Here’s another desert that’s made with Sponge Cake. It’s something of a cake-version of the traditional Tiramisù but just different enough to be a wonderful alternative and a great crowd-pleaser. As we did for the Zuppa Inglese, for this recipe the basic Sponge Cake is baked in a spring-form pan and allowed to grow tall so that it can then be sliced horizontally into 3 separate discs. Two things always to remember when making Tiramisù and also this cake version: Tiramisù always tastes better (and is the correct consistency) when made the day before AND make sure that you are using very fresh eggs!
Ingredients for Tiramisu Cake
Sponge Cake (see our article with the basic sponge cake recipe)
Espresso coffee
Good quality brandy or cognac
3 large eggs, separated
250 gr (9oz) mascarpone cheese
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 cups whipping cream
4 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Chopped almonds and chopped chocolate pieces (if desired)
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Preparation for Tiramisu Cake
Prepare Sponge Cake in 9-10 inch spring form pan. When cooled, cut horizontally into 3 layers.
Beat the egg yolks with 3 Tbs of sugar until fluffy, then add mascarpone, mix well and set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold together the yolks and the whites and set aside.
In another bowl, whip 1 cup of the whipping cream till stiff peaks form adding 2 Tbs of the powdered sugar at the end. Gently fold together the whipping cream and the egg mixture, add the chopped almonds and chocolate pieces (if using).
Place the bottom cake layer back into the (cleaned) spring form pan and sprinkle with a mixture of the coffee and brandy (the ratio should be 2 parts coffee to 1 part brandy). Spread 1/2 of the cream mixture and continue layering (always sprinkling the cake discs with the coffee-brandy mixture) ending with the third cake disc on top
Cover and chill for 3 or 4 hours.
Meanwhile, whip the remaining 1 cup of whipping cream till stiff peaks, adding the remaining 2 Tbs of powdered sugar. Place the chilled cake onto a serving plate, releasing the sides of the spring-form pan and spread the whip cream over the top and sides of the entire cake. Lightly sprinkle cocoa powder on top.