Cake:
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (almond) milk
• 2 T butter
• 1 tsp baking powder
1. Whisk(by hand or with electric mixer) eggs for 3 or 4 minutes until they are thick. Gradually add sugar, beating until light.
2. Add flour and baking powder all at once and mix just until combined.
3. Heat milk and butter over medium heat until butter melts.
4. Add to batter and whisk until totally combined and creamy.
5. Pour into greased and floured pan. I used a square pan, but round, rectangular, cupcake, small rectangular–any pan can be used depending on what you’re envisioning as your end result. Bake 20 – 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Syrup:
• 1 cup strong coffee or espresso
• 2 – 3 T rum or Kahlua
• 1 T sugar
1. When coffee is cool, mix.
Filling:
• 1 egg white
• 8 oz (1 cup) mascarpone or cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 cup whipped cream (frozen)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 T powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
1. In an electric mixer, whip egg white with a pinch of sugar until frothy and light. Add rest of sugar and continue to whip.
2. Add cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and whipped cream. Whip for 5 – 10 minutes on medium high speed until it reaches desired consistency.
Filling based on Jacques Pépin’s recipe, which uses sour cream instead of whipped cream and omits egg*
Tiramisu:
1. Remove cake from pan. Slice horizontally in half and separate.
2. Assemble three components as desired. Place bottom half back into pan used for baking, onto serving tray, or into presentational dish. A trifle bowl or clear glass can make a very elegant presentation. I used small glasses to make verrines: I stamped the top of the glass onto the cake, then pushed it down for each layer.
3. Spoon or slowly pour coffee syrup onto cake. Allow to absorb then spoon a bit more until it is moistened but not completely saturated. The cake can also be dipped or soaked in the syrup, but I found soaking made the cake difficult to manipulate/move to a serving dish.
3. Add a filling layer, spreading or shaping with a rubber spatula. You can also pipe the filling for nice presentation.
3. Repeat layers as many times as you see fit, ending with a filling layer. Spoon cocoa powder into a strainer and shake to completely cover the top. Garnish with chocolate shavings or a raspberry if desired.
Tiramisu will keep comfortably until the next day, but it is advisable to make only what will be consumed immediately, storing the filling, cake, and syrup separately. This is especially convenient if you do not have many people to feed; I used half this cake for 4 single-serving tiramisu, then used the other half for petits fours.
Camembrie 