Easy Tiramisu without Eggs...Gordon Ramsay Adaptation

Easy Tiramisu...without Eggs. This recipe is the result of using up the homemade mascarpone and savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers) I made earlier...and you probably guessed this was coming:). This tiramisu, which was actually made after a bit of indecision(I thought really hard if I should make it this way or not), is quite different than the traditional Italian tiramisu. For some reason, I struggled with making the traditional tiramisu that uses eggs to make the cream mixture....or zabaglione. I guess I wanted to make it "lighter"... but this version isn't "light" by any means. And, I think real Italians probably wouldn't even call this a tiramisu... more like a coffee cake:)....

The traditional tiramisu has you whisk raw egg yolks with a bit of sugar until a thick cream is achieved, some mascarpone cheese is added, and then stiff beaten egg whites are folded in. Biscuits are traditionally used, often in the form of lady fingers... and they get soaked in some coffee/marsala wine, which in turn get layered between some mascarpone filling. The tiramisu is then topped with a dusting of cocoa. There's no whipped cream, no chocolate shavings, no other flavorings other than the sweet marsala. I guess that's how it was traditionally made.... but over the years, tiramisu has changed quite a bit.

There are countless variations of making "tiramisu"... Tiramisu can include whipped cream(replaces the egg whites) while the raw eggs yolks are cooked over a bain marie. Different flavorings can also be used, substitutions for the mascarpone is often made, sponge cakes often used instead of biscuits, etc....And then there's the not-so traditional "tiramisu" where the coffee flavor is replaced with all sorts of other flavors. There's the pumpkin tiramisu, the raspberry tiramisu, the mango, the rum raisin, the limoncello, and so on... Lots and lots of variations. Chefs all over the world come up with some really fascinating and intricate ways of making tiramisu. But some prefer a simpler version.... Gordon Ramsay does just that with his recipe.

As you can see, I finally decided to make Gordon Ramsay's easy version of the "tiramisu"....Ok, so it isn't done the traditional way, but this version was very simple to make...and well, it was really good:). Definitely not a dessert I want to make all the time, but once in a while... for special occasions...it's worth it:). And it's a good basic tiramisu that contains no raw eggs.

I pretty much followed the recipe... except for a few minor adjustments. I noticed my coffee wasn't as strong as I wanted, so I ended up using some coffee flavoring in the form of Kahlua. And because I wanted to make a tiramisu "cake", I ended up whipping my cream to a slightly stiffer consistency...so that it would hold its shape when cutting slices. Also, I ended up using a bit more sugar, which is so unlike me...but I just felt it needed it... and it really wasn't that much more:).

For my cake, I ended up using a smaller springform pan (6-7 inches) and made a triple layer tiramisu. You can easily use any pan you like...or simply use a glass tumbler/footed glassware....or make it like a trifle.

When making this cake, I think it is necessary to taste the cream mixture for flavor... then adjust according to preference. Decorate as desired and allow the cake to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours... or overnight. This cake doesn't need to be that precise...use as many savoiardi biscuits as you need. The cream mixture can be scaled down, if you like. Of course, you can use store-bought savoiardi biscuits and mascarpone cheese. But making it all from scratch was well worth it! I am still wanting to one day make the traditional tiramisu....or even James Martin's version. Until then, this version sufficed. Hope you enjoy...

Note: If you are looking for an egg version tiramisu, Mihaela from De Prin Lume Adunate has a wonderful step-by-step recipe...incidently, she also has some pretty neat Romanian recipes.

You will need: adapted from Gordon Ramsay ... entitled Easy Tiramisu

Here's a video link in case you're interested...video

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup(8 oz) mascarpone cheese

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 TBS Marsala, or to taste

Kahlua, to taste

6 TBS powdered sugar, divided

1 cup strong cold coffee

26-30 savoiardi biscuits

Decoration:

chocolate, shaved

unsweetened cocoa

coffee beans*

*if using coffee beans and serving the cake the next day, you might decorate before serving... as the coffee beans tend to absorb the moisture and become soft.

Directions:

1. Whip cream and 4 TBS sugar to almost stiff peaks. Set aside.

2. Mix mascarpone cheese with Marsala wine, vanilla and a bit of Kahlua to taste. Whisk till medium soft peaks.

3. Fold mascarpone mixture with most of the sweetened whipped cream...leaving a bit for decoration.

4. Combine coffee plus 2 TBS powdered sugar and a bit of Kahlua...to taste.

5. Dip savoiardi biscuits in coffee mixture and place in pan...breaking biscuits to fit.

6. Add a portion of the mascarpone cream mixture and level out. Repeat layer once more or two more times if doing a 3 layer cake. You can sprinkle some cocoa/shaved chocolate between the layers, if you like.

7. Decorate with a sprinkle of cocoa, shaved chocolate, and coffee beans. If you want you can decorate the side of the cake with extra savoiardi biscuits or shaved chocolate...or leave it plain like I did:).

8. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.