Tiramisu Cake with Mascarpone Cream Frosting

Its here somewhere amid old recipe
 books, bottles of vanilla, and novelty
cupcake cases.

This recipe is one that has become a firm family favourite. From an old magazine that my mother acquired when she came to the UK back in the '90's, the yellowing pages still languish among the old recipe books and cut outs on the little shelf in the pantry. Since then it has copied into recipe books, typed, printed, and passed on to a dozen or so people, and now I'll post it on here. Wonderful with an afternoon cuppa, this tiramisu cake makes an appearance on almost every occasion, and many times besides.
This cake is flavoured with coffee granules dissolved in water and good quality grated dark chocolate. It is drizzled with coffee syrup or a coffee liquor whilst still warm, and then sandwiched and covered with a creamy mascarpone topping and decorated with  flake. This recipe can either be made into cupcakes (which yields 24) or a standard sized round sandwiched cake.

TIRAMISU CAKE WITH MASCARPONE CREAM FROSTING



CAMP's chicory & coffee essence.

SPONGE:
175g (6oz) Baking Butter
 175g (6oz) Caster Sugar
175g (6oz) Self-Raising Flour
1&1/2tsp Baking Powder
3 Eggs lightly beaten
20ml (4tsp) instant coffee dissolved in 2tsp boiling water
85g (3oz) Plain (Dark) Chocolate, grated
Coffee flavoured Liquor  (or alternatively, for a non-alcoholic option, I use Camp’s Chicory and Coffee Essence)

METHOD:

1. Place baking butter in mixing bowl with caster sugar. sieve in flour and baking powder. add eggs, coffee and chocolate and beat well for 1-3 minutes until smooth.
2. Grease two round cake tins. divide the mixture equally between the two, levelling the top for an equal rise.
3. Place in preheated oven at gas mark 3, and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until done.
4. Once out of oven, drizzle coffee liquor (or chicory and coffee essence) onto each cake and leave to cool before removing from pans.

TOPPINGS:
Mascarpone cream frosting
Cocoa powder for dusting
Cadbury’s Flake chocolate

MASCARPONE CREAM FROSTING:
2x 250g (9oz) Mascarpone Cheese
85g (3oz) Icing Sugar
1/2tsp Vanilla Extract
90ml (6tbsp) Single or Double Cream

METHOD:

1. Beat together cheese, cream, icing sugar, and vanilla until smooth and thick. Be wary of overbeating as it could curdle and split. 
2. Sandwich the two sponges with a generous layer of frosting.
3. Spread frosting on the sides of the sandwiched sponge, and then gently lift cake and roll in crushed flake, until the sides are evenly coated. Alternatively, you can pour crushed flake around the sides, although I find that the rolling method provides a neater and more even coverage.
4. Place cake on a serving plate and spread the remaining frosting on top. Decorate with chunks of flakes, and then dust with cocoa.

Here they are in cupcake form. Strangely, (for the amount of times its been made) I seem
to be lacking pictures of it in a sandwiched cake form.

Author's note: The cake can be decorated however you fancy. The icing can be piped, spread all around the sides and on top, or only on top, the cake can be drizzled with chocolate, or can be patterned with a fork, which looks very nice too. Its up to you how much (or little) you want to do.