This post is a part of  the mega Blogging Marathon and A-Z challenge. I have chosen ‘popular American dishes’ as my theme.

For the second time in this series, I am here with a recipe that’s not originally from America but one that is extremely popular here. Tiramisu, a cake that tastes very light, is  not quite light on calories. This cake from Italy is relatively a new recipe (55 years or so). It is one of the best cakes I have ever had.

I remember trying to make this cake when I was in Chennai and giving up because it was difficult to get mascarpone cheese there. The cheese can be made at home or substituted with cream cheese which is more readily available. The cake is served chilled and tastes absolutely divine.

Tiramisu is not difficult to make, but it is rather time consuming. It has two main components : a mascarpone filling with whipped cream or eggs in it and a base cake (or ladies finger) soaked in a coffee concoction. Once the cake is all filled and frosted, it needs to be refrigerated overnight. The long refrigeration makes a significant difference to the flavor of the cake. I told you it was time consuming!

I had made this cake for a special occasion in our lives, but didn’t get enough pictures to do it justice. I might be making this soon again, in which case I will be updating the pictures here. I should update a picture of mine too, to show you all how much I am also “growing” with each of these recipes :-))

I have used Aparna’s recipe here which is eggless and alcohol free.

Ingredients:

• 9″ cake of your choice
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder for dusting
• chocolate or wafers for sides, optional

Espresso syrup:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons Instant coffee powder

Mascarpone filling:

• 1.5 cups Mascarpone cheese
• 1/3 cup Icing sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Bake the cake, let it cool completely. Cut it into two even layers and set aside.
2. Prepare the espresso syrup. Bring the water and sugar to a boil, turn off the heat. Add coffee powder, mix and set aside to cool completely. Refrigerate until needed.
3. Whisk the cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whip the heavy cream separately using a hand mixer. Carefully fold in the cream into the mascarpone mixture.
4. When its time to assemble,place the base layer of the cake in a plate or cake board. Sprinkle some espresso syrup evenly all over it. Add a layer of mascarpone filling. Top with the 2nd layer of cake. Sprinkle with espresso. Cover the top and the sides of the cake with mascarpone and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
5. At the time of serving, dust with cocoa powder and cover the sides with chocolate wafers or chocolate if desired.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63