Tiramisu Cake

I made this cake for my grandparent's anniversary dinner. Traditional tiramisu is much less work but this is one delicious cake. Anything soaked in coffee and alcohol has to be delicious.

The original recipe made a two layer cake but the batter seemed a little shy, so I made a single layer.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, makes one 9" cake

Ingredients

2 cups
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Amaretto, Kahlua or brandy

8 ounce container mascarpone
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Amaretto, Kahlua or brandy
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, shaved

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan and dust the inside with flour, tapping out the excess.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and beat for an additional 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, one third at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes. When fully baked, the cake will be springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.

Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cake and unmold from the pan. Flip back right-side-up and allow to cool to room temperature.

In the meantime, prepare the espresso syrup. To make the espresso, stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small bowl. Set aside. Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add in the liqueur and 1 tablespoon of the prepared espresso. Set aside.

To prepare the frosting, in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream into stiff peaks. Combine the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, remaining espresso and liqueur in a large bowl. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone.

Using a pastry brush, soak the cake with the espresso syrup.

With a long icing spatula, smooth the frosting over the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours before serving to allow the flavours to develop.

Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with shaved chocolate.

♥  Amy