Tiramisu (tiramisu in Italian means “shoot me up,” or more poetically, “take me to heaven”) is a dessert of Italian origin.
It found its way into into European conscience somewhere in the eighties and became a very exclusive and luxurious dessert.
We are a suckers for great Tiramisu, thus where ever we go, if it is on the menu, we have to try it.
Over the years we sampled a lot of very creamy and delicious tiramisu, but we were never thrilled with how it held up. Eventually, we found an Italian restaurant in Beijing Sanlitun (Peter Pan) that makes a really, really good one.
When we lived in Beijing we would order from them by the tray, stuff it in the fridge and enjoy it for couple of days. That was our own manifestation of “take me to heaven”!
Well, after relocating to Shanghai we had to fill this void and we finally succeeded in our quest in creating tiramisu recipe that took us back to a time of our grandma, a time when life was simpler. When food had become something almost magical to us, something that resonated deep down inside of us. Something that we knew we could do and be really good at it.
We offer our Signature Tiramisu in BAKERHAUS bakery branches and get raving praise from our customers. People keep asking how do you make it?
Well, actually it turns out not to be so difficult after all. As usual the devil is in the details. With that said here we go:
Key ingredients for Tiramisu are Mascarpone, cream, eggs, sugar, coffee, lady fingers and Kahlua (coffee liqueur). Eggs and Mascarpone have to be at room temperature to mix together more smoothly and make sure that the ingredients are absolutely fresh, as otherwise they could break down inside the recipe.
- The first step is to mix the egg yolks and the sugar until they are very thick. Here the trick is to hold the mixing bowl over simmering water for at least 10 minutes while whisking to ensure the perfect mix of egg and sugar. Then, cool down slightly and add in Mascarpone until everything is well combined.
- Second step is to whip the cream until it is light and fluffy. The secret tip is to take time at this step and whip slowly. This will result in a cream that will last for days in the fridge without the aid of gelatin.
- Third step is to gently fold the cream from step two with Mascarpone, egg and sugar mixture from step one. Do not hurry here and use a spatula or large spoon to fold the whipped cream. You want to keep as much of the air inside the whipped cream intact, so tiramisu cream will be light and fluffy.
- Fourth step is to assembly the tiramisu. For that soak the ladyfingers in coffee and Kahlua mixture briefly, avoid over soaking and use crunchy Italian ladyfingers. Cover the tray bottom with the soaked ladyfingers and then add your first layer of tiramisu cream. Then, put second layer of ladyfingers on top of that and cover it again with cream and spread evenly.
- Final Step is to dust of tiramisu with cocoa and you are almost finished. This is exactly how the tiramisu is made, if you get it from the tray in our bakery. If we create Tiramisu for a birthday or catering event then we create three layers and cover the surface with cream roses and then dust off with cocoa cream.
The hardest part is that you can not eat it immediately, but have to exercise restraint for at least 6 hours to allow tiramisu to set up.
Now you know how to make the best tiramisu. Go ahead and do it yourself or let us deliver it to you.
In any case you know the path to heaven!
