Friday 25 March 2011

De-constructed oozing Tiramisu


Ciao lettori bella, this months Forever Nigella theme was Italian,  Ciao Italia, and had to either be an Italian recipe or a recipe which showcased an Italian ingredient.

I had my thinking hat on for some time, until this weekends deadline was looming and I'd still baked nothing. Then inspiration struck, I decided to make a version of Nigella's Irish Cream Tiramisu from Nigella Express but instead of using the Savoiardi as the base for the dreamy gooey marscapone (Italian!!) mixture I baked some of Nigella's cupcakes, from How to be a Domestic Goddess using my new filled cupcake tray, a birthday gift from my gorgeous friend Rene in Chicago.


The cupcakes were a doddle to make and filled 11 of the wholes in my tray. I wasn't complaining though as (a) it meant I could like the bowl clean (and it was delicious batter- just the kind I like, nice consistency and nice and sweet but not too much - you can tell how good a cake is going to be from the batter!) and (b) It meant I had a spare if need be, or I could just eat it as a tester!

When they came out of the oven it was a bit of a faff to get them out of the moulds, even though it says they're non stick and will come out with no hassle (I slightly greased the tins as well just incase). Most came out ok, although some of the swirly edges weren't keen to release.

Instead of Irish Cream I used a hefty glug of Marsala (Italian!!) mixed with some fabulously strong Monmouth coffee I bought earlier in the day. The girl in Monmouth was lovely, helping me choose the right blend for this -  you don't get that service in Starbucks, or many other "fancy" cafes for that matter. I dunked the cake tops and bottoms in the mixture, maybe a little too much as they got quite moist, and then left them to dry a bit.

The tiramisu topping was made with marscapone, egg yolks, sugar and a whisked egg white. Oh, and lashings more Marsala. This is where I think I went a little wrong as I added some extra booze as I like my tiramisu to have a good kick so my topping didn't set quite enough I think, or this could be because we didn't set it in the traditional way.


As you can see it's a little runny but it tasted really nice so we slapped it into the cavity on the bottom cupcake, then placed the top of the cupcake which had some more of the filling inside. Be warned these cupcakes aren't very pretty but they do taste amazing!



Ooooh look it's a bit of a gooey mess....and it's about to get worse....


We poured a little more of the filling over the top to soak the Marsala soaked cupcake some more, and covered with a dusting of cocoa. As Nigella might say the topping ooozed seductively down the cupcake topper.

It doesn't look the prettiest cupcake but boy was it good - very rich and very boozy but very very good.

I can see Nigella pouting seductively at the camera eating this, she does love food that oooozes after all!

8 comments:

Manny said...

These were so deliciously gooey and moreish, I was stuffed after the 3 I had but I could have eaten another 3 :) It's amazing how much flavour you pack into your cakes and you have such wonderful ideas too, I am proud of you xxx

Sally H said...

Mmmmm! My mouth is watering!

Abbie said...

They look absolutely brilliant! :)

Janice said...

It looks like some kind of weird toadstool covered in snow and ice. Love the tins.

Sarah, Maison Cupcake said...

I think they're pretty darned good and definitely pout worthy! I love that cupcake mould (although my kitchen is bursting with tins as you can imagine) and it looks like a fabulous pudding.

Thanks for taking part in Forever Nigella 3, Ciao!

Anne said...

That cake tin is so cute! Love the finished result too, they look delicious and good gooey!

I heart cupcakes said...

@Manny - I don't suppose the lashings of booze had anything to do with your enjoyment

@Sally H - thank you. They tasted better than they looked!

@Abbie - thank you sweetie.

@Janie - not really the effect I was going for but the tins do make quite an oddly shaped cupcake.

@Sarah - thank you :) I know, Manny keeps telling me "no more tins" but I ignore him - I still don't have a madeline one and need it!
Looking forward to the next Forever Nigella event!

@Anne - thank you :) they were definitely gooey and, if I say so myself, delicious.

Baking Addict said...

I want one now! :) The cake tin is so cute, I'll have to consider getting one for myself. I'm having my first ever giveaway on my blog- have a look and enter if you're interested.
http://themorethanoccasionalbaker.blogspot.com/2011/03/baked-delicious-giveaway.html