Cherry Tiramisu
'Tis the season to bake this beautiful cherry tiramisu. It's creamy, rich and packed with flavour, this tiramisu will definitely make your holiday dinner even more special. Hints of coffee mixed with sour and sweet cherries is a flavour combination to die for. The homemade ladyfingers are fluffy and fresh. They are super easy to bake; you'll never buy them from your local store after you try this recipe. The best part of serving a tiramisu is that it needs to be made ahead, leaving you with a lot of time to prep other dishes while your star dessert is kept in the refrigerator, ready to go!
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Lady Fingers
2 Eggs separated
⅓ cup Sugar
½ tsp Vanilla extract
6 tbsp Flour
Cherry Compote
150g pitted Cherries
½ tsp Lemon zest
2 tsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Sugar
4 tbsp Water
Sabayon
2 Yolks
¼ cup Granulated sugar
100g pitted Cherries
1 cup Heavy cream
125g Mascarpone*
½ cup Espresso
2 tbsp Bailey’s
Method
Step 1- Lady Fingers
In a bowl, add egg whites and beat them till soft peaks, then add half the quantity of sugar, 1 tbsp at a time. Once all the sugar is combined with the egg whites, beat till stiff peaks. Invert the bowl, and the meringue should not fall.
Step 2
Add egg yolks, vanilla extract, and the remaining half of the sugar to another bowl. Beat till pale in colour. Then add to the meringue.
Step 3
Sift flour in the bowl and gently fold it together. Preheat the oven to 175°c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the batter to a piping bag attached with an A1 round tip. Then pipe your lady fingers 3 inches long, spacing them 2 inches apart.
Step 4
Place in the oven and bake for 13-15 minutes or till the edges start to get golden brown. Then let the lady's fingers rest on the tray for 9-10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Step 5- Cherry Compote
Add cherries, lemon juice, zest, sugar and water to a saucepan—Reserve 30g of cherries for later. Place the sauce on medium heat and let the cherries cook till they are soft and mushy.
Step 6
Stir occasionally to prevent the compote from sticking to the bottom. Then add the rest of the cherries and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Then take off the heat and let the compote cool down.
Step 7- Mascarpone Sabayon
Fill a pan with water. Place on heat and boil the water. Then in a heatproof bowl, add egg and sugar, and whisk lightly. Then reduce the heat and place the bowl on the pan, ensuring the water isn't touching the bowl.
Step 8
Whisk the egg and sugar constantly till they are pale in colour and doubled in volume. Then take off the heat and let it cool down. In a chilled bowl, add heavy cream and beat on low peaks, then slowly increase the speed and beat till stiff peaks.
Step 9
Then add the mascarpone sabayon to the cream and fold in gently. Make sure there aren't any streaks. Fold in cherries, cover the bowl, and place in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the tiramisu.
Step 10- Assembly
Dip the ladyfingers in the coffee, then place them in the dish covering the base. Then add half of the mascarpone filling and spread evenly. Then add cherry compote and spread evenly.
Step 11
Then add coffee-dipped ladyfingers again, covering the last layer. Then leftover mascarpone filling and spread evenly. Cover the dish with cling wrap and place in the fridge overnight before serving; dust with cocoa powder and add some fresh cherries.
Tips
The tiramisu needs to be refrigerated for 24 hours before serving.
*Ensure the mascarpone is at room temperature.
When adding sugar-beaten eggs or dry ingredients to the meringue, make sure not to deflate the meringue.
The eggs and sugar can take some time to double in volume; the key is to continue whisking.
When cooking the compote, stir occasionally and adjust the heat accordingly.
Only dip the ladyfingers in the espresso for a short time; otherwise, they'll break.
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