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| Keats being goofy showing off his money from his b-day cards |
Friday I got off of work early as per usual, and I took my mom to get a pedicure, which was my Mother's Day gift to her. Afterwards, I headed out to get Keats some clothes, mostly just tshirts and shorts because he's grown so much in the last year, he's outgrown most of his summer clothes. I know that's not exciting for a 15 year old boy to open...but all he really wanted was cash, so I figured he had to have SOMETHING to unwrap. Then I got my ingredients to make THE CAKE. He had requested a 'coffee flavored' cake, and I thought a tiramisu cake would be just the ticket! I combined about 4 different recipes, because I wanted the cake to have that authentic tiramisu flavor, and still appeal to a varied crowd. I myself LOVE classic tiramisu, but for some, the texture isn't as appealing as a cake texture. So, I wound up putting it together like this...
Tiramisu Cake
adapted from a combination of recipes on Pinterest :D
Ingredients For the Cake:
I had planned to make my favorite vanilla cake from scratch, but because I was 38 and a half weeks pregnant on Friday and having contractions throughout the day, I totally cheated and just bought a boxed vanilla cake mix...I know I know...gasp! The outcries from those of us that love 'from scratch' baking, I chided myself the whole time if it eases your mind! Anyway here's what I used...
- 1 box extra 'moist' (I hate that word) Vanilla Cake Mix
- 1 generous tsp instant powder espresso
Method:
Preheat your oven at 350 degrees. Mix cake according to box directions, I always use butter instead of vegetable oil. Then, divide your batter into thirds. 2/3 of the batter will go into 2 separate prepared 9 inch cake pans, the remaining 1/3 of the batter you will mix in the espresso powder, and then pour it into the third prepared 9 inch cake pan. So, there should be 3 separate cakes, 2 vanilla, and 1 espresso, capish? Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, using a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean in the center. Remove from the oven & let cool 10 minutes before flipping the cakes out of the pan onto a wire rack. Let them cool completely.
***In hindsight once I compiled my cake, I would definitely make this again because it was a such a hit, HOWEVER, instead of trying to make it into a layered cake, I would just use a 9 x 13 dish to make it in using this same method, for assembly & serving purposes I think this would be much easier albeit not quite as charming of a presentation.
Cake 'Soak':
- 1/4 cup espresso (I went to my favorite coffee place and got 2 espresso shots from them)
- 2 TBSP Kahlua
I mixed these two ingredients into a bowl, and you will use it to brush onto the tops of each layer of cake when it comes time to assemble. Just combine them and set the bowl aside until you need it later.
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| Espresso from my fav place Caribou Coffee :D |
Mascarpone Filling:
- 12 ounces Mascarpone cheese
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 TBSP Kahlua
- 2 TBSP Kahlua
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 TBSP granulated sugar
Method:
This is a two step process, first I made the whipped cream. I put my mixing bowl in the freezer for just a few minutes while I set out my ingredients. Then I fit my kitchen-aid mixer with the whisk attachment and poured the 1 cup of heavy cream and 3 TBSP of granulated sugar into the bowl, and whisked on 8 until stiff peaks of beautifully creamy whipped cream forms :D You don't have to chill the bowl to accomplish this, I just do because it seems to speed things along! Then I set this aside in the refrigerator until I'm ready to use it.
I don't have a double boiler, but you could use one for this next step. I used a medium sized pot filled halfway with water, and heated it on medium high to get the water boiling. Then in a glass bowl (you can use any heat proof bowl) I whisked together my 6 egg yolks and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. I put this bowl over the top of the pot and turned the heat down to a medium low to slowly heat my egg yolks through. I stirred constantly for about 7-10 minutes, until the mixture lightened in color, and thickened slightly. I removed this bowl from over the top of the pot (be careful it will be hot underneath) and I poured the contents into my kitchen-aid mixing bowl, along with 2 TBSP Kahlua, and fitted with the paddle attachment I ran it on about 4-5 speed until the mixture lightened and thickened further, and the bowl felt cooler to the touch (about 3-4 minutes). At this point I added in my mascarpone cheese and mixed on about a 4 to incorporate everything. I scraped down the insides of the bowl and mixed again to make sure even the bottom got mixed well. The mixture was cooled off by this point, and so then I grabbed my whipped cream that I had set aside in the refrigerator and carefully folded it into my mascarpone mixture. This will be lighter in color yet, be careful not to over mix, it should stay somewhat light & fluffy. I set this aside in the refrigerator until I was ready to assemble my cake.
Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
- 2 TBSP Kahlua
Method:
This is just like making the whipped cream we made a few steps before. I like to set my bowl in the freezer for a couple of minutes, then add all of your ingredients to the bowl fitted with the whisk attachment and let er' fly on about 8 speed until you have fluffy whipped creamy goodness in your bowl!
CAKE ASSEMBLY!!!
I don't have a double boiler, but you could use one for this next step. I used a medium sized pot filled halfway with water, and heated it on medium high to get the water boiling. Then in a glass bowl (you can use any heat proof bowl) I whisked together my 6 egg yolks and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. I put this bowl over the top of the pot and turned the heat down to a medium low to slowly heat my egg yolks through. I stirred constantly for about 7-10 minutes, until the mixture lightened in color, and thickened slightly. I removed this bowl from over the top of the pot (be careful it will be hot underneath) and I poured the contents into my kitchen-aid mixing bowl, along with 2 TBSP Kahlua, and fitted with the paddle attachment I ran it on about 4-5 speed until the mixture lightened and thickened further, and the bowl felt cooler to the touch (about 3-4 minutes). At this point I added in my mascarpone cheese and mixed on about a 4 to incorporate everything. I scraped down the insides of the bowl and mixed again to make sure even the bottom got mixed well. The mixture was cooled off by this point, and so then I grabbed my whipped cream that I had set aside in the refrigerator and carefully folded it into my mascarpone mixture. This will be lighter in color yet, be careful not to over mix, it should stay somewhat light & fluffy. I set this aside in the refrigerator until I was ready to assemble my cake.
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| Here I'm cooling the egg yolk & sugar mixture after adding in the Kahlua for a few minutes |
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| After adding my mascarpone to the egg yolk & sugar mixture |
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| This is my mixture once the mascarpone is thoroughly incorporated |
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| Just before I fold my whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture |
Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
- 2 TBSP Kahlua
Method:
This is just like making the whipped cream we made a few steps before. I like to set my bowl in the freezer for a couple of minutes, then add all of your ingredients to the bowl fitted with the whisk attachment and let er' fly on about 8 speed until you have fluffy whipped creamy goodness in your bowl!
CAKE ASSEMBLY!!!
Now that you have all of your delicious ingredients and components to the cake prepared, it's time to put them altogether! Now as mentioned above, IF I made this cake again, the ONE thing I would change would be to bake the cakes in a 9 X 13 dish, and then assemble everything in a 9 X 13 dish...why? Because although it's not impossible to do this as a layered cake, I feel like I lost half of the mascarpone layer from it sliding out and I chased it around the cake, and then with the light and fluffy whipped frosting, it doesn't set up like a traditional cake with buttercream...OTHERWISE I would have (and probably should have) put my cake layers in the freezer after soaking them, but before assembly. WHATEVER you choose to do, this cake got rave reviews for flavor, I just felt like my presentation could have been better!
So I got my cake platter ready, I assembled this on a tray because my cake plate wasn't going to fit in my refrigerator, if yours does, go ahead and use that! I took my first vanilla cake layer, and set it on my cake board, using a fork I poked holes in all of the cake tops so the espresso/Kahlua mixture would sink in. I brushed the 'cake soak' we made earlier onto the top of my cake using a silicone basting brush. Then I used some of the mascarpone filling to make a layer on the top of the cake. Next, I took the espresso flavored cake layer, and set that on top of the mascarpone filling. I used the 'cake soak' on this layer as well using the same method, and then again topped it with some mascarpone filling. The final vanilla cake layer was then added on top of this, and again I repeated my steps of first brushing on the 'cake soak' and a thinner layer of the mascarpone mixture. At this point obviously with the weight of the cakes your mascarpone mixture will be oozing out the sides and you'll want to clean that up using a spatula or something. I just ran my cake decorating spatula along the sides to somewhat 'frost' it back onto the cake, and then I set the whole thing in the freezer for about 15 minutes to give it a chance to 'set up', I also used my 9 inch spring form ring part of my cheesecake pan to keep the layers from avalanching somewhere into my freezer.
After that's set up a little, I frosted my entire cake with the whipped cream frosting we made, I garnished the top with a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder, and then I let the whole thing continue to set up overnight in the refrigerator. It's important to let the cake flavors meld and set up overnight, or at least for 4-8 hours so that you get that richness in the flavor. Before serving I added some chocolate shavings from a Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate bar that I made using my carrot peeler on the candy bar. I wanted them to turn out more like pretty chocolate curls, however, mine were more like shavings.
I forgot to get a picture of the cake in it's completion before cutting it, mainly because I was afraid it was going to slide off of my cake plate while we sang 'Happy Birthday' to Keaton lol. It ended up holding up much better than I thought, and everyone safely got a slice, and raved about it. This cake looks intimidating because there are a few steps, but honestly it was super easy, the assembly as aforementioned was the trickiest part!
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| Using a fork to poke some holes into the top of the cake |
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| Brushing the 'cake soak' onto the cake |
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| Adding the mascarpone filling on top of the first cake layer |
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| Repeating the process for the espresso flavor cake layer |
So I got my cake platter ready, I assembled this on a tray because my cake plate wasn't going to fit in my refrigerator, if yours does, go ahead and use that! I took my first vanilla cake layer, and set it on my cake board, using a fork I poked holes in all of the cake tops so the espresso/Kahlua mixture would sink in. I brushed the 'cake soak' we made earlier onto the top of my cake using a silicone basting brush. Then I used some of the mascarpone filling to make a layer on the top of the cake. Next, I took the espresso flavored cake layer, and set that on top of the mascarpone filling. I used the 'cake soak' on this layer as well using the same method, and then again topped it with some mascarpone filling. The final vanilla cake layer was then added on top of this, and again I repeated my steps of first brushing on the 'cake soak' and a thinner layer of the mascarpone mixture. At this point obviously with the weight of the cakes your mascarpone mixture will be oozing out the sides and you'll want to clean that up using a spatula or something. I just ran my cake decorating spatula along the sides to somewhat 'frost' it back onto the cake, and then I set the whole thing in the freezer for about 15 minutes to give it a chance to 'set up', I also used my 9 inch spring form ring part of my cheesecake pan to keep the layers from avalanching somewhere into my freezer.
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| My assembled layers in the freezer, I'm encouraging things to 'set up' |
After that's set up a little, I frosted my entire cake with the whipped cream frosting we made, I garnished the top with a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder, and then I let the whole thing continue to set up overnight in the refrigerator. It's important to let the cake flavors meld and set up overnight, or at least for 4-8 hours so that you get that richness in the flavor. Before serving I added some chocolate shavings from a Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate bar that I made using my carrot peeler on the candy bar. I wanted them to turn out more like pretty chocolate curls, however, mine were more like shavings.
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| The cake...after serving everyone :D |
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| And again...a delightful mess of deliciousness |
I forgot to get a picture of the cake in it's completion before cutting it, mainly because I was afraid it was going to slide off of my cake plate while we sang 'Happy Birthday' to Keaton lol. It ended up holding up much better than I thought, and everyone safely got a slice, and raved about it. This cake looks intimidating because there are a few steps, but honestly it was super easy, the assembly as aforementioned was the trickiest part!
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| A final picture...all you need is a fork! |
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