Olive Garden Tiramisu

Olive Garden Tiramisu
from http://saorganics.com/302/

Ingredients:
1 sponge cake, (10 to 12″)
3 ounces strong brewed black coffee or espresso
3 ounces brandy or rum
1 1/2 pound cream cheese or mascarpone, room temperature
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:
Cut across middle of sponge cake forming two layers, each about 1 1/2 inches high.

Blend coffee and brandy. Sprinkle enough of mixture over bottom half of cake to flavor it strongly. Don’t moisten cake too much or it may collapse on serving. Beat room-temperature cheese and 1 cup sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and cheese is light and spreadable. Test for sweetness during beating, adding more sugar if needed.

Spread cut surface of bottom layer with half of the cheese mixture. Replace second layer and top this with remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle top liberally with sifted cocoa.

Refrigerate cake for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.


An authentic version of Tiramisu
found http://www.cookingandme.com/2012/04/tiramisu-classic-italian-dessert.html

Note: Classic tiramisu contains raw eggs so try to get the freshest egg you can lay your hands on. If you are not comfortable with this or you are pregnant, then this recipe is not for you. Please don't ask me for a substitute! Mascarpone cheese is another essential ingredient and I am really not sure if a substitute will work for that either.

For other easy dessert recipes, check out my eggless Oreo cheesecake recipe, this homemade chocolate ice-cream recipe, and my 5-minute mug cake recipe.
Classic Tiramisu Recipe
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 tsp of instant coffee powder
1/2 cup of hot water
2 tbsp of icing sugar or powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg white
2-3 tbsp of cocoa powder
250gm of mascarpone cheese
About 15 ladyfinger biscuits

How to Assemble the Tiramisu:

1. Mix the instant coffee powder with the hot water and beat lightly for a minute with a spoon. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Add the icing sugar (or powdered sugar) to the egg yolks and beat well with a fork. Add the cheese and beat well again. If you have an electric beater, use that.

3. Whip egg white until stiff. You can use your electric beater (use a clean dry one) or just your fork or whip which will take much longer. Fold this gently into the cheese-yolk mixture.

4. Dip the ladyfingers in the coffee and layer them at the bottom of a square cake tin. Sprinkle cocoa powder over this generously.

5. Layer half the egg-cheese mixture over the biscuit layer. You can add some berries at this time if you wish. On top of the mixture, layer biscuits (dipped in coffee) once more and top off with some more cocoa powder and the rest of the cheese-yolk mixture.

6. Freeze overnight or at least 8 hours. Once it has set, sprinkle more cocoa powder or powdered sugar on top and serve chilled.

Notes:

- the ladyfingers get soft very quickly so dip in coffee and layer immediately, don't linger.
- you can spike the coffee with rum or cognac, or (and I want to try this myself) use Kahlua to dip the biscuits
- it may be a good idea to move the tiramisu to the refrigerator for an hour or so before serving but getting clean pieces will be tougher