lpsd v3.5

Trial and error method of making a tiramisu ice-cream cake: attempt to make a tiramisu cake, accidentally buy too much cream, AND buy the WRONG kind of cream, then decide to freeze the whole wobbly, drippy mess.

WIN!

Ingredients:

- 500g mascapone cheese (approx $11.50 from Phoon Huat, also available at Cold Storage and Jason's Supermarket, maybe at NTUC Gourmet)

- 1000g whipping cream (approx $4.50 from Phoon Huat, CS/JS/NTUCg also have) - make sure you buy WHIPPING cream, NOT cooking cream like I did)

- 6 tablespoons of sugar - or to taste

- 3 eggs

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 roll of MacVites digestive biscuits (optional)

- 1 double-pack of ladies' fingers sponge biscuits (impt that you get this; I have not found a suitable substitute in all my years of making tiramisu)

- 1 cup of coffee (you can make it as thick as you want - I used six packets of IndoCafe in one very large mug)

- some liquor (I used a tablespoon of rum, but you can also use Bailey's Irish Cream, Contrieau, or any other sweet liquor - try not to use hard types, like whiskey etc... unless you want your tiramisu with a bit of bite)

Equipment you will need:

1. electric mixer (if you don't have this, I strongly recommend you forget this experiment)

2. a big large bowl that can fit ALL your liquid stuff (it should be able to hold your cream container, the mascapone container, and 3 eggs WITH ROOM TO SPARE. If your large bowl cannot fit all this, you have to find one that does, or you have to halve your ingredients so that you know, you have SPACE for it all)

3. Spoons, mugs, hot water

4. Cake tin/container that you want to assemble the cake in

Instructions:

The overall sequence is: make the creamy stuff, then assemble and freeze. This process should NOT be a messy one. Before you start: make sure that your freezer doesn't smell bad, and has enough space for your creation (or make sure you make a small enough creation that can fit into your freezer!)

1. Whip the cream using the electric mixer until it has changed from being milky to creamy.

2. Add the eggs in one at a time, and mix (either by hand or by machine) until the colour is even.

3. Add the sugar, vanilla extract and mix well (either by hand or machine).

4. Add the cheese and mix well.

5. Leave the mixture in the fridge, as you start preparing for the assembly. I left the mixture overnight.

6. Get your container (mine was 11" by 11") and line it with aluminium foil if you want to re-use it. Lay out the sponge cake along the base, then "fill in" the gaps with crushed digestive biscuits.

7. Make the thickest cup of coffee you like, add the liquor to it, then use a spoon and drizzle/spread the coffee mixture across the cake and biscuits.

8. Once this is done, use a large spoon and carefully distribute the cream across this first layer of sponge (take it out of the fridge first of course).

9. Lay the 2nd layer of ladies fingers, and repeat the same process with the digestive biscuits and the coffee.

10. Spread the remaining cheese mixture on the top of the platter.

11. Put it into the freezer to freeze.

12. After it's frozen, take it out of the freezer, then sprinkle cocoa power through a sieve for the perfect tiramisu cake.

13. Serves 20-25 pax.