Bailey's Tiramisu Cake
One of my favorite go-to cakes is my Bailey's Tiramisu Cake. It looks a little complicated at first, but it's actually well worth the work. To be quite honest, the only resemblance this cake has with tiramisu once I'm through with it is usually that it includes mascarpone, but hey - it's still tasty, so who cares really? This was the cake for my third birthday party this year (...and I don't even like getting older, but this year, the celebrations kinda got out of hand a little...) and it was gone within hours - so I guess I must have done something right, tiramisu flavor or no tiramisu flavor.
Bailey's Tiramisu Cake
For the cake:
360g all-purpose flour
120g cornstarch
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
300g softened butter
300g sugar
6 large eggs
2 large egg yolk
3 tsp vanilla extract
360ml buttermilk
For the Espresso Syrup:
2 tbs instant espresso powder
2 tbs boiling water
120ml water
75g sugar
2 tbs Bailey’s
For the filling:
250g mascarpone
200g sour cream
200ml whipped cream
150g powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs Bailey’s
2 tbs hazelnut syrup (optional)
50-100g grated milk chocolate
Cake:
1. Sift together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat the butter until it’s creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 minutes.
3. Add first one egg at a time, then an egg yolk at a time, beating the batter about a minute after each addition.
4. Add the vanilla extract.
5. At medium speed, add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in 5 parts, starting and ending with the flour mix.
6. Divide the batter between two spring pans (26 to 28cm) and bake at 175°C for about 30 minutes.
7. Let the cakes cool completely, then cut each of them into two layers of the same height, giving you a total of four layers.
Espresso Syrup:
1. Dissolve the espresso powder with 2 tbs of boiling water.
2. Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan.
3. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Bailey’s and 2 tbs of the espresso. (Keep the rest of the espresso, we’re going to need it later on!)
Filling:
1. Put the mascarpone, sour cream, vanilla extract, Bailey’s and hazelnut syrup in a bowl and whisk until well combined.
2. Sift the powdered sugar over the mix and whisk again until combined.
3. Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold into the mascarpone-mix.
4. Transfer about 300g of the mix to separate bowl and add some of the leftover espresso syrup to taste (and some hazelnut syrup if you want). This will be our frosting.
Assembling the Cake:
1. Soak the bottom layer of the cake with espresso syrup (just sprinkle it on with a tablespoon or brush). The cake should be fairly dense, so don’t be timid (like I always am because I’m afraid the cake is going to turn into mush), it can take quite a bit of syrup before it actually soaks through.
2. Spread some of the mascarpone mix on top (about 1 to 2cm thick) and sprinkle some grated chocolate on top.
3. Repeat with cake layer two and three. Then put the last layer on top without soaking it in syrup.
4. If you have any filling left after you’re done filling the cake, just mix it in with the frosting.
5. Frost the outside of the cake with a large spatula.
6. Decorate however you like (I used chocolate coffee beans around the sides and grated chocolate on the top).
7. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight if you want the flavor to really set in.
For more pictures and tips on how to make your cake taste even nuttier, go to MY BLOG!