Strawberry and Lemon Tiramisu

For Cake:
36 Fresh ladyfingers

For Strawberry Cream & Topping:
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar (+ 1 teaspoon to garnish)

For Lemon Syrup:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

For Curd:
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 3/4 sticks (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces

To Make Curd: Whisk together zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and a pinch of salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter all at once and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10 minutes. Immediately pour curd through a fine sieve into a bowl, then chill, covered.

To Make Strawberry Cream:
Use hand mixer to whip cream with sugar and mascarpone to soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup mashed strawberries and continue to mix until cream forms hard peaks.

To Make Lemon Syrup: Stir ingredients until dissolved.

Spread lemon curd over bottom of 9 by 13 pan. Line up 18 ladyfingers over curd, covering bottom completely. Sprinkle 1/2 lemon syrup over ladyfingers. Spread 1/2 of strawberry cream over ladyfingers, covering them completely.

Line remaining ladyfingers over cream. Sprinkle remaining syrup over fingers. Top with remaining cream.

Wash strawberries and remove stems. Slice vertically and arrange on top of cream to serve.

*Lemon syrup and curd can be made the night before assembling the tiramisu.

Lady Fingers

I love playing off the idea of tiramisu by adding seasonal ingredients and using ladyfingers for my base. I was excited to see that Epicurious has a recipe for homemade ladyfingers, as they are not terribly cheap. The recipe takes a little bit, but the result is worth the effort.

Ingredients: (from Epicurious.com)
5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature 30 minutes
2/3 cup sugar, divided
7/8 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Equipment: a pastry bag with 3/4-inch opening

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Beat yolks with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale yellow, then gradually beat in all but 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.

Beat at medium-high speed until pale yellow, tripled in volume, and thick enough to form a ribbon that takes 5 seconds to dissolve when beater is lifted, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir until just combined (batter will be very stiff).

Beat egg whites with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks.

Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar in a slow stream, then beat until whites hold stiff peaks.

Stir one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spoon batter into pastry bag.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment, piping a dab of batter under each corner to secure. Pipe 2 rows of (3 1/2-inch-long) ladyfingers (12 to 16 per row) onto sheet, piping them so they almost touch. Dust with confectioners sugar.

Bake until pale golden, dry, and soft but springy to the touch, 14 to 16 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche Mascarpone

This is my go-to dessert when I don't have a lot of time on my hands. It is easy to make-if you can stir and pour, you can make this cake. Also a gluten-free.

Ingredients:

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tub marscarpone
1 cup whipping Cream
1/2 cup dulce de leche, or to taste
2 8 inch round cake pans or cupcake liners and cupcake pans
Wax paper

Optional:
Instant coffee or espresso
Vanilla
Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt chocolate and butter in pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally. (If it bubbles, it is too hot, the melting should be gradual). When chocolate and butter have been melted, take off burner and set aside. Mix sugar and cocoa powder together in large bowl. Crack 6 eggs and put in separate bowl, whisk the eggs briefly. Add dry ingredients to chocolate mixture slowly, stirring until they have been incorporated. Add eggs and stir vigorously to incorporate. If you like, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and a few shakes of ground cinnamon and mix in.

This recipe can make two 8 inch round layer cakes or about 20 cupcakes. If using cake pans, line the bottoms with wax paper to facilitate removal after cooking.

The cake takes about 30 minutes to cook, but check after 20-25 minutes. If a thin crust has formed on the top, it is done. Remove from oven and let rest on cookie rack for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cake and flip onto plate.

The cupcakes take less time, 12-18 minutes, but check for the thin crust. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool on cookie rack.

Put large mixing bowl and whipping cream in freezer to chill for 5 minutes.
Scoop the mascarpone into the mixing bowl and pour in 1 cup whipping cream. Beat until soft peaks form. Add dulce de leche. Beat until stiff peaks form. Refridgerate.

When cakes have cooled, spread mascarpone mixture over the top of one cake layer. Place the second layer on top on press down gently. Spread remainder of masarpone onto top of cake. Refridgerate until serving. Toothpicks/kebabs can be used to ensure the top layer doesn't go anywhere before serving the cake! They also prevent cling wrap from sticking to the mascarpone.

For cupcakes, simply spread mascarpone on tops before serving.