Tiramisu Cake

Summer has finally come and is therefore time for some fresh desserts. Especially during this weird times, now that I am finally done with my final exams, I get to spend more time inside so I'm trying to cook something at least every few days. As much as I like to bake, when is extremely hot outside I do not feel like adding some extra degrees by turning on my oven, so any "no-bake" dessert is my favorite. This time I decided to go with a classic, but with a twist. Instead of using the usual rectangular tray, I chose to use a 26 cm diameter round tray to make the Tiramisu resemble a classic cake a little bit more. The texture of the cake and the consistency of the cream, after left overnight in the fridge, allows for the tiramisu to keep its shape even when the wall of the tray is removed. The quantity of ingredients described above allowed me to "build" 3 layers of ladyfingers and cream, matching exactly the height of the tray.

Ingredients:

• 400 g ladyfingers
• 4 eggs
• 4 Tbsp. granulated sugar;
• 500 g Mascarpone
• 350 ml coffee
• Cocoa/ dark chocolate for decorating the top

First step was to prepare my coffee and let it completely cool down. If you are in a hurry and wanna speed up this process, you can put the coffee mug in a bowl with cold water and ice and the coffee will almost cool down by the time you are ready with the cream and the ladyfinger assembly.

Next step was to assemble my first layer of ladyfingers. Because I used a round tray, this step was a little tricky, as the ladyfingers were not filling the space perfectly, so I had to cut some of them and try to arrange the pieces like in Tetris, so they can fill the whole space. Don't worry about it too much, I can assure you the cake will still keep its integrity and look good.

Then, I managed to proceed with the cream. One important aspect of this stage is that once you are done with it, you do not stop until your cake is in the fridge. This is because you are working with whipped egg whites, so if you take too much time to assemble all the layers, the cream will lose its mousse-like texture. To prepare the cream I started by separating the eggs. Using a mixer (you can also do it by hand), I whisked the egg yolks together with the sugar until it was all dissolved and the mixture got soft and tripled in volume. You should get a very creamy, light yellow mixture. I added the Mascarpone to the egg yolks, this time whisking by hand, not with a mixer, until it was fully incorporated and there were no lumps.

In another bowl, with the help of a mixer, I whipped the egg whites until they got all fluffy and firm and passed the classic test, that is, if you turn the bowl upside down, they will not fall. With the help of a spatula I incorporated the egg whites into the Mascarpone mixture making only gentle, folding movements, so I can preserve the texture of the cream.

After the cream was ready, I quickly added the coffee over the ladyfingers. I like to pour coffee over them, when they are already arranged in the tray, and not the other way around, first dipping them in coffee. I usually pour around 2-3 tsp. coffee over each ladyfinger. Then I poured 1/3 of the cream on them and evened it with the help of the spatula, repeating all these steps until I completed all 3 layers.

Lastly, I powdered the top with cocoa, but if you like, you can also grate some dark chocolate. I left the cake overnight in the fridge and then served it in triangular cake-like pieces.

Enjoy!