Classic Italian dessert Tiramisu with a twist… it’s a Tiramisu Swiss Roll Cake with the bold flavours of Espresso, Cocoa, Mascarpone cheese & Marsala, topped with flaky chocolate shavings…!!!
A cake for any special occasion? Of course YES, and that too when it is your hubby’s birthday around the corner, you definitely need to try something new to surprise him. He is my official taster for all my dishes, so I cannot get away that easily and will have to put a little more hard work. And that’s when I decided it was time to try my hand on a Swiss roll.
Tiramisu is an elegant Italian dessert made of lady finger biscuits dipped in an espresso coffee combined with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar mascarpone cheese, and Marsala wine. And this Swiss roll of Tiramisu is another version of the dessert without losing its authentic taste. The Swiss roll cake can be describes as “bakes quick and while hot; spread with cream, roll carefully as a log, wrap it in a cloth, and when cold cut into slices”. There are many variations of Swiss roll in different countries, and nowadays the modern versions have cream replaced with jam roll, chocolate and many more. So, here we are skipping the use of lady fingers, and instead baking a sponge cake for the base which is then rolled and cooled, filled with mascarpone mix and again cooled and set, to make the beautiful roll of Tiramisu.
There are a number of steps in this recipe but do not freak out if you are preparing it for first time, all you need to do is be patient and follow the recipe. One of the main takeaways for me while preparing this cake was the importance of the eggs. When your recipe calls for soft peaks from egg whites, make sure you use freshly bought eggs and the separated whites contain no specs of yolk. The bowl which you use to beat should be free from oil. And just have a look at the important things to be considered when rolling a cake (esp if you are a newbie like me).
Tips while rolling a cake:
- Baking takes a maximum of 10-15 minutes, do not exceed more than 15 minutes. Roll the cake when it is really warm, which enables to roll it perfectly.
- Use the support of a parchment paper or a towel dusted generously with powdered sugar, it helps to roll it neatly.
- While filling cream, it’s ideal to leave a ½ inch border on all the sides.
- Starting from the long side nearest to you, roll up the cake leaving the seam side down on the baking sheet.
Also, Don’t forget to check out my Easy No-Cook Eggless Tiramisu which is a twist to the classic recipe, but taste damn delicious!!!
Enjoy baking, Happy Caking…!!!
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Recipe adapted from Epicurious
Classic Italian dessert Tiramisu with a twist… it’s a Tiramisu Swiss Roll Cake with the bold flavours of Espresso, Cocoa, Mascarpone cheese & Marsala, topped with flaky chocolate shavings…!!!
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs separated (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- ½ cup brewed espresso
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Marsala wine
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Marsala wine
- ½ cup chilled heavy cream
- Cocoa for dusting
- White & dark chocolate shavings (decoration)
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Grease a cookie tray or a baking pan (30*40cm) with baking spray. Line a parchment paper with some baking spray and dust with flour. Shake off excess flour and set aside.
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In a bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat egg yolks, vanilla essence, and sugar at high speed until thick and pale yellow. Beat for about 10 minutes.
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Add half of the flour to yolk mixture and fold it gently. When it is properly mixed, add rest of the flour and fold it gently. Set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, beat salt, egg whites, and cream of tartar on a medium speed until soft peaks form. The peaks hold their shape when beaters are lifted.
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Add 2 tbsp sugar and continue beating until whites just hold soft peaks.
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Fold ¼ egg whites into yolk mixture, mix well and then fold remaining whites into yolk mix until it is thoroughly combined.
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In another bowl, pour melted butter and mix half of the prepared cake batter, fold it gently.
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Gently pour the mixture back to the bowl, fold altogether until it is thoroughly combined.
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Spread the batter evenly into the previously prepared pan. Rap the pan once to eliminate air bubbles.
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Bake for 13 - 15 minutes, until the cake is golden and crisp at the edges.
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Dust powdered sugar on to a clean kitchen towel.
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Carefully flip the cake on to kitchen towel. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. Be careful with heat, use oven mitts.
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After peeling sheet, dust with more powdered sugar. Trim the edges. Using the towel, roll up the cake, and once rolled wrap it in the towel. Allow it to cool completely.
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Combine espresso and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Then boil until the liquid reduced to ¼th cup.
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Remove from heat, stir in Marsala and let it cool in room temperature.
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In a mixing bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, cinnamon powder and Marsala, beat until thoroughly combined.
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In another bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until combined well.
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Unroll the cooled down cake gently back on to the towel. Brush the cake with espresso coffee all on the inside.
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Using a spatula, spread whipped cream filling evenly over the cake on the coffee brushed side leaving a ½ inch border all around.
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Starting from the long side nearest you, roll up the cake as you did previously but without the towel, leaving the seam side down on baking sheet.
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Dust with cocoa powder and decorate with white and dark chocolate shavings.
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Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Always use fresh eggs, and while beating the egg whites do so till soft peaks are properly formed and hold their shape when lifting the beater.
- Alternatives to Marsala wine are Frangelico, Brandy (Cognac) or dark rum.
- If you prefer non-alcoholic, substitute Marsala with watered down red grape juice or cranberry juice; but of course the taste wouldn’t be exactly the same.
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