This may be the best tiramisu recipe ever created
Every Saturday, Chef Mark McEwan, one of Canada’s most celebrated chefs, serves up everything you need for a special weekend meal, including a recipe and expert at-home cooking tips.
One of my fondest tiramisu memories is from 1985. I was at Pronto on Mount Pleasant in Toronto, speaking with Franco Prevedello about our eventual purchase of the restaurant, and I remember I finished my meal with an amazing tiramisu. This recipe is an improved version of that dessert, a fresh twist on a historic favourite.
This tiramisu needs a touch more work, but it’s well worth the effort. The fresh sponge and crunchy caramel make a huge difference: It creates a great textural change and a superior cake base. I’d serve this with a digestif such as Amaro.
Chef tips
á Baking requires exact measurements and technique. Organize all your ingredients, set up your station and review the recipe in detail. Walk through it in your mind and then dive in. The better organized you are, the better the results will be. á The chocolate caramel crunch is the complicated part of this recipe — if you follow the directions very carefully, it will make all the difference. Otherwise, the techniques are straightforward. á To work with the gelatin leaf, soak it in warm water until soft, then add it to the warm base. This will help ensure an even dissolve.
Chocolate Caramel Sponge Cake Tiramisu
Chocolate caramel crunch
2/3 cup (150 mL) sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) corn syrup
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
1 oz (30 g) dark chocolate,
chopped
Frappuccino (optional)
1 can (300 mL) condensed milk 2 long espressos
Sponge cake
4 eggs
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
1oz (30 g) Chocolate Caramel
Crunch (optional)
1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
4 oz (125 g) white chocolate, chopped
Mascarpone cream
1 leaf gelatin
1 short espresso
1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar 10 oz (300 g) mascarpone
2/3 cup (150 mL) 35% cream, whipped
Coffee syrup
1/4 cup (60 mL) sugar 1 long espresso
Garnish
Cocoa powder Whipped cream (optional)
For the crunch, spread a large sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup (60 mL) cold water in a saucepan. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat until golden and thoroughly caramelized. Remove from heat, stir in butter, and follow with chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth. Drop the caramel 1 tsp (5 mL) at a time onto parchment paper, immediately spreading it with a small offset spatula into a long, thin smear. Your goal is for semitranslucent strips of hardened caramel about 1 inch (2 cm) wide and 4 inches (10 cm) long. If the caramel in the saucepan becomes too thick to work with, gently reheat it. When the sheets are done, set aside in a cool place.
If you intend to make the frappuccino, place the can of condensed milk in a small, deep saucepan. Cover it completely with water; simmer on low heat for 3 hours, topping up the water to keep the can covered as required.
For the sponge cake, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 10-inch (25 cm) springform pan. Place eggs in a bowl of warm water and set aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a small bowl, crumble the caramel crunch into it; mix well. Crack eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high until blended and beginning to froth. Add the sugar, and continue whisking until the volume has more than doubled and the mixture forms stiff peaks, about 7 minutes. Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, stirring until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add the melted chocolate. Turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl and ensure that everything is properly incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture, and mix until it is incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture and fold it in with the spatula. Pour the mixture into the springform pan. Bake until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre emerges clean, about 20 minute. Cool the cake on a rack, and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
For the mascarpone cream, submerge the gelatin in a bowl of cold water. Combine the espresso and icing sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Squeeze the gelatin, add it to the saucepan, stir again until dissolved. Transfer to a small bowl, and whisk in a scoop of the mascarpone. Transfer the remaining mascarpone to a large bowl, add the tempered espresso mixture, and whisk together until combined. Follow with the whipped cream, and whisk again. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill and thicken
For the coffee syrup, combine the sugar with 1/4 cup (60 mL) cold water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar is just dissolved. Set aside to cool. Stir in the espresso, transfer to a shallow bowl, and chill in the refrigerator.
To finish the frappuccino, whisk together half the simmered condensed milk with the 2 long espressos; refrigerate until cool.
To finish, cut the cake into 8 to 10 wedges. Dip each wedge into the chilled coffee syrup, flipping it in the liquid the liquid swiftly to cover. Arrange each dipped slice on a plate. Transfer the mascarpone cream to a piping bag and pipe a layer on top of each piece of cake. Follow with a sheet of caramel crunch, then a second layer of cream, and a final sheet of caramel crunch. If you made the frappuccino, shake it with crushed ice and serve in a small glass on the plate, topped with whipped cream. Sprinkle cocoa over the cake and the frappuccino and serve at once. Serves 8 to 10.