down the side and base of the bowl. Add the cream and beat until completely incorporated.

Pipe or spread frosting onto cakes.

Chocolate flavoured buttercream:

Just beat in 25g melted chocolate (broken into pieces and melted in a double-boiler, then cooled slightly)

Coffee buttercream:

 Beat in 1tbsp coffee powder blended with 1tbsp hot water to the butter, vanilla and salt until creamy and then add the sugar. Add cream only if necessary.