This lovely Italian dessert was made just for the occasion of New Year get together .. My second successful attempt and this time it comes straight from a very popular author Dorie Greenspan.. I knew my choice cannot go wrong here. Verdict right in front of you 🙂     Recipe Adapted from :Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan      

Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.

 

Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.

Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth. Working  with the whisk attachment in a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.

 

If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right-side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a pastry brush, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer – user about 1 ¼ cups – and gently press the chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake layer on the counter and soak the top of it with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup. For the frosting, whisk 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of the remaining espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone filling. Taste the frosting as you go to decide how much extract you want to add. With a cake shaver , smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours (or for up to 1 day) before serving – the elements need time to meld. Decorate the top of the cake either with Coco powder or with Chocolate shavings like I did.. Made a stencil by cutting a heart shape onto the wax paper and filled it with Lindt dark chocolate shavings. Remember to put the cake out atleast 3-4 hours before serving.

I have made this cake earlier just by using the plain flour . The sponge was soft and well received.. Ommitting the liquer in the cake preparation gives the cake its own flavour and its still yumm…Both the times Tiramisu cake was a celebration cake . First time I baked it for my own birthday 6 Months ago.. and this time for the New Year.