What a pity, as there is very little alcohol involved and it can be made with strong coffee instead of liqueur. This is the simplest recipe I have for tiramisu. It even uses pound cake instead of the traditional home-made ladyfingers, but the result is quite luxurious:
Tiramisu (Serves 6)
Ingredients
1 6-oz. Pound Cake; Cut or Torn into 1/2-inch Cubes
8-oz. Mascarpone Cheese
1 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
2 large Eggs
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1 packet Unflavored Gelatin
1/2 cup Water
1/4 Granulated Sugar
6 Tbs. Coffee or Amaretto Flavored Liqueur
(Non-Alcohol Substitute: Same amount of Strong Coffee)
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Unsweetened Cocoa Power (Optional)
Whipped Cream (Optional)
Shaved Semi-Sweet Chocolate for Garnish
Spread cake pieces evenly a 9-inch by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. In a mixing bowl beat cheese and heavy cream at a high speed with a mixer until the ingredients are thoroughly combined, at least 5-minutes, then set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs until fluffy, approximately 6 to 8-minutes. Meanwhile, in a sauce pan set for high heat, combine 2/3 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook until the sugar thoroughly dissolves. (Better yet if you cook the simple syrup until it reaches 250-F degrees on a candy thermometer.) Very gradually mix the boiling sugar syrup into the beaten eggs. Continue beating until slightly cooled, at least 3-minutes, then set aside.
In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of water with gelatin and let stand for about 5-minutes. In a small saucepan over high heat, combine 1/2 cup water with remaining 1/4 cup sugar and bring to a boil. Cook until sugar dissolves, approximately 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in liqueur, vanilla and gelatin until dissolved.
Fold 3/4 cup of the liqueur mixture into the egg mixture, then gently fold in the cheese mixture to combine. Drizzle the remaining liqueur mixture over the cake cubes. Spatula the cheese mixture evenly over the top of the cake cubes. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1-hour. Garnish with a sprinkling of cocoa, whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired. |
