Tiramisu....I am not a big fan of this dessert -- to me it is, well....forgettable? The handful of times I have tried it was a direct result of there being nothing else available on the dessert menu -- and by nothing else, I really mean nothing else with Chocolate :) Each time I dove into this seemingly delicious on the outside dessert, I was always sorely disappointed...it was like eating...a cloud, I suppose.....fluffy and creamy but with absolutely no flavor beyond a scant hint of alcohol....
My husband, on the other hand proclaimed a few months ago that he ABSOLUTELY LOVES tiramisu....what!? Ugh, men -- you LOVE tiramisu??? really??? In the 9 years I have known you, you have never mentioned once a word about tiramisu and for the 3 years we lived in the Italian restaurant capitol of the U.S. (New Jersey) you never once ordered tiramisu, nor reveled in it's marvelousness as you are now....But I digress, that's why I love him, he keeps me guessing :) ...So, since my husband LOOOOVES tiramisu, I thought it would be fun to create a recipe we might both enjoy!? One with the traditional soft and fluffy elements, but made richer with bountiful flavors of spiced rum, cinnamon and vanilla -- now we're talking!
I came across Betty Crocker's shortcut, americanized version of tiramisu and decided to take it a few steps further -- here is what I came up with:
SHORTCUT SPICED TIRAMISU
1 (8oz) package Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbs Spiced Rum (I used Captain Morgans)
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 package Ladyfinger cookies (I used aprox. 21 cookies)
1/2 cup Espresso or Double Brewed Coffee
2 tsp Cocoa Powder
Grab a 8X8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
With a hand mixer, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed until creamy. Add rum and beat again to incorporate.
Rinse and dry beaters. In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until incorporated. Set aside.
Layer aprox 12 ladyfinger cookies on the bottom of the baking dish, breaking cookies if needed to make sure the bottom is entirely covered. Spoon 1/4 cup of the coffee over the ladyfingers.
Carefully spread half of the cream cheese mixture over the coffee soaked cookies. Next, evenly sift 1 tsp of cocoa over the cream cheese.
Repeat -- adding another layer of cookies, coffee and cream cheese. Top with remaining sifted cocoa.
Cover dish in plastic wrap and place in fridge to soften. This takes 4-6 hours, but I prefer to leave mine overnight before cutting...it gets tastier the longer it sits!
My husband, on the other hand proclaimed a few months ago that he ABSOLUTELY LOVES tiramisu....what!? Ugh, men -- you LOVE tiramisu??? really??? In the 9 years I have known you, you have never mentioned once a word about tiramisu and for the 3 years we lived in the Italian restaurant capitol of the U.S. (New Jersey) you never once ordered tiramisu, nor reveled in it's marvelousness as you are now....But I digress, that's why I love him, he keeps me guessing :) ...So, since my husband LOOOOVES tiramisu, I thought it would be fun to create a recipe we might both enjoy!? One with the traditional soft and fluffy elements, but made richer with bountiful flavors of spiced rum, cinnamon and vanilla -- now we're talking!
I came across Betty Crocker's shortcut, americanized version of tiramisu and decided to take it a few steps further -- here is what I came up with:
SHORTCUT SPICED TIRAMISU
1 (8oz) package Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbs Spiced Rum (I used Captain Morgans)
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 package Ladyfinger cookies (I used aprox. 21 cookies)
1/2 cup Espresso or Double Brewed Coffee
2 tsp Cocoa Powder
Grab a 8X8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
With a hand mixer, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed until creamy. Add rum and beat again to incorporate.
Rinse and dry beaters. In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until incorporated. Set aside.
Layer aprox 12 ladyfinger cookies on the bottom of the baking dish, breaking cookies if needed to make sure the bottom is entirely covered. Spoon 1/4 cup of the coffee over the ladyfingers.
Carefully spread half of the cream cheese mixture over the coffee soaked cookies. Next, evenly sift 1 tsp of cocoa over the cream cheese.
Repeat -- adding another layer of cookies, coffee and cream cheese. Top with remaining sifted cocoa.
Cover dish in plastic wrap and place in fridge to soften. This takes 4-6 hours, but I prefer to leave mine overnight before cutting...it gets tastier the longer it sits!
Sorry for the poor pictures, we are deep in the belly of the rainy season here and my natural light is non-existant! BUT, I did witness something truly amazing this morning, and wanted to share! This was the view from may backyard at around 7:30 this morning...as I was sipping my coffee in complete darkness, all of a sudden my ENTIRE house started to glow a bright orange! I turned to the backyard and saw this...it took my breath away...I did not adjust the color on this photo! And, really it was even more magnificent than the picture shows...I guess I will take days and days and days of rain and darkness to see something like this! :)
Have a great weekend!
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