The February 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obesession.
Oh boy! Time really does fly when you're having fun, or terribly busy or both! I almost can't believe it's the time of the month when all Daring Bakers rise to the given challenge and post their own versions. February has been very busy and fun and I've been like a whirling dervish trying to cope.
But I wanted so much to make this Tiramisu from scratch. In my excitement, I made the mascarpone cheese way ahead of time and kept it in the fridge. I didn't have any problem with it at all, it was creamy and set after being refrigerated overnight. The recipe for the savoiardi (lady fingers) was also very good and they came out crispy outside and soft inside, just how I wanted. The zabaglione was also fairly easy because this isn't the first time I made it, but I'd have to say, the recipe was really good. The pastry cream set up beautifully too. I just love the recipes given here, they all came out good!
I made two versions of Tiramisu, one version was the "spooned" dessert which I put in ramekins. I made round savoiardi for this--so easy. I decorated the top with cocoa powder and real cacao nibs. 
The second version, is my favorite, I lined a 6-inch cake pan with plastic and made about 2 layers of ladyfingers and the mascarpone-zabaglione-pastry cream-whipped cream mixture. I kept it in the fridge overnight. When I lifted it out of the pan, it was a bit soft, so I popped it in the freezer for a few minutes before I sliced it. I decorated the top with cocoa powder, shaved bittersweet couverture chocolate and sliced strawberry. 
The sliced Tiramisu cake showing the yummy layers of savoiardi and creamy mixture.
I can say this has got to be one of my favorite challenges so far! The recipes given were fool-proof, and when we took a bite, it was really heaven!Thank you Aparna and Deeba for this challenge, this one is definitely going to be part of my dessert menu :)
*I have to say that because of the ease of making the mascarpone, I was inspired to start making home-made cheeses.
40 comments:
Stunning tiramisu. Very nice presentation. Well done :)
I love your spoonable tiramisu and your pics are fab! I loved this one too. I'll never BUY mascarpone again.
It looks great--I love that you can see all the layers. I made tiny ones and didn't slice them, so now I have a great excuse to make more!
Mi tirmaisu looks similar...great job!
Look fantastic! Chocolate and coffee - my favourite combo :)
Gosh that is fabulous work. I love both the versions you turned out my dear. Both look stunning, and I love the cross section too. So glad you enjoyed the challenge. I did too, and loved playing host as well!
Ooohhh... Your tiramisu looks so good. I love the ones in the ramekins/bowls. Just super! This was a really fun challenge I'd have to agree
Looks absolutely beautiful. Love the single serves. Thanks for baking with us.
Good idea with the ramekins. I should have used them, too, because my tiramisu wouldn't really set. The freezer version was fine, though.
Both look utterly delicious! I love the idea of the individual tiramisus in the ramekins. :)
Stunning! I love love love the two versions your made! Wonderful job =D.
Totally my favorite challenge so far as well!
Look ambitious and delicious!
Each version looks equally delicious, I don't know where I would want to start first! Well done! :)
Love all the different ways you made your tiramisu, especially the spooning ones, very creative!
The Tiramisu is absolutely gorgeous.You've given me an idea on my next blog post. Thanks.
Both look fantastic, but I have to say, the large version is especially great, since it slices so well :)
Your tiramisu is beautiful!! I love both versions!
your tiramisu looks scrumptious!
hi there
Tiamisu is my favourite and yours looks so scruùmptious !! cheers Pierre a french foodie
http://pierre.cuisine.over-blog.com
Great job! I love the mini Tiramisu. They look very pretty!
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks for stopping by my blog, and great job too on the challenge.
I am taking a beginner cheese class in April and I have a feeling it is will be the first of many.
Keep on baking!
I think I will borrow your spooned tiramisu idea too! Love the cocoa nibs and shaved chocolates. Yum!
Excellent job! And your pictures are beautiful!
Well done on this challenge! It looks absolutely gorgeous!
Your plating of the big tiramisu is irresistible. I wish I could just scoop out a bite. I'm glad you made time to do this so we could see the results. And thank you for your comment.
This was one of my favorite challenges so far too! Both your versions look fantastic!
Both your tiramisus look great--I love the idea of using ramekins. And I have totally been inspired from making mascarpone, too.
Your tiramisu looks delicious! Yes, I agree, it was one of the best challenges because each componant work quite easily and the recipe was so well written. Great work!
Yours turned out beautifully too. I've also done a version in a ramekin with plastic lining inside, hoping I can pull out the tiramisu after it was frozen. No such luck. It got real stuck in it - couldn't pull it out even with hub's help. LOL!
When I took the pic of my tiramisu, weather turned against me - no long bright daylight, started to rain, my piece of choc was melting against hot cup of expresso, my tiramisu was also melting due to being out in room temperature for too long. LOL! If u look closely, u could see a drop of rain splattered on the chocolate top n my tiramisu melting at the bottom. LOL!
Your tiramisu is beautiful and I love your photos! Wonderful job :).
Nice work! I love the cocoa nibs on the ramekin version :) This dessert is pretty hard to garnish and for me most berries would be a bit too harsh on the cream but they surely look pretty.
Nice pics btw.
Both versions look great, well done!!
Gorgeous tiramisu and your photos are spectacular. Well done as always. Wish I made mine spoonable, as not freezing it enough was more trouble than it was worth lol
Great job! Your tiramisu looks just perfect. And making cheese at home does not seem quite as far-fetched as it did before! :)
Seems you have enjoyed the challenge so much, so have I! And it is great you actually had time to make 2 different versions. Love the ones in the ramekins, so cute... They all look simply delicious!
Sawadee from bangkok,
Kris
both versions look great
Your tiramisu looks beautiful. I agree -- this was a great challenge with wonderful recipes. Excellent job! Love your blog btw!
I agree, this is the best challenge so far. Great job on the tiramisu, they look fabulous.
Your tiramisu looks amazing! This was my first DB challenge and I'm looking forward to the next one.
Looks delicious. Small desserts have my heart, but the shaved chocolate on the large one just puts it over the top!
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