Tiramisu, a dessert made with ladyfingers soaked in coffee and layered with mascarpone cream, has uncertain origins but became popular in the 1980s. It should not be overly sweet and is best made with slightly stale cake or ladyfingers. Mascarpone is the most authentic ingredient, but cream cheese can be substituted. Tiramisu benefits from sitting in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
Tiramisu, translated into Italian as “pick me up”, is a popular dessert layered with sweet cream. There are many possible explanations for its origins. While many argue that the dessert may have been made as early as the Renaissance, some suggest Tiramisu wasn’t made until 1971 by Italian baker Carminantonio Lannaccone in a small bakery in Treviso, Italy.
Italian cookbooks didn’t include recipes for tiramisu until the 1980s, when it literally became one of the most popular desserts in Europe and the United States. Dessert is now served in many restaurants and is not exclusive to those restaurants that offer Italian dishes.
The classic tiramisu is made with ladyfingers soaked in coffee and occasionally wine or Marsala rum. The soaked ladyfingers are alternately layered with mascarpone, which is normally blended with the traditional zabaglione cream. This provides a cake of several layers, which is often topped with cocoa powder.
Common mistakes in preparing Tiramisu are excessive soaking of ladyfingers. This can result in a cake body that is soggy instead of just soaked through. Most cookbooks provide explicit instructions on how long to dip women’s fingers. Some use a sponge cake instead of ladyfingers, which can give pretty much the same result.
Some newer recipes for Tiramisu use different liquids to dip the cake layers. These can include lemon juice or strawberry juice. A layered tiramisu with chocolate eggnog cream is a popular variation. Nothing quite replaces the traditional Tiramisu, however, especially if you are a fan of coffee.
Unlike many American desserts, tiramisu shouldn’t be overly sweet. In fact most Italian desserts, like ricotta cheesecake, use far less sugar than American desserts. The goal of Tiramisu is to provide a balance of flavors between the sweet eggnog, the taste of coffee and alcohol and the dusting of bitter cocoa. Also, the textures in Tiramisu should be watched as the layers alternate between cake and cream.
It’s actually quite easy to make tiramisu and there are many recipes to tell how. Look for recipes of Italian origin to get the true essence of the cake. Local grocery stores may not carry mascarpone, and cream cheese is often a suitable substitute. For the most authentic Tiramisu, look for specialty groceries that usually carry plenty of mascarpone. It’s often in the section of the refrigerator next to the cream or ricotta, unlike regular hard cheeses.
Any type of cake or ladyfingers that form the base of the cake should be slightly stale. In fact, Tiramisu is an excellent way to use up leftovers. Refined cake or ladyfingers will absorb liquids better without becoming soggy. Tiramisu is usually best made in a large square or rectangular pan and benefits from sitting in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. This gives the cake time to fully absorb all of its flavors. If you’re making Tiramisu for an evening meal, it may be best to make it the night before or the morning before serving.
Tiramisu is sure to be a recipe that many of your guests will delight in. Warn guests that they may not be consuming alcohol if alcohol was used to dip the cake. Since this is not a baked dessert, the alcohol will still be present in full strength.
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