Tiramisù – meaning ‘pick me up’ – is the all-time favourite Italian dessert. This is my cheesecake version, packed with all the required elements of coffee and chocolate and a light chocolate sponge layered through the cheesecake.
FOR THE CAKE
115 g/1 stick butter
115 g/generous ½ cup caster/white sugar
2 eggs
100 g/¾ cup self-raising flour
15 g/2½ teaspoons cocoa powder
FOR THE FILL.ING
500 ml/generous 2 cups crème fraîche
500 g/generous 2 cups mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons icing/confectioners’ sugar, or to taste
TO ASSEMBLE
80 ml/⅓ cup double espresso coffee*
100 ml/⅓ cup amaretto
50 g/2 oz. nougat chocolate (such as Toblerone), coarsely grated
cocoa powder, for dusting
a 23-cm/9-inch round springform cake pan, greased and lined
SERVES 10
*If you don’t have an espresso machine, dissolve 1 tablespoon coffee granules in 80 ml/⅓ cup hot water, then leave to cool before using in the recipe.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
For the cake, cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy using a whisk or electric mixer. Add the eggs and beat again. Sift in the flour and cocoa and fold in. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 10–15 minutes or until the cake springs back to your touch. Leave to cool completely.
For the filling, whisk together the crème fraîche and mascarpone. Sift the icing/confectioners’ sugar over the mixture and fold through. Taste the mixture for sweetness and add a little further sugar if you wish.
Remove the cake from the pan and cut it in half horizontally with a sharp serrated knife. Place the bottom half of the cake back in the pan.
Mix together the coffee and amaretto. Spoon half the coffee mixture over the bottom cake, sprinkle over half the grated chocolate and dust liberally with cocoa. Spoon half of the filling mixture into the pan and spread out evenly using a spatula, then dust with more cocoa powder. Place the second cake half on top and spoon over the remaining coffee mixture, sprinkle with the remaining grated chocolate and dust with cocoa powder again. Spoon over the remaining filling mixture and spread level. Dust the top of the cheesecake with cocoa powder and chill in the refrigerator overnight for best results.
To remove from the pan, slide a round-bladed knife around the sides of the chilled cheesecake before removing the sides of the pan, and serve.