Tiramisu cake

It was my friend's 21st last week, so me and my other friend decided to join forces and make her a cake.



I lie though, because this isn't strictly a cake, but actually tiramisu stacked with lots of sponge fingers. It's actually a really simple thing to do, and great for people who don't have a lot of confidence in their oven (see my post "death of a chocolate cake" if you're wondering what I mean).

Tiramisu cake (makes a 7" cake)

Ingredients

Espresso Syrup:
1 tablespoon strong instant coffee powder or espresso powder
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) boiling water
1 tablespoon Tia Maria or brandy

Filling:
250g mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons Tia Maria/brandy
1 cup (250 ml) double cream

Sponge fingers (I bought 2 packs of 24 and used 30ish. If they are thicker than the standard sponge fingers you get in the supermarket then obviously you won't need as many)
50g dark chocolate


dark chocolate shavings(optional)
strawberries for decoration (optional)


Method:

To make the Espresso Syrup:
1. Dissolve instant coffee powder and sugar in boiling water (or make your espresso with the 1/2 cup of boiling water).
2. Leave to cool, then stir in 1 tablespoon of brandy. Set aside.

To make the Filling:
1. Whisk mascarpone cheese with icing sugar, vanilla extract, brandy and 3 tablespoons of the espresso syrup until blended.
2. Whisk the whipping cream until it forms soft peaks (I'd reccomend using an electric mixer, but be careful not to over whip).
3. Mix in 1/4 of the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture, then carefully fold in the remaining whipped cream to the mascarpone with a spatula.

To assemble the cake:
1. Line the sides of a 7" round cake tin (either springform or with a removable base) with the sponge fingers (do not dip them in the espresso syrup). If the last sponge finger doesn't fit nicely then trim it so it fits in. Cutting off the ends will help them to stand up if they keep sliding around.
2. Gently dip the remaining sponge fingers one at a time in the espresso syrup, and use them to line the base of the pan. Cut them into shorter lengths to fill the whole of the circular base.
3. Spoon half the filling on top, spread evenly and grate dark chocolate over it.
4. Repeat with another layer of dipped sponge fingers and spoon over the remaining filling.
5. Cover and refridgerate for at least 4 hours (but preferably overnight).
6. Before serving, remove the sides of the cake tin, grate over more dark chocolate. If you want large chocolate shavings you can use a potato peeler. Decorate with strawberries. We also added silver balls cos they are awesome.
7. Add a ribbon, candles and surprise someone in the venue of your choice :)