You already know how much I love tiramisu. I’ve had some serious trouble finding the right ingredients around here, though. Luckily, we finally found some mascarpone cheese — even though all the marsala wine’s gone. My husband brought home a couple tubs of that tiramisu mascarpone, which is already flavored with coffee. I decided all it needed was some whipped cream and a base. So, I bought some sliced pound cake and set to work on what I’d like to call lazy tiramisu.
Espresso Extract
2 tablespoons of instant coffee or espresso powder
2 tablespoons of boiling water
Espresso Syrup
1/2 cup of water
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tablespoons of espresso extract
1 tablespoons of Kahlua Mocha (or coffee liqueur of your choice) [I used ChocoVine this time around, actually.]
Mascarpone Mixture
8 ounces of tiramisu mascarpone cheese
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
To make your espresso extract, boil the water. In small container, measure the instant coffee/ espresso powder, then pour the boiling water over it. Stir to dissolve the granules. Cover loosely and set aside.
To make your espresso syrup, heat the water and sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the espresso extract and Kahlua, stirring to combine. Allow the syrup to simmer until the syrup begins to thicken. Set aside to cool.
Whip the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until you get stiff peaks. Do not over beat! Quickly whip the tiramisu mascarpone. Then fold in the whipped cream in intervals, carefully folding after each addition. The result should be a thick, creamy, and airy topping for your pound cake.
Brush the slices of pound cake with the espresso syrup. Spread a generous portion of the mascarpone mixture onto the cake. Garnish with cocoa powder, and enjoy!
