Green Tea Tiramisu

This blog post is actually written in retrospect since I had forgotten to take a photo of this cake. Thankfully my brother-in-law had taken a photo and sent me a copy so that I could post it on my blog :)

I made this dessert for a Xmas dinner party with my parents and hubby's family. I was originally going to make Tiramisu for dessert since my mother-in-law is a fan of it and I thought it'd be a good way to earn some extra brownie points, hahaha :P

I changed my mind however since I tend to make my tiramisu with a very strong coffee and mascarpone cheese flavour, and my mother-in-law enjoys a more softer Asian version of tiramisu that can be found in Asian bakeries such as Bread Top. So as I was flicking through some Asian cookbooks for some inspiration, I came across a recipe for Green Tea Tiramisu. Intrigued by the idea of replacing coffee with green tea, I did a trial prior to the Xmas party and thoroughly enjoyed it! So, here's my version of this Italian dessert with an Asian twist! It's a "Tea-ramisu" :)

Note: I prefer a much stronger green tea flavour, but if you prefer a more subtle flavour, then use less green tea powder in the following recipe. Also use room temperature eggs for this recipe

Ingredients

2 cups brewed green tea, cooled
1 packet of 250g lady fingers biscuits/ sponge fingers

Green Tea Mascarpone Mixture

3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
½ cup sugar, sifted
250g mascarpone cheese, softened
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon orange flavoured liquer (e.g Cointreau)
3 ½ tsp green tea powder

Method

1. Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with electric beaters until stiff peaks form. 
2. Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with electric beaters until pale and thick.
3. In another bowl, beat the mascapone cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the green tea powder 1 tsp at a time, adjusting according to your taste. Mix together well.
4. Fold the mascarpone into the egg yolk mixture.
5. In a separate bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Add orange flavoured liquer, if using.
6. Fold the mascarpone mixture into the whipped cream until well blended. Then add egg whites and fold gently until blended.
7. Dip each ladyfinger/spongefinger into the brewed tea (don't let them sit in the tea too long or you'll get super soggy ladyfingers, just a second or two, until they get a little soft).
8. Layer them on the bottom of a rectangular glass dish or 20cm springform cake pan.
9. Spread 1/3 of the mascarpone cream mixture on top, and repeat layers until finished (I had 3 ladyfinger layers and 3 mascarpone layers). The top layer should be the mascarpone cream layer.
10. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or preferably overnight to let it set well. Overnight is best as this also allows all the flavours to be absorbed.
11. Decorate cake as desired when it is set. You can dust some green tea powder before serving or garnish the tiramisu with strawberries and chocolate triangles as I have done.

To make the striped chocolate collar:

You'll need:

75g-100g dark chocolate melts
60g white chocolate melts
cake decorating comb or fork
cake tape or baking paper

Measure the height of the cake (approx 2.5 inches) and cut a long rectangular strip out of baking paper (length of the strip is the circumferance of the cake + 2 cm extra).

Lay the baking paper strip on a flat surface and spread a thin and even layer of melted dark chocolate over the entire sufrace using a spatula. Drag a cake decorating comb or a fork through the chocolate. Set at room temperature.

Melt the white chocolate and spread over the dark chocolate. Spread firmly to fill all the gaps. Leave until just set- you want the chocolate strip to be firm yet malleable. If the chocolate cracks when bent, it is set too hard.

Wrap the paper around cake, chocolate side in (this is the REALLY messy bit!). Hold paper strip in place for a couple of minutes until the strip holds itself onto the cake. Seal the ends.

Put the cake into the fridge until the chocolate collar is set, approx. 30 minutes.

When set, carefully peel away the paper (it should come away very easily). Refrigerate the cake until ready to be served.

Notes & Tips

A cake decorating 'comb' is a flat plastic tool with teeth on each end. Combs are available from specialty kitchen or cake decorating shops.