Tiramisu-Torte (tiramisu cake)
A round, sliceable version of tiramisu, coffee-soaked ladyfingers standing in a ring around a mascarpone cream built on a properly cooked egg base rather than raw yolks, so it is safe to serve to anyone and holds its shape when cut. Cocoa is dusted on just before serving, not before the chill, or it turns damp and pasty.
Christoph's tiramisu built as a sliceable torte, the egg base cooked properly for safety rather than left raw as in the classic bowl version.
Ingredients
Written for a 22 cm round tin
Units
Temperature
Servings
Torte
- 24 ladyfinger biscuits rounded
- 300 ml strong coffee, cooled to room temperature rounded
- 30 ml coffee liqueur or dark rum (optional) rounded
- 5 egg yolks rounded
- 100 g sugar rounded
- 30 ml water rounded
- 500 g mascarpone, room temperature rounded
- 300 ml cream, cold, whipped to soft peaks rounded
- 20 g cocoa powder, for dusting, at the very end rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Line the base of a 22 cm springform ring with baking paper. Stand the ladyfingers upright around the inside edge, sugared side out, packed close together.
- Combine the coffee and liqueur, if using, in a shallow dish.
- Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and water together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, not touching the water. Whisk constantly for about 5 minutes, until pale, thickened and ribboning off the whisk. Remove from the heat and whisk for 1 more minute to cool slightly.
- Beat the mascarpone until smooth, then fold in the cooled egg mixture until fully combined.
- Fold in the whipped cream in two additions, gently, keeping as much air as possible.
- Dip enough ladyfingers briefly in the coffee mixture, a second or two per side, to line the base of the ring, breaking to fit if needed.
- Spread half the mascarpone cream over the soaked ladyfingers. Repeat with another layer of dipped ladyfingers and the remaining cream. Smooth the top.
- Chill at least 5 hours, ideally overnight.
- Dust generously with cocoa powder just before serving, not before the chill; cocoa dusted early goes damp and pasty by the time it is served. Release the ring and slice with a knife run under hot water between cuts.
Notes
- Cooking the egg and sugar base makes this a genuinely safe dessert, unlike a classic bowl tiramisu made with raw yolks; do not skip this step to save time.
- Dip the ladyfingers briefly, not long. A second or two per side is usually enough; soaked too long, they turn to paste and the layers collapse into each other.
- Cocoa goes on at the very end, right before serving. Dusted before the long chill, it absorbs moisture from the cream underneath and turns from powdery to pasty.
- It keeps for 3 days in the fridge, covered, though the ladyfinger layers soften further each day; it is at its best within the first 24 hours.
Ingredient substitutions
- Coffee liqueur or rum can be left out entirely for a version suitable for children, using coffee alone for the dip.
- Mascarpone has no real substitute for the texture; a mix of cream cheese and extra whipped cream comes closer than most alternatives but is noticeably less rich.
- Decaffeinated coffee works exactly the same way if caffeine is a concern.
- A layer of grated dark chocolate between the ladyfinger layers, in addition to the cocoa on top, is a good, common variation.
From Christoph Mayer