.....From My Palate

Cakes

Dragon Fruit Mousse Cake – Celebrating Sixteenth Birthday !

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It was a memorable week for my family, my niece turned 16 yesterday. When we chatted few days back, she asked me to bake a cake and send a video to her. Sweetheart, I am dedicating this cake post to you. Wishing you a very happy birthday and a great year ahead. Make us proud and stay happy and blessed! We all love you and always there for you.
Sixteen is really a special number. I remember my 16th birthday and more specifically remember what I wore on that day. Friends, cake, gifts, good food, lot of talking and fun makes the day memorable and beautiful. What else we want on a birthday right! Birthdays were so much fun at that age. I used to count the no of calls and cards I get on my birthdays, and single digit less can put me in depression, coz it shows I was loosing love, concern and attention. There was an honesty in friends and their messages. The amount of time they gave due to the carefree life at that time was precious. The card used to be full of colorful, hand written, funny and sometimes heartfelt messages. One of my very good friend never missed my birhday, she used to come every year either I am celebrating or not. And i still remember my other friend, who didn’t sleep all night and made a huge card for me. There are other friends too, I am not in touch with…but I really wanted to tell them, I still remember you all and thank you very much for your honest love, concern and making my birthdays really special and memorable. Thank you very much.

Gosh! It feels like I am already celebrating friendship day on this platform. I do believe, not to wait for any special occasion to vent out your feelings regarding someone or something. So, just share what I felt this very moment. But Yayy! Mother’s day is this weekend and I already had a post in the draft to celebrate this occasion. We will talk about this beautiful relationship and my experiences in the coming post.

Either you are celebrating or not but the presence of a cake itself gives a sense of jollity all around. If my metabolism started to work the way I wanted, I can and I will eat cake before and after every meal. I love to bake but the only issue is I just can’t abandon my creation at the mercy of others palate. I have a penchant for Mousse cakes these days. The moist creamy cake with a mirror glaze on top and covered with garnishes of fresh fruits, macaroons or edible flowers.

Freeze dried fruit powders are very popular and in demand these days. I tried dragon fruit powder for this cake. It gave very nice color and taste to the frosting and glaze. We can use these powders for smoothies, in baking and frosting. I will try to use the same powder in other recipes and will share soon.

One very important thing required to make a good mousse cake is a cake molds. If you don’t have one, use acetate strips to support frosting while refrigeration. It is a very simple cake as no tedious decoration is needed to looks beautiful. I used strawberry cake in this recipe and its optional. You can use any sponge cake, eggless or with eggs, in any shapes and sizes. If you are looking for good sponge cake recipe please let me know or google can help you as per your requirement. Use Agar Agar for the vegetarian option for gelatin.
Happy Mother’s Day in advance. Enjoy the best relationship gifted to a women by a supreme power.

 

 

Dragon Fruit Mousse Cake
Recipe Type: Cake / Dessert
Cuisine: International
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • Sponge Cake (I cut small circles of strawberry cake for mini individual cake)
  • 1/2 cup Sugar Syrup with Orange blossom water
  • 2 packets unflavored Gelatin Powder
  • 1/4 cup. Water
  • 2 cups Heavy Cream
  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 2 tbsp. dried Dragon Fruit Powder
  • 1 tbsp. Orange Blossom Water
  • 1 pack Strawberry flavored Jello
  • 1 tbsp. dried Dragon Fruit Powder
  • Water as needed.
  • Silvered Pistachios and fruits for garnishing
Instructions
  1. For the Mousse- Mix cream and sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.
  2. Take water in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the top.
  3. Microwave the mixture for 30 seconds, until clear and dissolved.
  4. Add dragon fruit powder, gelatin mixture and orange blossom water in the cream.
  5. Fold it gently to retain volume.
  6. For the Mirror Glaze- Prepare jello according to the instructions on the pack., Add dried dragon fruit powder while mixing jello in hot water. Add ice cold water to cool the jello faster.
  7. Cut the cake rounds in halves.
  8. Place the first half cake in the mousse mold. Sprinkle tbsp. of sugar syrup all over it.
  9. Pour a layer of mousse over it.
  10. Now place the second half of the cake and pour a thick layer of mousse again..
  11. Likewise make all the mini mousse cake and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  12. Now pour the glaze on top and further refrigerate to set overnight or until glaze is all set.
  13. For serving, run the knife along the sides of the cake and remove the cake from the mold.
  14. Garnish the sides of the cake with silvered pistachios.
  15. Decorate the top with your favorite fruits.
  16. Serve and enjoy!

Saffron Caramel Drip Cake with Peach Topping

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Hello, friends. Happy Spring!
Weather has been really crazy this year. We already had a glimpse of spring weather in February. February was really mild, with no snow storm and the highest temperature was in 70’s. I remember the day with the highest in 70’s because it was so good outside in February that we wanted to fire the grill and enjoy the sunshine. But later that week we were again home arrest due to snow storm, wind and cold.

Spring rain, an epitome of romance but since last week this glistening rain that drenched the heart with love ruining my schedules, car, clothes and most important my shoes. (I hate rain boots!) Traffic, closed bridges, mess everywhere makes me more vulnerable to depression and the only saving grace that’s brings back my sanity is my “Ginger Tea”. Keeping my tea time in mind I wanted to bake a coffee cake that goes well with my tea and compliment the season too. While browsing Vikas Khanna’s book during my “me time” his apple saffron cake tickled my fancy and pushed me to wear the apron. The recipe was eggless and that makes it just perfect during sacred navratris week.

Thanks to my pantry, all the ingredients were available but I tweaked the recipe with a peach to make it more cordial to the season. The hustle and bustle in the kitchen while baking is so gratifying and the aroma enveloping the kitchen makes it a worth while! The yogurt and apple cider vinegar in cake to replace eggs did their job really well. The saffron caramel was the star of the evening and we are still relishing it with apple and bananas.

This cake is dedicated to celebrate arrival of spring and love for peaches. The day amidst rain, mess and chaos was so rewarding in the evening with a cup of steaming ginger tea and piece of delicious cake. Even the rain outside was so calming and blissful now, when the family is around, playing board games with this delicious treat.
Thank you Vikas Khanna

 

Saffron Caramel Drip Cake with Peach Topping
Recipe Type: Baking/Cake
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • For Caramel-
  • 1 tsp. Saffron
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1/2 cup Butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
  • Peach Slices as needed
  • Cake-
  • 1 1/2 cup All- Purpose Flour
  • 3 tbsp. Cocoa Powder, unsweetened
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • Zest of 1 Orange
  • 5 tbsp. Oil
  • 1 cup Plain Yogurt
  • 1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
  1. Crush saffron with sugar in mortar and pestle until well combined.
  2. Mix butter and saffron sugar until smooth.
  3. Cook the mixture in a heavy-bottom pan on medium heat.
  4. Cook it for 3-4 minutes and add peach when sugar begins to caramelize.
  5. Cook the peaches on low heat until soft.
  6. Now add cream and gently mix it.
  7. Keep it aside to cool down.
  8. Preheat oven at 350° F.
  9. Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar and orange zest.
  10. Now add oil, yogurt and vinegar. Mix it well until smooth with no lumps.
  11. Pour the batter in a greased baking pan.
  12. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
  13. Cool the pan and carefully inverted the cake on serving plate.
  14. Arrange the pear slices on the cake and drip the caramel on edges of the cake.
  15. Serve with steaming coffee or tea.

Tiramisu Cake With Eggless Mascarpone Filling And Whipped Cream Frosting

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Wow, January of 2017 has already disappeared in the past. It’s February and its a birthday month of, “love of my life”, my son. Its been 10 years since God has blessed us with this beautiful gift. These 10 years has been full of love, happiness, hugs, kisses and baking. Yes! baking, cooking and blogging, coincidently I started my blog in the very same year he was born. When people fuss about cooking and cleaning with the new born baby , I don’t know from where I get the strength and courage to start a food blog. After so many years if I try to look back how I managed to cook and blog with no help and a new born baby, everything seems to be foggy and fuzzy. But the pleasure of being a creator gives me an immense satisfaction and happiness all through this journey.

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Motherhood teaches you a lot. It really enhance your capability to love another person beyond measure to a extent that your life revolves around that small bundle of joy. Now that my son is entering in to double digits, its a big milestone for me. I am very proud looking at his transitional phase from a boy to a teenager but cannot hide my nervousness too. I am so used to of hearing mom all the time that I started missing that sound when he is not around. Though I am not ready to push him to live and learn by himself but still now a days I keep on telling him, you are 10, be independent, why you need mom for everything? That’s my duty to teach him how to fly…fly all alone!

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Good parents give their children Roots and Wings.
Roots to know where home is,
Wings to fly away and exercise what’s been taught them.
Dr. Jonas Salk

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I have no doubt in saying that my son is a huge fan of my baking. His confidence sometimes makes me feel guilty about the fact that I am not a trained baker. I am so embarrassed when he declares to the world that his mom bakes the best cakes. He likes whipped cream frosting better than butter cream frosting. I always try to customize my baking according to his taste. We don’t wait for occasions to bake a cake, all what it needs is any free time of the day in the kitchen, with lots of love and laughter.

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He has always been my little helper, my taster, my admirer and a big motivator in the kitchen. Whenever I finish making cream frosting, he is always there to lick a bowl and a whisker. This is a ritual and even I make sure to make frosting when he is around. Now that he is growing up, I sometimes fear of losing these moments with him.

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Dear Son,
I love you and will always there for you.
A very very Happy Birthday to you.
Big hug and lots of kisses!

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Tiramisu Cake With Eggless Mascarpone And Whipped Cream Frosting
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • Vanilla sponge Cake
  • For the coffee syrup–
  • 2 tbsp. Instant Coffee Powder
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 1/3 cup Sugar
  • Espresso extract–
  • 2 tbsp. Instant Coffee Powder
  • 3 tbsp. Hot Water
  • For the filling and frosting–
  • 8 oz. Mascarpone Cheese
  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
Instructions
  1. For the espresso extract, whisk together espresso powder and hot water.
  2. Set aside or use espresso from coffee machine.
  3. For the coffee syrup, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract. Set aside.
  4. For the filling, combine mascarpone, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbsp. coffee syrup just until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate
  5. For the frosting, beat the cream, 1/2 cup powderedsugar and 2 tablespoons Espresso extract until stiff. Fold 1/2 cup of filling mixture in it.
  6. To assemble the cake, place one plain cake layer on a serving plate.
  7. Using a thin skewer, poke holes in cake.
  8. Pour coffee syrup over cake, then spread half of the filling mixture.
  9. Place another cake layer; poke holes in cake.
  10. Pour coffee syrup over the second layer and spread with the remaining filling.
  11. Spread sides and top of cake with frosting.
  12. Decorate the cake according to the taste.
  13. Refrigerate before serving.

Cassata Ice Cream – Revisiting Childhood favorites

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While talking to your own children, you sometimes revisit your life in the past and unfolds your childhood temptations and favorites. While talking about healthy food and its importance, my son suddenly asked me “What was your favorite food when you were of my age”? I took a pause to think because the answer was not in any way a good example for him. I tried to ignore the subject saying we didn’t have so many options those days. The next question popped up was about my all time favorite food or dessert as a child. That was easy to answer, it was cassata and ice cream soda. Of Course! apparently the next question was “What is Cassata and Ice-cream Soda? Ice-cream soda was easy to make him understand as float but divinity of cassata was really difficult to describe and make him understand. The slice of three flavors of ice-creams layered on a cake covered with nuts was nothing less than a bliss on a plate. The flavors of three ice-creams bursting together in your mouth with crunchy nuts and spongy cake still makes me blank and the only word that comes out of my mouth is Yum! Delicious!.

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Cassata is very different than ice-cream cake. Ice-cream cake is cake with a layer of ice-cream and frosting on it, whereas cassata is three layers of ice-cream on a layer of cake and covered with nuts. More ice-cream, less cake and a crunch with roasted nuts. I don’t know if I am making any sense to you but sometimes the experience is better than lots of words. So I decided to recreate a recipe for cassata with my favorite flavors of ice-creams.

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My favorite flavors are all Indian flavors of ice-cream. Keeping a color scheme in my mind I opted for Mango ice-cream, pistachios ice-cream and kulfi. The whole experience of making cassata from scratch was so therapeutic and joyful to me. I was so excited that I finished from baking a cake to making three flavors, layering and freezing in one day.

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Though, the size of my cassata is smaller than the real one but when you make it at home, having just one of anything you love is never enough. A guilty pleasure !!!

Verdict from my son– OMG! it is so delicious. It has ice-creams, cake, nuts….Gosh! Its a total treat.
Hard work all worth!! 🙂 🙂

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Cassata Ice Cream – Reliving Childhood Temptation
Recipe Type: Ice Cream / Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • Sponge Cake
  • 3 Flavors of Ice cream of your choice
  • (I used Mango, kukfi and Pistachios)
  • Crushed Almonds and Pistachios
  • Tutti Frutty
  • Terrine Pan or Loaf Pan
Instructions
  1. Line the preferred pan with the parchment paper hanging on both the sides.
  2. Take out the ice cream from the freezer to soften them before using.
  3. Sprinkle crushed nuts all over the pan.
  4. Fill up the bottom part with one flavor of the ice cream.
  5. Flatten it with the spatula. Cover and put it in freezer for an hour.
  6. After an hour check, if it is all set add another layer of the different flavor.
  7. Add extra tutti fruity for color and set it again in freezer.
  8. In the mean time, cut sponge cake in to a rectangular shape of a pan.
  9. Check again after an hour, pour the final layer of the different ice cream.
  10. Add extra layer of nuts on top.
  11. Now place rectangular cake over the ice cream. Press it lightly.
  12. Cover it tightly with the hanging parchment paper and aluminum foil.
  13. Freeze it overnight.
  14. To serve, put the mold in the warm water for some time.
  15. Invert on a plate, peel off the parchment paper.
  16. Add more nuts on the top. Slice and serve.

Irani CafĂ© – Mawa Cake

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Long time no see! It has become a custom for me to start my blog with this expression these days. How are you guys doing? Officially its summer, long bright days are making me happy and more productive. Afternoons are really warm and sunny, compelling me to stay indoors and spending more time in exploring other blogs or browsing idly for some instant entertainment. I really like such lazy afternoons, sitting with my feet up on my favorite spot of the couch with laptop and relishing my penchant for hot cuppa of ginger tea. That’s the most creative and entertaining time of the day for me. I really like spending time with myself in the age when you hardly get any moment alone with all these what’s up, facebook, snapchat, twitter and what not…. Its not that I am against technology, I like it and using it to the best but spending some time with or for myself like old school are still in my priority.

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While enjoying my own company last week, one afternoon I stumbled upon this video on you tube. Its about an old man going to a Irani bakery and bought a Mawa cake for himself. He ordered a cup of tea with it. While serving his tea a small boy broke the cup and spilled the tea. Another server came and try to hit the boy for his mistake but that old man blamed himself to save that small boy. While eating mawa cake a big piece fell on the floor by the old man. He tried hard but couldn’t reach it. He was disappointed and was really sad. But all of a sudden he realized there is another box of mawa cake on table. The owner of the cafĂ© who was impressed by his kindness treated him with another box.

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The moral of the story was “Believe in the magic of kindness”. The story was really simple but it touched the heart really deep. The name of the story was Mawa Cake. After watching the video I had this irrefutable urge to bake and eat a mawa cake. Very next morning I obliged my craving and baked the Mawa Cake.

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How I wish, if I can share my mawa cake with the same old man. May Kindness rules and make this world more humanly and full of love.
Amen

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Mawa Cake With A Middle Eastern Touch
Recipe Type: Baking / Cake
Cuisine: Parsi
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups Cake Flour
  • 1 1/2 cups Castor Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 cup Khoya, grated
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Orange Blossom Water
  • 1 tsp. Rose water
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 6-7 Green Cardamom, powdered
  • 1/2 cup Milk with 1/2 tsp. of crushed Saffron
  • 1/2 cup Sliced Almonds
  • Sliced Pistachios for garnishing
Instructions
  1. Pre heat oven at 375F. Grease and line the bottom of the cake pan.
  2. Mix cake flour, salt, cardamom powder and baking powder.
  3. Whisk butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Add khoya and whisk again while adding eggs one at a time.
  5. Add orange blossom water, rose water and milk. Mix it well.
  6. Now add dry mixture tbsp. at a time. Mix it well until all combined.
  7. Do not overmix.
  8. Finally add almonds and mix it.
  9. Pour it in a prepared tin.
  10. Garnish with pistachios and saffron thread.
  11. Bake it for around an hour until skewer inserted in a cake comes out clean.
  12. Cool it for 10 minutes.
  13. Serve with tea or coffee.

Tutti Frutti Pound Cake

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My cravings and weather go hand in hand. Yeah! if its raining nothing is better than crunchy spicy mix pakodas with steaming ginger tea. What is better than hot steaming Kadhi Chawal with Spicy Aloo on any snowy day for lunch or dinner. Cucumber Sandwich with Cold Coffee can make me happy for lunch on any sunny summer afternoon. But when the sun is lazy and hiding somewhere and there is a nip in the air, my craving for slice of pound cake with my evening tea can push my lazy bum in the kitchen. No kidding! sometimes my cravings are really strong. And this was exactly what happened to me few days back. Whatever happens, happens for something good but in this case it was delicious.

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Tutti Frutti was not in my mind but I decided to add it for color and my son’s love for them. While eating a slice,  I got nostalgic about old school tea time cake that all of us have loved and relish -Britannia Fruit Cake. Oh! I still remember those two slices in my lunch box used to made my day. Either its a road trip with parents or picnic with friends Britannia fruit cake never disappointed our hunger pangs. Back then, no idea about baking I used to wonder sometimes “What is the recipe for this magical slice?” And now I realized making this cake from scratch to calm my own wicked craving have long roots and a story to tell……

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Tutti Frutti Pound Cake
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup Tutti Frutti
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Butter and flour a loaf pan, set aside.
  3. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each one, add vanilla and salt.
  5. With mixer on low, add flour in small batches, beating just until combined (do not over mix).
  6. Add tutti frutti mixed with little flour. Mix it well in cake batter.
  7. Pour the batter in prepared pan.
  8. Bake for an hour, until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
  9. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes.
  10. Take it out and place it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  11. Slice and enjoy!

Lemon Coconut Pound Cake

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Queen of England and I share something in common,  our liking for the afternoon tea. (pun intended) I am in love with my cup of tea. Tea is like a best friend  who always gives me comfort and  smile on my face. A cup of tea always sounds good when you wanted your brain to relax with the body. Late afternoon time is the best time to relish it because you are done with most of your morning chores and the prep work for the evening is also done.

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Company is always welcome but during my afternoon tea I like to be with myself, my I-Pad or a  good book or a show of my choice. These kind of “me time” are important as they keep you connected with yourself rejuvenates your mind and make it clear and ready to tackle with why, what, where, when questions of your child.

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well, its not just tea the whole setting with the tea is also important. Neat quite corner to relax, steaming ginger tea(my favorite) in my most liked color cup and sometimes a light food to munch on like a good cookie, tea cakes or a light sandwich. Sounds like a heaven, right!. I am lucky enough to have these me-time that keeps me going and most important connected with you. Yes! this is the time when I relax, think, talk and share with you. Sometimes I bake for myself to make this special time more special. Like today I am sharing this delicious recipe of pound cake with my favorite two things- lemon and coconut.

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Lemon Coconut Pound Cake
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 3/4 cup softened Butter
  • 3/4 cup Coconut milk
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 3 Eggs (lightly beaten)
  • 4 tbsp. shredded Coconut
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Zest of 2 Lemons
  • Juice of 1 Lemon
  • 1 cup mixed color Tutti frutti (Candied Raw Papaya)
  • 1/2 tsp. Lemon Essence (optional)
  • Shredded Coconut for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
  3. Mix baking powder and salt in flour.
  4. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  5. Add coconut milk, eggs, essence, lime zest, and lime juice; mix until smooth.
  6. Add flour mixture on low speed until all combined and smooth.
  7. Now mix shredded coconut and tutti frutti in the batter.
  8. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  9. Sprinkle shredded coconut on top.
  10. Bake 40-50 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  11. Allow cake to cool completely before slicing.
  12. Enjoy it with tea or coffee.

Ice-Cream Cone Cupcakes

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I love my son but I don’t know if I feel the same for summer vacations. These days no early mornings, no rushing, no running for the school bus instead calm, quite morning time with my first cup of tea but still a question in my mind do I really like summer vacations? Though I must admit summer vacations gives lot of quality time to spend with your kids but we have 24 hours in a day and lots of other chores to finish. I can handle “I’m bored!”, “I played with all my toys!”, “Now what will I do?” kind of questions but what really bugs me “I’m Hungry, Can I eat something good?”

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This is not the ending, when you are in the kitchen there is always a volunteer for the help. “Can I help in something?” If you say no of course! you are a bad mom but your yes! may not be any help for you. (you know what I mean…) No matter how much you wanted to say no but there are times when yes! is the only option.

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I like doing different activities with my son. In school days he is so busy with his regular routine and after school activities there is hardly any time to connect or spend with each other. Time is already flying, in few years all these activities will be beautifully wrapped in a scrapbook. And our present time will become memories of the past….So I decided lets make some beautiful memories!!

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Besides drawing, painting, unloading dishwasher, reading, playing board and card games and other activities, baking is the thing that we both enjoy. Our today’s recipe is fun and very interesting. Its yummy… delicious and an eye catcher.

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Ice cream cone cupcakes are fun, quick and easy recipe. It looks like a ice-cream but actually its a cupcake baked in an oven and frosted like a ice cream.

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Ice-Cream Cone Cupcakes
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • Cake Batter of choice
  • 1 pack flat-bottomed Ice Cream Cones
  • 1 jar frosting of choice
  • Cherries and sprinkles
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Take a muffin pan, and wrap foil tightly over the top.
  3. Use a sharp knife to cut a small X into the foil.
  4. Gently push the ice cream cone into the X.
  5. This will allow the cones to stand up nicely and not fall over.
  6. Transfer batter into a container with a pour spout.
  7. Pour batter into ice cream cones, filling each 2/3 of the way full.
  8. Bake the cupcakes cone for 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
  9. Frost and decorate with your choice of toppings.

Key Lime Tiramisu Cake

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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the mothers out there. Sorry for the delayed wishes…but better late than never.  I planned to make this cake on mother’s day for myself to celebrate motherhood. But due to the other commitments, I didn’t get the chance to make it on that day. Looking everyday at the Mascarpone cheese that was sitting anxiously in my refrigerator and waiting for its turn, made me feel guilty.  Usually, a cake is served on the special occasions of our lives.  But, didn’t want to  wait for a special reason to make this cake,  so baked this today to feel special…

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Let me put the disclaimer first.  I am not a professional baker. Baking is my hobby and I am still on my learning curve. I take every cake as a challenge and I feel good when appreciated. Tiramisu is a light and creamy dessert with a hint of coffee and vanilla that tastes divine to the palate. I was eying its cake version in the blogosphere for a long time.

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Key Lime Tiramisu Cake
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • Key Lime Cake
  • 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cup. Sugar
  • 4 Eggs
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tbsp. Key Lime Zest, grated
  • 1/4 cup Key Lime Juice
  • 3 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 cup Buttermilk
  • Few drops of Green Food Color (optional)
  • Filling and frosting
  • 2 cups cold Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 8 ounces Mascarpone Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 2 tsp. pure Vanilla Extract
  • Cocoa powder, for dusting
  • 20-30 ladyfingers, for garnish
  • Espresso extract
  • 2 tbsp. Instant Espresso Powder
  • 2 tbsp. Hot Water
  • In a small bowl, whisk together espresso powder and hot water. Set aside.
  • Espresso syrup
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 1/3 cup Sugar
  • 1 tbsp. Kahlua (optional)
  • In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in kahlua and 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract. Set aside.
Instructions
For Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Line the bottom of your cake pans with wax paper, and grease the sides.
  3. In a mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Mixing at low speed, add the eggs one at a time.
  5. Add the vanilla, key lime juice and zest and mix well.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  7. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter.
  8. Mix until well combined. Add food coloring and mix it well.
  9. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
  10. Bake for 35-40 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  11. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For Filling and Frosting
  1. In a bowl, whip heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla extract.
  3. Whisk in the 1 tablespoon espresso extract.
  4. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.
Assembling the cake
  1. Cut the cake into two with the serrated knife.
  2. Place one half of the cake on a cake plate and soak it with the espresso syrup with the pastry brush.
  3. Spread the mascarpone filling on top and layer it with another half.
  4. Repeat the process with every layer and finish it with top layer of the cake.
  5. Soak the top layer with the remaining espresso syrup.
  6. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting.
  7. Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder.
  8. Press ladyfingers onto the mascarpone frosting on the sides of the cake.
  9. Decorate the cake according to your liking.
  10. Tie ribbon neatly around the cake for the finished look.
  11. Enjoy and celebrate your day.